Jump into Emptiness by Allass Drew - HTML preview

 

Chapter 18
Immortality.

18.1

Contradiction.

We were on the ocean.

Our friend the Inventor, the Marquis, Lulu and myself.

On the shore of the same bay, that our friend told us about.

It was one of those warm evenings. Warm waves rolled onto the shore with a slight noise, as they had done all these thousands of years before us.

The indescribable beauty of the sunset splashed across the sky. Light clouds floated in the distance, like a floating ancient city.

There were no thoughts, and I didn’t want to think about anything at all. I wish this evening would never end.

But our star was steadily leaning toward the horizon.

As if waking up from a deep oblivion, we heard the voice of our friend the Inventor.

- Today we have one of the most solemn moments in our lives.

We looked at each other as if in a dream.

- The solemnity of this moment is absolutely impossible to overestimate.

- Because it is the last and .... decisive.

- You scare us, we answered with concern.

He peered into the distance with all his might, trying to see beyond the horizon.

Ignoring us, he continued.

- Imagine small children gathered at someone's house.

- Imagine, that they decided to play. For example, in a game called the railroad.

- You know, many children have such a game.

- Trains on this road move along different closed paths, crossing each other, like an endless Oscillator.

- This game can go on forever.

- And I thought.

- There was something in this game. Something calm.

- Calmness, my faithful companion and friend, which lulled me almost all my life, showing me its greatness and grandeur, revealing its secrets step by step.

- But then, strangely and unexpectedly, we approached a line with him, about which, of course, I thought a lot, but did not expect, that this could ever happen.

- My faithful friend gradually brought me to this line and left me alone ... And like a toy boat, gently pushed me forward.

- The tension around gradually increased, gradually tearing and destroying everything around.

- A force that cannot be stopped.

- I was afraid to look back.

- The whole world behind this line and around crackled, begging for mercy.

- What we will talk about with you on this wonderful and last evening, will be about the most incredible thing that can exist.

- We'll talk to you... about Immortality.

We stood, shifting from foot to foot. Even the prudent and calm Marquis tried to hide his excitement.

- I will start this conversation from the depths of my path, from the very beginning.

- Like all beings, at the very beginning of my life, I tried to determine for myself those values in life, that I will adhere to on my way.

- I sort of scrolled my life forward, trying to look into the future.

- Whatever scenarios of my life I drew in my imagination, everything rested on the same point - on death.

Everything became useless and unnecessary.

- And I thought about the impossible.

- Despite all the games of Reason with us, I must pay tribute to it, and my respect. My intuition has never failed me before.

- If all that we see around us is death and decay, then Immortality must also exist.

- As you understand, it is absolutely meaningless to talk about something that neither I nor you have ever seen.

- I could not even imagine that fate would lead me to this last and decisive secret.

- The thing is that, if we are looking for something, then we are only one part, half of the whole.

- What we are looking for, in turn, must take its step towards us.

- No way without it.

“From the very beginning, I knew it was a waste of time, but still, as a joke, I sometimes thought about this secret.

- It all started with some fleetingly thrown phrase, that I accidentally heard while talking to passers-by.

- Once, many years ago, I heard a strange conversation in the street. One of the interlocutors, probably familiar with the biology of our body, told the other with a laugh that our body over a certain period of time ... is completely renewed !!

There is literally nothing left in us, that has not been replaced.

- Of course I was surprised by this fact.

- I don’t know why, but this phrase became one of those, that became one of the beacons, that was always in front of me.

- Returning home, I thought about this phrase and put it aside.

But it never let me go again. It soaked me like poison.

- It was that rare and epoch-making moment in my life, after which I changed forever.

- A life full of discoveries and adventures spun me, but no matter how passionate I was about something, something invisible always brought me back to this phrase.

“Recently, things have changed drastically.

Our friend, peering into the distance and eagerly inhaling the spicy sea breeze, re-experienced and recalled all the details of what had happened to him.

- I deliberately delayed time, trying not to notice that in full growth, like a giant wall, the last year has already towered in front of me.

- It was fear.

- In the end, having overcome myself, I nevertheless looked at what modern science knows about how the process of updating our body takes place.

- Of course, this is not unusual.

- All living organisms on our planet consist of their own building material - cells.

- Old cells die, new ones are born.

- There is a natural process, replacement.

- In general, modern alchemists agree that all the cells of our body are updated on average once every 7 - 10 years!

- Every 10 years, our body,  completely changes!

- Every 10 years we are not the same beings!!

- I also learned, that different parts of our body are updated in different ways.

- For example, the skeleton completely changes in a couple of decades, and the skin in some …two weeks!

- Every day, billions of cells die in us, and the same number of new ones appear!

Only the faint sound of the surf broke the silence around us.

- Why didn't that phrase about the rejuvenation of our body let me go??? I asked myself the same question a million times.

- There was something in it, that lay on the surface, but at the same time so fast and elusive, that it was not possible to grab the end of the thread leading to the solution.

- I can't say exactly how it happened, but one day I experienced a real shock.

- This revelation was so strong, that for many days I could not speak to anyone.

- All my life I have worked with a variety of instruments and mechanisms.

- I perfectly understand how the mechanics work.

- Very often I was engaged in the repair of a failed mechanism, replacing various broken or obsolete parts with new ones.

- Thus extending the life of the device I could almost indefinitely.

- I know for sure that this process works great.

We listened to our friend with undisguised surprise.

He was silent for a long time.

- My brain literally exploded from such an obvious discovery, which vaguely tormented me all these years.

- Why doesn't this replacement mechanism work with our bodies?!?

- It's the same mechanism, the same principle!!!

- What's happening ??

- Why our skin is so loose and wrinkled, despite being only two weeks old???

- Why, no matter what, we age rapidly and literally fall apart, ending our lives with dust??

- How is this possible  ?!? - a dying old man and the mournful relatives surrounding him, the younger generation, children and grandchildren are made of the same material and organs, whose age is the same?!?

- What's wrong here???

Our friend looked at us for a long time.

 Our surprise knew no bounds.

Finally Lulu decided to ask him what he meant by that.

Our friend, after a long silence, smiled and said.

- So I understood, why this phrase did not let me go all these years.

 - It carried a contradiction, a thread that led me to the greatest secret of the Universe.

- This is a contradiction, that will allow you to go further, and will be my next riddle for you.

18.2

The Form.

We took a break for a while and looked around. The sky still shimmered with all colors, as if an invisible artist painted his unique and mysterious pictures every evening.

Our friend, taking a handful of sand and watching the grains of sand fall, said softly.

So let's get to the heart of the matter.

- Of course, all of you have heard about such a thing as Immortality.

- What it is ???

- Oddly enough, but no one will answer this simple question.

- How so ? ! we exclaimed.

- There is nothing easier, the word itself speaks for itself!

- Immortality is a property, that gives existence to its owner indefinitely, isn't it?

Our friend looked at us intently and said.

- I didn't even think that you would formulate your answer so precisely.

- The key phrase in your answer is "indefinitely".

- I deliberately leafed through scientific treatises before our conversation, which describe such concepts as eternity, infinity, immortality, and so on.

- You know, in all these definitions, I immediately discovered one common thing, which is extremely rarely mentioned in various open sources, since it is extremely important and, in a sense, not for everyone.

- I was even surprised, that it was shown.

- What? burning with impatience we asked.

- Everywhere, when characterizing such phenomena as eternity, infinity, immortality, and so on, such a definition is used as a property of the perception of the inhabitants of the surrounding world.

- That is, eternity, infinity, immortality is nothing but a physiological feature of the thinking of the inhabitants.

- This is not a scientific definition, but a philosophical one.

 - To put it simply - the Fantasy of the mind of the inhabitants, used to characterize the boundless, boundless inexhaustible objects and phenomena.

- Fantasy inhabitants?!? stunned, we didn't know what to think.

“Yes, you are right,” he replied.

- Everything where our science has advanced in defining eternity, infinity, Immortality is called Fantasy.

- Yes, but almost all science is built on these concepts or indirectly relies on them!! we exclaimed in astonishment.

Our friend did not hear us. He began to draw something in the sand. What are the bizarre and repetitive figures.

Then he spoke softly and firmly.

- Our conversation can be considered finished on this.

- We have come to the very line, beyond which there is nothing.

- Neither modern science, nor ancient philosophy has ever crossed this line.

We sat down wearily on the sand, watching the little crabs scurrying back and forth, always busy with something.

Our friend and teacher, erasing the figures drawn in the sand, softly said

- In order to move further beyond this line, Fantasy alone is not enough.

- In order to understand what Immortality is, it is necessary to cling to something.

- We need to find at least one sign, the very real one, among the million distortions with which this secret is so protected, which will allow us to see what we are looking for.

- Of course, when talking about Immortality, it is logical that, first of all, all the inhabitants consider themselves as the most suitable and understandable object for study.

- What do we know about ourselves?

- That we are mortal.

- This fact is so obvious, that you can put an end to it and not fill your head with nonsense.

“I did that when I was young. I have always been very practical and have never done anything for nothing, without any reason.

“But a few years ago, I discovered…something.

- This can safely be called one of the most amazing discoveries that have happened to me.

- I'll call this discovery…. "Mirror Mystery".

- You certainly saw yourself in the mirror more than once.

- What do you see there???, he asked us mysteriously.

We recoiled from him in fear. His eyes became like glass and he looked through them, as if through us at the same time.

With fear, we began to recall the many strange and terrible stories we had heard about mirrors before.

Our friend suddenly burst out laughing. This laugh was somehow creepy and unnatural. The blood ran cold in our veins. We realized that something strange was going on with our friend that we could never understand.

Suddenly, he leaned close to us and said:

- The greatest riddle of Immortality is impossible not only to solve, it is impossible even to approach it, just like that.

- In order to simply approach it, you must have two halves of one key.

- Everyone sees only one side of our life, half of this key, and think, that this is enough.

Gathering his strength, our friend croaked softly:

- "Secret of the Mirror" is ... a pass, a gap and a clue.

- The other half of the key to the door, called Immortality.

Our friend was silent for a long time, listening to the sound of the surf.

Then, suddenly, he thoughtfully added.

- You know, that's not all.

- We can probably be called happy, as we are witnessing something unusual and truly grandiose.

- What follows, is something, that defies any explanation.

- Even having the key to this door, does not mean, that it will open.

- There is a door and there is a key. Technically, everything is clear and understandable.

- But in this case, as with the example of a rusty key.

- You can pick a rusty door with a rusty key as much, as you like, but there will be no sense from this.

After a long time, when the darkness almost completely covered us, he seemed to wake up from somewhere far away and continued his story.

- You must have read many different fantastic stories, in which the minds of the inhabitants rush about in madness, as if in a trap, inventing one incredible story after another with their sick imagination.

- I'll tell you one thing.

- Not a single, even the most beautiful, crazy, fantastic story invented by a sick imagination ... Never even comes close to what happens in Reality.

After a long pause, he took a deep breath and continued.

But we digress a little.

- So… what happens to us after our birth??, he asked us.

After trying to concentrate for a long time, we began to remember and list what our life was like.

He listened to us without interrupting.

Finally, having said all we knew about our lives, we looked at him expectantly.

Closing his eyes, he answered.

- From the very first moment after you came into this world, you knew what happened.

- From your very first moment you knew what awaits you at the end.

- It doesn't matter that you were small and unintelligent.

- You knew everything in advance.

- What is in you, your essence, from the first moment knew everything and from that very moment one of the most cruel, insane and tragic battles that this Universe has seen, began.

- What battle?!? we exclaimed.

- The battle for their existence, calmly replied our friend.

- I'll try to explain the inexplicable to you, which, by the way, I always do, he laughed.

- If you start to study philosophical treatises, from the most ancient times to the works of modern alchemists who have explored this topic, you will immediately notice two main ideas that permeate all these works.

- This is the very definition of the Infinity of being or Immortality.

- First, it's the idea, I mentioned earlier, that these terms refer to the ability of the mind to explain the inexplicable.

- But there is a second idea, a practical one, which few people pay attention to, but it will be the main point for us, from which we will begin our journey.

- We have never worked with the world of dreams, we will not deviate from this rule even now.

- The second idea, which runs through all philosophical and lately what is called modern science works, sounds as follows.

- Eternity can be called that, which is subject to constant change.

- Yes, everything around lives and dies, but it is in this process, that eternity lies.

- Even if, according to the now fashionable theory, our Universe arose as a result of some kind of explosion, and then again collapses into a point, then this process, in its change and repetition, can continue indefinitely.

- Many years ago, in my distant youth, I knew about this idea, and everything in it suited me, if one day, looking at myself in the mirror, I did not see Something ...

- Something, the same horror and shock, from which legs instantly literally give way. I doubt, that the psyche of an unprepared inhabitant can cope with this ...

But we've gone a little further.

- Where did we leave off ? he asked thoughtfully.

- On the changes, we answered quietly.

- Yes, he answered.

- According to the second idea, eternity is a series of endless changes.

Then, after thinking for a long time about where to begin, he finally slowly spoke

- You know perfectly well that today you are not the same as you were yesterday.

- And in twenty years, your friends cannot fail to recognize you at all, having met you on the street.

- We are witnessing a very strange phenomenon, which almost no one thinks about.

- During our life we are completely renewed several times.

- In fact, physiologically, our life is lived by several Different creatures, interconnected only by .... Memory, which creates a sense of the integrity of these different creatures.

- We are witnessing a stunning phenomenon, as if something, constantly changing and renewing, tried at all costs to maintain its form of existence, but in vain.

- As if something immortal, blinding our bodies, carefully tries to save them.

Then, carefully choosing each word, our friend quietly asked

- Do you think the changes that are happening to you …

- What is their...speed??

We shrugged awkwardly.

- According to the numerous data of our alchemists….

Here our friend abruptly cut us off and almost screamed

- I'm not interested according to what data, I'm interested in your opinion on such a simple and at the same time incredibly complex question, on which the existence of the entire Universe depends !!

We stood in silence, looking at the sand.

How fast are you changing?

Without waiting for an answer from us, he answered quietly to himself.

- I will tell you a little more than you will find in the descriptions of modern biological treatises on the physiology of the inhabitants.

- The rate of change that takes place with us refers to the same philosophical definition as infinity.

- Modern science has no data on this fact, since the rate of our change tends .... to infinity !!!

- The speed of our change is beyond comprehension.

- It can be compared as if some mechanic were repairing and changing old parts for new ones in his wagon at a speed tending to infinity! And this wagon could exist forever in any ideal state!!

- But ... There is an incomprehensible. Something strange is going on.

- There is a mystery.

- In accordance with the Law of Balance, the duration of our life directly depends on the speed of the frequency of our changes!

- According to what we observe in the world around us, with constant renewal and its speed tending to infinity, we would have to live .... forever !!!

- But this does not happen - there is a disproportion and a break in the connection and dependence between our change and life expectancy.

- The Law on Balance cannot be wrong, I rushed about desperately ... So I don’t understand something ...

- What does all of this mean ?!?

- This means only one thing - we, like the whole Universe with violent fury from birth, are trying to escape from this trap, where we got, trying to grab onto any straw, falling into the abyss ...

- The whole Universe ?!? we screamed.

- Does that apply to Universe too??

- Of course!!!, he shouted.

- Imagine, something , that has the property of endless renewal and change, having dressed itself in a certain form, tries to adjust it for itself, but ... it's useless.

- Perhaps, in numerous religious treatises, this phenomenon, due to its apparent grandiosity, is called the soul or Immortality itself, which, like clothes, changes its bodies.

- Squeezed out and devastated, they always fall apart and disappear.

- It's like some ancient obsessed alchemist, knowing some kind of truth, with frantic constancy, conducts the same unsuccessful experiment, not understanding why he does not succeed !!

- What do we end up with?

- Our existence can be divided into two parts.

- The first, traditional and understandable to which we are accustomed is our body, our life from birth to death, which we feel as one whole.

- Our second part - the most mysterious and elusive, consists of an infinite number of our changing copies, unrelated to each other and whose lifetime tends to zero.

- All that unites these endless copies and makes us who we are is our memory. But, despite this, it cannot be denied that our countless copies are subject to a certain order of appearance.

- Between these two parts there is one common property, which excludes the existence of Immortality.

- Despite the fact, that most of the inhabitants think that the possibility of endless renewal can bring them Immortality, it is not.

- Between this possibility and our mortal bodies there is one and the same property, leading to the same thing - destruction.

- This property is called Form.

- Many philosophical teachings left behind tons of various treatises about nothing, about the reincarnation of souls and so on, after reading which it is easy to go crazy, completely confused.

- All ancient philosophers and modern alchemists seeking Immortality,

 interested in one major and fundamental question.

- Whether they existed before the moment they appeared in this world ???

- This question is rather narrow and not entirely true.

- I would formulate this question differently.

- Did the infinite System itself exist before its appearance??

- My answer is ... No !!

-  We can't practically test it, but it doesn't matter.

- No matter how perfect the System of the world arrangement is, it remains a Form.

18.3

Step forward.

It became quite dark all around. A light warm breeze blew over us. A light warm rain was falling.

Our friend inventor  got up.

Seeing nothing around, not even an outstretched hand, standing in complete darkness and listening only to the faint sound of the surf.

Feeling, that something extremely important was happening, we also got up.

Our friend spoke calmly.

- Despite the fact that we do not know anything about Immortality and whether it exists at all, there is one thing that does not let me go for a second, it is always in front of me, every moment ....

- What is it?? we asked in a barely audible voice.

- The whole point is, that one thing is happening to us, which has the sign of Immortality.

The Marquis and Lulu even cried out in surprise.

- You probably thought about the moment when you were born into this world.

- There is no problem with that.

- You appeared, and the usual routine called life began.

- But...

- You know absolutely nothing about what happened to you ... before you were born.

We sat down a bit in surprise.

- Yes, he continued, it is useless to discuss and even harmful.

- And the conjectures and disputes of science, philosophers and religion about whether we existed before the moment of our appearance here have absolutely no meaning.

- Do we have something eternal, immortal or not.

- But the fact remains.

- We don't know anything, or remember nothing until the moment we arrived.

- Of course, it would be possible not to pay any attention to this. We don’t know a lot of things in this life, and this is impossible ...

- I would have done so .... if I could.

- But this feature of what is happening has a sign of what is called Immortality.

We tried hard to see our friend's eyes, but in vain.

“Yes, it is,” he continued.

We are an extension of what we don't remember.

Lulu and the Marquis came closer and asked in a low voice.

- How are we going to look for what we cannot see, what we cannot remember, what we cannot recognize and study???

Our friend took a deep breath.

- Yes, as you can see, the task is not easy, he tried to laugh it off.

- I tried to literally get close to her from all sides.

- But it's all in vain.

We stood, shifting and looking at each other.

Then, our friend, as if he remembered something very important and, smiling, asked.

- Remember, how it all started, how vying with each other, many years ago,  you told me about your meeting with the mysterious Astrologer in the forest, where you skied at night?

- How can you forget that!! Lulu and I cried out.

- Since that very meeting, everything has changed and we don’t know how our fate would have developed if he hadn’t met us!

We remember that night as if it were yesterday.

- He asked us, what we know about our Star.

- After many years, we understand what he asked us about, but then it all seemed to us all naive and strange.

- To his question about the subject, in that case our Star, we began to talk about the fact that we see absolutely everything that lies on the surface and seems so obvious at first glance.

- That's right, our friend answered.

- Most of the inhabitants need to know only a small part.

Our friend smiled again.

- Remember what hint he gave you??

- I'm willing to bet that only after many years did you find out what was the matter? our friend laughed.

“Yes, of course,” we answered quietly.

- He asked us something that most people don't even think about because they don't believe they can ever know the impossible.

“He taught us to believe in ourselves and look where you least expect to find.

- So, our friend said with a deep sigh.

- When the inhabitants talk about Immortality, what do they mean, what are their dreams and desires??

- If you have a happy life, why not live forever? we said dreamily.

But our friend seems to be thinking about something else.

- From the point of view of the inhabitants, not everything is as simple and unambiguous as it seems at first glance, he continued.

- On the one hand, imagine such a nightmare as some kind of tyrant who rules forever.

- On the other hand, we know that no form can exist forever.

- Be it a tyrant or a saint.

- It is impossible to be neither a tyrant nor a saint, because in the state of Immortality you are not who you were a moment ago, you do not remember what happened a moment ago, and even knowledge itself loses all meaning - it is also impossible.

- With Immortality, literally everything, that relates to the life that we know about , loses all meaning. It doesn't matter, good or bad, nothing....

Our friend, having gathered his thoughts, continued

- Remember that in your life you have often thought and dreamed about how good it would be to live forever ... As if something inside you asks you the same question, constantly testing you.

- Surely, you often thought about what you would do with an unlimited existence at your disposal. This sometimes made me feel uneasy, because living forever can surely tire you, and not everyone can like it.

Our friend was silent for a long time, pondering something and patting the Marquis, he quietly but firmly said.

- At the very beginning of your journey, in that very snow-covered forest, for some reason of his own, known only to him, the Astrologer gave you an invaluable gift, which not many are honored with.

“He gave you one of the Practice Methods.

- One of the Practical Battle Methods.

- Most alchemists, seeing various mysteries and tasks before them, in most cases go ahead to solve them, uselessly wasting strength, time and lives.

- Practical Method means one simple truth.

- If any mystery or task is so grandiose and impregnable, always look for a bypass.

- Always look for a reason.

- You must learn something very extraordinarily difficult, but extremely necessary ...

- You will have to find out … what Immortality is for, its Function.

- This will be our only guide.

- Just ?!? we jokingly exclaimed together.

- Yes, our friend answered seriously.

- The Mystery of Immortality, like any other, consists of two parts.

- When you approach something unknown, you always take your step towards this unknown.

- Unknown, in turn, will have to make its Step forward.

- No way without it. That's the rule.

- I don't know what is the signal for Immortality to take this Step towards us.

- Maybe that's why Immortality asks us the same question over and over again, waiting only to it known answer.

In total darkness, our friend took a few steps along the shore, peering into the distance.

We all suddenly felt that something inexplicable was happening.

Lulu, who always had a subtle feeling that something inevitable was happening, began to cry.

Our friend spoke softly.

“This is the moment that everyone has to go through in their life.

- In one beautiful, but at the same time, for some reason, incredibly sad moment, something happens that should have happened sooner or later.

- Your constant companion, your old world, the System, friend and teacher, gently but surely brings you to that very line and leaves you alone...

Suddenly, in the distance, at the edge of the ocean, suddenly something flashed.

We shuddered as we looked into the distance.

Glancing towards the flash, he spoke heavily.

- Then I'll go alone.

After a long pause, he quietly added

Now you know, where to look for me.

“When the time comes, before that very last Jump into the Emptiness of yours, I will wait for you here in this bay, to set out on our next journey, along the road that leads to nowhere.

Slowly, he moved along the coast, towards his shimmering ship.

Toward Immortality.