Master of Prayer

In Rabbi Nachman's story "The Master of Prayer" (a very long story, but I will be brief), we read of a unique individual, whose joy is in G-d. He would make brief visits into "civilization" in order to convince others that this is the main goal of life, and the only means to happiness. A band of followers gathered around him. They lived in the forest, and spent their days in Divine service. The rest of the world hated him, and sought his destruction. Little by little, we learn in this story that there once was a King, with an amazing entourage. He possessed a map, which pictured the entire universe. However, a great hurricane had struck, which turned the world upside down; civilized areas became desert, deserts became inhabited. Sea became land, land became sea. The King and all his entourage became scattered. Lacking a King, the world divided itself into different factions. Each saw a different virtue, real or perverted, as the goal of life. Some saw money as the goal, others saw joy through drunkenness, sex, strength...and many others. These things became their religion, and they settled in various places, choosing as King or Queen someone who embodied their values. Little by little, the various factions found individuals who had been part of the original King's entourage, mistakenly believing that they, too, embodied their false ideologies.But these new rulers all hoped to find the REAL King, and bring the world back to him. One by one, the members of the King's holy band find each other, mostly through the master of prayer. Once they all get together, the King himself is found, and the world is rectified.
The King, of course, represents G-d. The map is the Torah. The members of the entourage are the Tzaddikim (righteous, holy people). They are vilified, for "civilization" has chosen other values. They are eventually taken as leaders, but not for the right reasons. When people see Tzaddikim, they either hate them for having values different from their own, or they assume that the Tzaddikim are as insincere as they are. Individually, the holy band cannot accomplish much, but, once gathered together, they can not only find the King (G-d), but reveal him to Mankind, forever changing the world. What people see as desert, is really true civilization. What people see as civilization, is a vast wasteland. Only when the King is revealed, can the eternal values of the Torah be embraced, and true happiness discovered.
WE are the King's entourage! Let us come together, read the "map",challenging the false ideologies of the modern world, find the "King", and reveal Him to our brothers and sisters.