Mohandas Gandhi
The sign over the door read "Limbo." He walked through and was greeted by a man, or was it a man? It was both human and inhuman, of all races and no races all at once, bearing no age or sex. It nevertheless had a comforting, pacific aura about it, as one would feel about one's most trusted ally, or the platonic love for one's closest family. It beckoned to a row of portals that displayed many things that had neither occurred nor were occurring. As the man approached one, he saw that it was a window on a choice, a possibility not for his future, but his existence from there on out. In one he could see a representation of Heaven, the roiling clouds amok with ethereal beings that basked in eternal happiness and fulfillment. In another, radiant and luscious gardens spread out, where 72 swarthy and divine women awaited. Yet another showed a life amongst disembodied spirits, traveling forever onwards down the levels of Hades, in a unfeeling life of darkness. One showed a freedom from the eternal cycle of misery and suffering invested by the demons that lived between lifetimes, promising a literal state of nirvana. The last displayed the same form of reincarnation, but wherein the soul, besieged by lies and occlusions from many lifetimes before, was now free of all burdens and able to roam existence freely.
The man had grown up universally indifferent to the multiple views of the afterlife. He was a well traveled and learned man, who both knew and respected the faiths of the many people he had encountered throughout his eventful life. But now being in front of them all, having to choose, when he was never raised with a single religious following, made him waver. He realized suddenly that his life had been one of fruitful ventures, and although he would be far from considering himself saintly, he noted that his time on Earth had been spent in the best interests of others. He saw that his benevolence to his kin and peers did not warrant reason; the reason was right in front of him now.
He turned to the being that has led him to the portals.
"Which is the true one?"
It's speech was that of clarity brought directly to the mind. It answered in a voice that echoed all the languages of humanity, in all it's dialects and intonations, all the while seeming as if it wasn't speaking. It spoke in the purest of understanding, with a gravity that could only indicate that what it said was nothing but truth.
"They all are."
No comments:
Post a Comment