Story: 1. ) Compassion / from A BOOK IS LIKE A SACRED ISLE: A Rain of Booklight; A Book about Books...

        

       
         Compassion 

  I have just finished reading a book, a biography, about a famous writer and author whose checkered life, at first, filled me with dismay, and at times I wondered what on earth I was doing reading a book about such a perverse character. But I continued to read, fascinated. The more I read, the more his life was revealed to be truly weird and even repulsive in places, but his writing was utterly beautiful; astonishingly fine English. But the more I read the more I discovered compassion being worked in me, and genuine love for this troubled and tormented man. Towards the end, at the description of his dreadful death, I cried; and I was sad that the book had come to an end and there was no more to read of this utterly complex ‘nearly-great, but fatally flawed man.’    I realized the experience of reading this book had been important in my life. It had taught me not to be afraid of coming into contact with things I consider ‘strange.’ I saw that the good in a person would always balance out, even cancel out, for me at least, all the bad in them; further, the complex contrast made their good aspects, truly shine; just as stars shine only in a black sky.
  Through reading this book I recognized that there were preconceived opinions in me, and that I didn’t like them, and I didn’t want them in my life. The book’s effect on me was that I was taught more passionately, not to prejudge, anything.
  I realize now how very deeply I wanted to be rid of judgmental opinions, and to have a pure heart that found no cause for the rejection of any fault in any person.
  What treasure I would have missed out on had I not persevered, and read this wonderful book! Never let me be afraid of a challenge to change!
  It is not those things we want to know that help us the most and reveal what we’re after, but those we don’t want to know and turn from:  the real treasure was where we hadn't looked for it before!

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This is the first anecdote for Part 3:  the prose section of:  A BOOK IS LIKE A SACRED ISLE; A Rain of Booklight:  a book about books; by Judith Evans Deverell.  Scroll forward for the next anecdote in this prose section of the book. There will be approximately 20 anecdotal sketches in this section.