The Patience Stone-Revisited

8/14/2019 The Patience Stone-Revisited

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The Patience Stone

Revisited

I regret to inform the readers of “The Patience Stone” that, while I

provided a fair description of the event, I did not convey the entire picture andfeelings that I experienced. I am now going to reveal “the rest of the story” as Ishould have done in the original document.

In the process of pecking a hole through the Basalt Stone with a QuartzStone it must be understood that the quartz stone must have several sharpedges, points, and otherwise cutting surfaces. The very act of smashing a hardstone against a softer stone results, not only in the making of an indentation inthe soft stone, but it causes the harder stone to loose it’s sharp edges. Pieces of the quartz broke away just as did the basalt lost itself in a pail of grey dust andtiny chips. This was a frightening aspect of the process because I was notcertain that the Quartz Stone would survive the entire process, and remember, I

was told by Willy that I could not get another quartz to replace the one I wasgiven in the first place. I was stuck. I had to rely on the fact, as told by Willy,that the Basalt Stone would give way to the Quartz Stone. There would beenough of it to last throughout the entire process.

During the inspection of the stones by the Stone Masters, they demonstratedthat the Quartz Stone presented to them as being the one that created the Bi-Conical , Bi-Lateral hole through the Basalt Stone could have been made by



this Quartz Stone and no other. There was a ‘forensic fit’ if you like, when thetwo were put together. It was a perfect match, they fit into one another like ahand into a glove.

The other aspect of the process is the fact that I did not describe the twelvehours with sufficient detail. I will attempt to provide this documentation here and

then be done with the story.

Hour One: I was feeling the pain frustration, and futility of smashing theQuartz Stone against the Basalt Stone. I kept loosing slivers of the quartz, all toofrequently by my estimation. The basalt was hardly showing signs of having a Bi-Conical, Bi-Lateral hole pecked through it. All I saw, from time to time, was tinypuffs of grey power evaporate in a small cloud about my hands. As for any majorprogress…no. My hands, arms, shoulders, and upper body were wracked with apain that I did not recognize. This was an unusual pain, but pain nonetheless. Itwas the pain that told you that whatever was causing it was unnatural andunnecessary. It was the pain that said, “Stop.” I continued, not knowing why Ihad made that decision when my entire body was telling me to stop.

Hour Two: I think that this was when Willy paid me a visit. He came up frombehind and was within a few meters when I realized that he was behind me. Iturned, looked at him with a face that must have told him that I was completelydisgusted and wanting to stop. Willy looked at me, saying not a word, his face ina broad smile. He nodded slightly and turning walked away. This I can onlyguess because I had already turned back to the pecking, I had already lost timeby stopping when Willy came up. As Willy removed himself from my presence Ithink that I heard a little snicker coming from his direction. I took it to havecome from Willy as an admonition that I was up against something that he did

not know if I would survive, intact.Hour Three: By this time I discovered that I was no longer aware of my

surroundings. I no longer heard the birds. I no longer heard the Snake River asit flowed not five meters from where I was sitting. I no longer knew if therewere animals or people near me. I did not know if anyone was watching. I knewthat several of my students were present with Willy for we were involved in aweekend of Experimental Archaeology, learning how to work with things of nature to survive in a harsh desert environment as the Hunter-Gatherers of thearea had done hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. As far as I knew therewere no people or animals within a hundred of miles of me. I was nowcompletely alone and I was loving it. The feeling of being completely alone was

an unexpected aspect of the process but I welcomed it. It was somehow awholesome feeling. There was no fear. I felt tranquil. The pain was beingreplaced by something unknown.

Hour Four: By this time there was NO pain. Pain had been replaced by awarm, pain free feeling that was located in the center of my chest. It was in thegeneral vicinity of my heart and lungs. It was the same feeling that I knew frommy sessions of causing my body to release Endorphins into my bloodstream and



throughout my body. This is the natural reaction to pain. It was now coursingthrough my body like it had never done before. I was feeling so good. I waswarm. I was happy. I was painless. I was without fear. I was so involved withwhat I was doing and feeling that nothing, short of a bullet in the head, wouldhave caused me to stop. I was going to complete the task in the allocated time

frame and no one would deter me from the course. I wish I could tell you,reader, how I felt. I can’t tell you. I wish I could relive those twelve hours, alas Ican not. I wish I could experience the same intensity of Endorphin Rush as I didthat day, but I have never been able to duplicate it. I continue with the ‘ImagingProcess’ to produce Endorphin to deal with the pain of my existence, but I havenever been able to duplicate it. The only way someone else can feel it is to dothe task for themselves with the same restraints. If it is real, it will be real andyou will know the eternal aspects and feelings of The Patience Stone.

Hour Five: I have very little awareness of this hour. I was in such a trancethat I knew nothing except me and the two stones and the action of pecking. Ihad developed a rhythm wherein I pecked a certain number of times on first oneside and then repeated the same on the other. Since I am blessed with beingamber dexterous I was able to pass the basalt and quartz from one hand to theother. I believe that this helped in dealing with developing a pattern that wouldhave become destructive. I felt that if I had to work at the pecking in a singlehanded pattern, I would suffer for it. I kept a pattern going and when I felt thatI needed to switch hands I switched without breaking stride. I think that bydoing this I helped keep fatigue at bay, though fatigue and pain were no longera problem. I think that I developed this technique just to keep my mind working.I was finding that I was really no longer thinking. I was in ‘auto-pilot’ mode. Iam told by some students after the sun had set that at about this hour it began

to rain. I do not remember the rain. I do not remember the sun. I do notremember anything about the weather except for the fact that I started as theSun rose above Guffey Butte and I finished as the Sun set behind Guffey Butte.Whatever happened between is known to my only as an anecdotal memory of afew students, supported by Willy.

Hour Six: I have no memory of anything from this time until I saw the pinhole view of the Snake River as I squinted through it a scant thirty to forty fiveminutes before the sun set. I truly remember nothing.

Hour Twelve: I have a vivid memory of peering through a tiny hole in theBasalt Stone at the Snake River. I can not tell you what a joy I felt. It was amoment unlike ANY moment in my entire life. There has been nothing like it. It

is unique. Just because there was a tiny hole through and through, I was notsatisfied. I could have stopped then, but I would have never been satisfied withthe finished product. I had to have a true Bi-Conical, Bi-Lateral hole in the BasaltStone. I continued in spite of the risk that at this point the basalt was in dangerof breaking completely in half. I can only say that I have taken life and deathchances all my life and this was just another of those choices. I didn’t stop tothink, I just continued. The Basalt Stone didn’t break and has a quarter sized



hole through it that I will always be proud of and willing to share with whomeverwishes to see, feel, and hear told. I must also report, as the picture reveals, thatthe Quartz Stone survived the encounter. It isn’t as grand as it was when Willyhanded it to me but it has taken on the clock of respectability. The Quartz Stonehas character and personality. I respect both stones, this is why you have seen

that I capitalize the words. I do this out of respect for these two stones. Bydoing this I say that these two stones are special. I respect them, given byNature through Willy, for having taught me Respect. Respect, as shown methrough the Patience Stones, will follow me for the rest of my days. I hope thatby sharing them with the world, someone will pass my way, find the stories, andtake them to heart. Ponder the stories and should you choose to try the task make certain that you do not cheat or lie to yourself. It will show you only painand disaster should you try, fail, and report that you did not fail. It is far betterto try, fail, and report the failure than to report success when you know youfailed. It is a true test and I do not know many men who can pass it. I wouldlove to hear from anyone who tried the test and succeeded, or failed. I want toknow if there is anyone as daring as I have been all my life. Good Luck.

Patrick

McSha

ne

Digitally signed by

Patrick McShane

DN: cn=Patrick

McShane, o=PCS

Centers for Enhanced

Learning,

ou=Headmaster,

email=mcshane.patric

[email protected], c=USDate: 2009.02.24

13:15:11 -07'00'

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The Patience Stone-Revisited