The King’s Cathedral

Once a King set out to build a cathedral.  A famous old architect oversaw the construction of a grand edifice of arches and domes in a sound baroque style.  In a master stroke, the architect found a source of very light stone that would weather well for the main construction, but a nearly black stone with a different texture for accents and structural elements.  Even when the building was going up, any one could see how spectacular and lovely the final result would be.

The King and the architect consulted together and employed the most skilled craftsmen to build.

When the work was nearly finished, the king and the architect were taking a tour and noticed one lone gargoyle sticking out sideways from the dome, in a pink stone.

The King furiously called in the assigned workman to account for the thing.

Well, look at it, the workman said.  It’s a masterpiece of a gargoyle, he said.  (It was).  I am an artist, the workman said, I just have to follow my vision and create beauty.  No sacrifice is too great.  You philistines would never understand.

Reflection:  true beauty is never isolated but is part of a greater whole.  The workman is like the Bohemian artist, who can create beauty when viewed in isolation, but who lives an ugly life and makes their society uglier as a whole.

The esoteric meaning of this fable is that true art requires a community of beauty, just as true integrity requires one to be living among the honest.