The Pathfinder

by Ed Bernd Jr.

To passers-by he's just a kid,
Shining shoes, hawking news.
If they noticed him at all,
They only saw a little child
who'd kneel there at their feet
to buff their shoes.

They did not see how Christ-like was this pose;
On Christ's last night on earth He struck this pose
And washed His pupil's feet.

Do you judge me by how high I'm placed,
Or by the clothes I wear,
Or by the cash that's in my hand,
Or the power that I bear?
Do you judge me by what's given me,
Or by the things I take?
Do you see the symbols, not the Christ?
Do you make that mistake?

Outside the hospital he watched his dad
Pass out from pain and wondered what it meant.
"Why did they have to bomb my father's train?"
No one should have to head a family at age four
But Jose Silva did.

Jose Silva: Educated in the streets of Laredo.
Guided by the hand of coincidence:
The borrowed correspondence course that led
To a career in radio repair.

The chance meeting with two army psychiatrists
Inside a cold induction center:
"Why must you ask a married man such things:
"'Do you like girls? Or wet the bed?'"
The doctors introduced him to psychology.
And thus he found a way to study life itself.

When he saw children begging in the streets,
And saw the foolish feuds that end in death,
He knew there had to be a better way,
That God did not intend a world like this.

But one who lights a path will often find
A hostile audience who only see
Vague fears, imagined, in the shadows... there...

Like animals we've learned to fear whatever is unknown.
From hemlock, to the cross He bore,
The list goes on and on.
Oh, God, why can't we learn to wait
When someone's planting seeds,
Let's see what kind of fruit is born,
Then judge men by their deeds.

He put away his books and called it quits.
But something wouldn't let him stop just yet.
The dream he had, the light that shone so bright,
The cash that came to him from that strange night,
All seemed a sign that said, Continue on,
And do not stop until your work is done.

Would you dare to march on towards your goals
When the bugle blows retreat,
When the voice inside cries run and hide
And prophesies defeat?

Would you stay and fight,
Would you hold your ground?
What would you do
When the bugle sounds?

Jose Silva went right back to his routine:
He'd work all day, and study half the night,
Reading books by Adler, Freud and Jung.
Until one rainy day he'd had enough.

The rain had made the street outside, a stream.
Some rolled up papers floated down the street.
He picked them up, but they were dry;
He stared.

THE FACE OF CHRIST STARED BACK.

What would you do when your Master comes
And tells you, "Lead the way!
"I need someone to finish the job
"That was set when I went away.

"The task is hard, they'll hurt you son,
"As much as they hurt me.
"But you're the one; Please! Get it done,
Go help humanity."

His goals now clear, he got back on the path.
He taught us how to use more of our minds,
And gave humanity a gift so grand:
A course in human sensitivity.

He offered all his research, free of charge,
To let the government take on the task.
Their answer was:
We see no need for this.

Oh, ye of little vision
Can you not see what we've found?
Do you have to turn your back on me,
Must you turn me down?

Please come and join the dreamers,
Help paint a brand new day.
Help build a paradise on earth,
Come help us show the way.

From fixing television sets he turned
To fixing lives by using what he'd learned,
Jose Silva at age fifty-two
Gave up TV repair for Mind Control.

Oh, God: How would we know, how could we know,
What kind of man was he,
A Man, A Method, and A Message,
For Humanity.

You gave us everything we need
And he would help us see,
We have within us all the tools
We need to set us free.

Many people glimpse the light
And quickly turn away.
Other people soak it up
And learn to make it pay.

But here was one who really saw
The light for what it was.
He heard the word. He forged a path.
He helped to change the world.

Whose footsteps will you follow
As you forge your path today:
The crowd of selfish seekers,
Or one who found a better...and better...way.

A man named Jose Silva started life by shining shoes.
He's done his part, and now it's up to us which path we choose.