FREE ESSAY ON ILLUSIONS

ILLUSIONS

Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there.
What you choose to do with them is up to you. This is an extremely powerful quote that is
proven in the opening scene of the book. This scene includes the main character of the
novel, Richard, who is searching for the meaning of life. While flying his 1928 Fleet
over Ferris, Illinois, Richard spots another biplane parked in a field Knowing how lonely
flying can be, Richard decides to land and make some conversation. Little did he know
that the pilot of the 1928 Travel Air 4000 was the Mechanical Messiah. Here, Richard
begins his journey, the journey that he has drawn to himself. 
After landing, Richard meets his guide on the journey, Dan Shimoda. This guide was no
ordinary man, for he was the Messiah. The first day the two met they hit it off right
away. It was like as if they were destined to fly together, but really they weren't
because nobody forced Richard to land that day. When Dan asked Richard if he thought he
would be led to a teacher who can help him, Richard replied, if the teacher doesn't
happen to be me, then yes. In all actuality though, Richard led himself to this great
teacher, and ironically the teacher happened to be Dan Shimoda. This was so because
Teaching is reminding others they know just as well as you. Which was just what Dan was
doing, informing Richard of the everyday llusions.
A few minutes into their first conversation, a customer arrives with his granddaughter.
Since Dan was on lunch, Richard took the old man for a ten minute flight for three
dollars. When Richard landed though, Dan and the little girl who was afraid of heights
were airborne. Upon landing, the little girl jumped out of the plane yelling ecstatically
about her enjoyment of the flight. Here is where Richard witnessed his first miracle, or
illusion should I say. This was only the beginning of a very rough day though, because
after the first flight Richard had forty-nine more flights, the best day of his life, all
because he drew the circumstances to himself. In his sleep that night, Richard had a
dream that would explain to him who Don was. Even though the dream told who Don was,
there were still many questions to be answered for Richard. 
After Richard talked to Dan about the dream he was even more confused than before he had
the dream because couldn't figure out why, or how the Messiah could quit such a demanding
job. Don's answer to this puzzling question was simple, it's like going to auto races to
see the crashes, they came to me to see miracles. Don meant that people would come to him
for the wrong reasons. Don just simply wished the people would listen to what he had to
say. A wish that Richard was fulfilling unwillingly. Shortly after explaining his
retirement, Don was hit with another vital question that would drastically effect
Richard's journey. The question was simple, Where do you learn this stuff, Don? The
answer was Richard's new guide in life, the Messiah's Handbook. Whenever Richard became
puzzled in life, Donald showed him that he could open up the handbook and the solution
would await him at whatever page he opened up to.
The next Saturday Richard decided to show off a little bit and land his Fleet on a tiny
farm, which under normal circumstances Don's big Travel Air could have never landed.
Somehow though Don had his plane hovering at 30 m.p.h. and landed the plane in a shorter
distance than Richard had. This frightened Richard so much that he yelled What was that
landing? Finally Don told Richard what he needed to hear, everything is an illusion.
Later in the day though, one of Don's illusions scared Richard enough to make him leave
without a good-bye. The illusion was when Don literally healed a crippled man so he could
fly with Don. This brought the crowds Don hated, and pushed away what he enjoyed,
Richard's company.
A few nights after Richard left, he found himself thinking about Don and attempted to
float the wrench in the air as Don did before. Not being able to make the wrench float,
Richard became discouraged and went to sleep. Awaking the next morning to the feel of the
wrench brushing the back of his head. The wrench was floating. After pondering how the
wrench was floating, Don himself appeared in the sky. Richard was again dumbfounded, for
how could Don have found him with thousands of miles of land to look in. With his
presence Don had an answer. He explained to Richard that the wrench was floating because
it was in Richard's dream. Don explained this when the loudest music he ever heard woke
him up at six in the morning. The music was coming from Richard's dream. Don explained
that at first you can only create these illusions in your dreams because you haven't
learned enough yet to see them. So whether it be in his dreams or in real life, Richard
controls his own illusions.
Nothing could have made this more clear than when Don walked across the water. Here is
where Richard comes to the realization that he could control his own illusions, for
Richard does the same as Don does. They walk on water and swim through land. They create
their own illusions. Though these illusions seemed to come natural to Richard, he still
could grasp the concept of walking through a wall. This in itself brought helped Richard
greatly on his journey because this unrealization of the brick wall would lead to the
explanation for creating illusions. Don, after being accused of not being part of this
world, angrily explained to Richard that there were 4 billion people on earth, each of
them having there own world. After opening the handbook here for guidance, it took
Richard quite some time to realize how real fiction could be. 
Later in the novel on the set of a radio show, for the first time, Don made people angry
by sharing his outlook on life with them. His easy going way of life really made the
people of Hayward furious because they believed in responsibility. The only
responsibility Don believed in was the responsibility one has to himself. The morning
after the show Don thanked Richard for teaching him what he needed to learn. All he
needed to learn was that his happiness should not depend on other people but only on
himself. Shortly after tragedy strikes and Don is shot and killed. Donald's death after
enlightenment proves the quote, Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is
finished: If you're alive, it isn't. Through Donald's teachings and through his death,
Richard eventually became his own Messiah. Though he had doubts along the way, Richard's
actions prove that Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have
drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you. 
Bibliography
Illusions. Bach, Richard. Dell Publishing.1977.