Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Danielle Benedict: Til We Have Faces (1)

   

Hello Orual. I am the goddess of sisterhood and I have been watching all of your days. You were not born sisters, but your connection with Psyche was ordained by a force higher than I which is why I am your guardian. You are facing judgement for your actions during your mortal life. Something you loved deeply, you sister, was taken away from you. I can sympathize with that, to a point. All who live experience this tragedy in one form or another. Who are you to think you are better than to ever feel remorse or loss? Whenever we love, we run the risk of losing it. No mortal is promised an unfailing love in this life. You were under the impression that Psyche was dead or starving, chained up on the mountain. Yet, you even admit of your profound jealousy towards the gods since we were with Psyche and you could not be. Your combination of concern for your half-sister and envy motivated you to act in your own self-interest. As your guardian, I can see into your heart and mind so there is no hiding your true emotions from me dear mortal. You should have believed Psyche about the castle and the happiness in her new life. Psyche had no history of lying and your doubts were destructive. Even after seeing a vision of our world, you still doubt. What will make you realize how small you are in the scheme of things? You do not have to approve of or understanding another’s reasoning behind their joy. It is their possession alone. Orual, you should have been pursuing your own joy rather than stealing Psyche’s. You desired to be right above all, to the point of self-injury. Others are not wrong to assume that you intentionally ruined Psyche’s life. From all outside appearances, you seem to have planned to rip Psyche away from her husband. You harbored jealousy towards the gods, who are more than you, mere mortal. Their existence is altogether different. I shall only tell you this once: comparison is the thief of joy Orual. Do not judge what you cannot comprehend. For your transgressions against the gods, I will condemn you to one more lifetime on earth but as punishment for stealing others’ joy, you will be unable to hold onto anything. Any person or object you attempt to draw near to will turn to dust in your hands. One this lifetime has finished, you may join your sister as a demi-goddess or you may choose to pass into the afterlife.