Once Upon a Time – in a land so far away in time and place that it could not be reached via conventional means – was born what those in the community and around the area called; A ‘Child of Time’. The child’s family and community proffered the title as one; ‘Old before its time’, or, a prescient being – at the tender age of six. The child was thought of as odd, most-assuredly ‘gifted’, and born with a calm dignity usually afforded to age, experience, and wisdom’s achievements.
The child was also said to be born with a curiosity, assuaged only by practical, factual knowledge, almost from birth onward. At first, even the parents were uneasy about their child’s very-early, obvious physical and mental abilities. “There was no ‘Goo-goo’ or ‘Gah-gah’ about this child!” t’was oft said fondly by them in those early days. Its bright intelligent eyes followed everything within its limited radius, and the intense curiosity burning from those, ‘old-eyes’: “…took some getting used to!” the parents were heard to murmur quietly.
The two words that most parents most dread, after ten-plus years of such childish curiosity and attempts at comprehension: “Why?” and “But!” and not the usual; “Momma” or “Dadda”, were the first words spoken, and the most commonly-used words from the time the child could speak.
At sixteen months, the child was found ‘reading’ a book, left lying around on the floor after an adult fell asleep while reading on the couch. An act, which reinforced the child’s odd-genius character – since the ‘usually-taught’ skills of reading and comprehension appeared spontaneously, before the child could yet run. Simple comprehension, of reading and understanding their written language, was revealed by the child’s simple queries about what it had ‘read’.
“This child is surely a Prophet!”, one of the many townsfolk stated to all and sundry, after visiting the family and seeing and hearing the miraculous child.
“What is a Prophet?” the child asked, immediately the visitors had departed. Being an open-minded, ‘hands-on’ oriented family, the parents advised the child to read and so, discover the meaning for themselves. A dictionary, with its plain explanation was not nearly enough. One book on the subject led to another and then another, until the unique child began to understand how and why, the world – and humans – operated as they did. From then onward, the two most common words in its vocabulary began to explode out from an ever-inquisitive, ever-thirsty mind.
Thus, the family household soon became a suppository of knowledge, with books, open and closed, taking up every spare-space, shelf and corner, while the child’s knowledge-base grew rapidly to breathtaking proportions. To this child it seemed, everything, every aspect of written factual evidence was to be devoured, tasted for its integrity against other views of the subject. The growing child’s informal critiques on life, belief-systems, space, people and creatures, became popular gatherings; gatherings that oft caused massive arguments for days afterward, and created yet more renown throughout the land.
The child did not forget the person that had enthusiastically termed it a, ‘Prophet’. After months of consuming and testing the information of the information available, a note [soon becoming a ‘Missive’ from ‘The young Prophet’] was taken via family to that person, explaining not only the child’s response, but its steadily growing facility with language:
‘My dear friend; Thank-you for your fervent acclaim recently. I am however, no ‘Prophet’. I have received no visions of future events, other than conclusions drawn from past and present information, available to one and all. I have not as yet, spoken with, or been visited by, any supernatural being in any shape or form, although I would cherish such a unique experience.
I also have a query for you, Sir: Were I such a Seer, to which ‘God’ would I be ascribed to? Each and every spiritual/religious belief-system in our world, sincerely believe, ‘Theirs’, is the true and only God-life-path for humanity. Such narrow view of our world in this day and age of literate, finger-tip information, seems altogether impractical, illogical and possibly unwise, to this mind’.
‘As François-Marie d’Arouet – better known by his pen-name Voltaire – the French writer and public activist explained to the Priest at his own death; Whom, had asked him to renounce the opposing spirit to the ‘good-God’, the ‘fallen-angel’ – Lucifer-Satan – allegedly said: “Now, now, my good man, this is no time to be making enemies.”’
The missive continued: ‘While it sounds almost ludicrous, some of these worshipping-followers have never heard of the other, and yet with sudden knowledge of such would claim such people as, ‘Unbelievers’, minus sight or sound of the ‘other’ peoples, or their belief-systems’; A rather ill-informed view, it seems, when taking a holistic view of our world, which is available to any seeker, I would suggest’.
‘Dear friend, I – am merely a pragmatic thinker and voracious reader of human history. I have found that all the world’s knowledge can be gained by searching its written histories and then, making conclusions based on such knowledge’.
‘Also, my fair and dear friend, from my own – admittedly, as-yet limited – view of our world and its own, quite pragmatic nature, one would assume that if there was such a supernatural being as ‘God’, it would assuredly be female, rather than male. I say that because, as ‘Nature’ reveals: only females of the species can give birth; Or create life. Apart from a few fish that can change gender as needs be’.
‘Why then, I ponder – naively, some would say – would the ‘Creator’ be male? A notion totally against Nature’s practical teachings, which we live and die within?’
‘Thus,’ the message continued, ‘one could wonder why such a being is proclaimed as male so often, and in the many and various BS’s that inhabit our world – in such numbers and passions? It seems obvious to this student-traveller, knowledge-seeker, that neither equity, nor pragmatism, has been foremost in mind when creating such an ‘all-powerful male God’.
Could it be that ‘Man’ – and not an infinitely-wise; ‘Father’ spirit creator-being that sees and knows all – created such BS’s, to maintain a hold onto a ‘beneficial-to-males’, man-made Power, ever since men first killed and celebrated such ‘manliness’, while women cooked and put the children to bed?’
*Note on D&C: ‘Doubt and curiosity’, I was told by some fanatical die-hard worshippers, are ‘considered Sins’ within their BS’s. But in fact – I have found, they are only ‘sins’ against blind-faith; Such Faiths (BS’s), that our people, our parents, grandparents – our ‘country-born’, gave to us as factual reality from birth. Never to doubt nor query; or be cast as the ‘Other’. However, to be told: “it just is, The truth! Believe me!” is not enough, or even a genuine answer to this enquiring pragmatic mind’.
‘All such beliefs, for such curious people as I, must be practical, pragmatic within Universal Laws, and tangible, to garner any ‘eye’s wide-open’ support from such a mind.’
Anzu Imdugud – known simply as ‘Anzu-the-wise’ – was eight years, when they began to question the elder’s and their world’s Life-Beliefs publicly. Powerful Belief-systems, as many and varied as the ‘supposed, ‘non-sentient’ creatures’ that lived on the planet with them, Anzu had discovered. In Anzu’s lands alone, there were two-hundred or more, major ‘Belief Systems’, (BS’s), as young ‘Anzu’ began to call them, with a bold grin at the acronym.
‘In my research, I also found why Jesus, God’s son, was sent to the Middle-East (ME), and not say, to the Australian continent. The various ME Tribes had been warring non-stop since their known-history; Literally killing each other over disagreements about who came from where, and whom then, owned what? And, especially from within their [religious] Belief systems. I note such human blood-sacrifice, and/or proof of ownership of lands, were unnecessary in a country like Australia, where the people lived their pragmatic, appropriately holistic, religion, daily’.’
‘In fact – if you are able to see the intelligence contained within such common Lore – if today’s self-centred world were to return to the holistic Lores such unique people followed, there would be mediation, not war. A pristine environment; Not toxic pollution. Each male adult would be obligated to care-for, and be a guardian of all women and every child in any aspect and times of life. If my research is correct Sir, there would be no child-abuse of any type or description as, from my studies, I realized that when men hunted and women gathered, the people left caring for the children too young to join, had to behave ‘properly’, or be punished severely, even to death; ‘Trust’ for such children’s care daily, was thus absolute.’
That short, sharp response to a local visitor, was shared and then distributed throughout the known lands. It sparked heated discussion far and wide, with several of the more zealous BS’s, declaring Anzu; As the Devil-incarnate – whom should be put to death for utter unadulterated blasphemy. This stunning reaction only made Anzu yet more curious as to such extreme and angry reaction to the pragmatic, reasonable words in the missive.
Anzu began studying those systems of ‘pure’ Faith; That could never be proven. Which ranged from ‘life’ after death and a utopian Heaven, to reincarnation on the Planet, dependent on life’s good or bad ‘works’, to an all-life judgement, complete with a painful, fiery, everlasting and extremely painful Hell for the wicked, and/or the ignorant ‘unsaved’. And on and on, to mystical beings with strange and wondrous powers that transcended any human ability. And, on to Man-made ‘Gods’ – that must be followed ‘to the letter’, of its [man-made] decrees.
And on yet again, to an all-inclusive, Nihilism: [rejects aspects of life or existence, particularly knowledge, objective truth, or meaning] and thus; ‘Anything’ goes. For the Nihilist, there is no consequence from act or word: a perception that Anzu felt went against the 3rd Law of relativity; proven by assessable ‘Gravity’. ‘“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” A tangible, Universal law, which Anzu believed applied to physical, spiritual and mental activities alike; Like it, or not! “It’s a much-misunderstood, practical, Universal law,” Anzu explained simply.
‘Anything-goes’, was not restricted to nihilists, Anzu understood quickly. Several of the Faiths were so passionate in their particular BS, they would slaughter ‘unbelievers’, while calling out their ‘noble and good’ deity’s name. Anzu believed this type of decree was a major fault with such ‘man-made’ belief systems. “A man termed a ‘God’ or His or Her Prophet, seemed like a definition of insanity when perceived through the practical Universal Law’s, untinted ‘eye-glasses’”, Anzu said, in response to several loud BS followers that disagreed.
“Any ‘man’”, Anzu mused aloud, “that has no genuine idea of the Universal Laws that applied to our Earth, and our Universe, could, and have, led such followers into a frenzy of wrath that is simply astounding in its irrelevance to humanity’s holistic struggles to adapt, survive, and ultimately become enhanced, improved, enlightened.”
Anzu also knew that several of the large, incredibly-powerful Faiths – unacknowledged as ‘belief-systems’ (such as various political-systems), skewed away from the spiritual-sacred concept altogether. Yet, their Faith in self-made power and profit was as strong and determined as the titled ‘Terrorist’ Faiths worldwide. And, they were just as merciless when it came to anyone or thing standing in their way; Those ‘Unbelievers’, of their particular belief-system.
Anzu was, as stated, a practical person and what they found – merely within the marvellous gifts the body provided – was that sight, touch, smell, hearing, all the body’s offerings; Exclaimed a wonder of life that even the aging body with its failing senses, could not suppress.
“Daily, practical illustrations of the superb human-body at work: that worn and brittle thing of water, flesh, bone and skin – yet worked as well, better even, than a man-made machine of half their age,” Anzu mused. “The human body was one unique miracle among a thousand other daily miracles. The rather miraculous facts stared out from every scent, sight, touch and sound, we take for granted daily,” Anzu mused nonchalantly.
“Why?” Anzu asked, after speaking with various representatives of said Faiths. “Why the need for something to believe in, more than what was before your eyes, ears, nose, your touch; The incredible sensitivity of a seventy to eighty-year-old skin and hairs that yet tell you an ant is crawling on a leg? Is that not miraculous? Is not our own, and the incredible forms of life around us, enough in themselves?” Anzu queried those frowning believers sincerely.
“When one stopped and contemplated,” Anzu mused to one and all. “Is not your daily existence at least, as miraculous as an Afterlife we know nothing of? From the creation of babies from sperm and egg, to the multitudes of amazing animals and insects, to seeds expanding a thousand-fold into trees that shelter, shade and feed, and on to unique liquid oceans and other planets – and Space: At night; A unique mysterious artist at work every night for our pleasure and enjoyment; And, for directions to the knowledgeable watchers.”
To Anzu then, what life was – holistically, and right in front of them daily – was enough to satisfy a-hundred lifetimes of curiosity, angst and fears.
What Anzu found in the majority of the Faiths, was that ‘Death’ was a terrifying word. An experience to be feared; It was the literal; “Unknown path, with ghosts, goblins and/or immortal Angels, and a God or Gods, awaiting the arrival of yet another physically-spent life-force.”
“Yet,” – Anzu mused to those that would listen – “that ‘Unknown’ is where we came from. We didn’t know to fear previously – before birth, as far as we know. Yet, with all the daily miracles occurring non-stop before our senses, we fear the time when this pragmatic body is no longer able to support our mind, our spirit, our ‘soul’, if you will.”
“Shall we then be fearful of the cycle that starts so mysteriously and ends in rest from the worn body and, often, irrational world around us?” Anzu asked.
“Every single thing in our universe is born and ‘dies’. Yet, we humans have feared, despised and hated ‘death’ for so long, it seems that death has won a victory in a battle we didn’t know we were in.”
“What if?” Anzu suggested rather boldly, for one so young. “We humans did not have such a negative concept of the parting of the ways? Not a sense of loss, grief, fear and confusion – prior to, and when our time comes – but joy, at the chance had to experience such unique Life: not fearing such losses, but entertaining a genuine acceptance of the provable, Universal laws; All things are ‘born’, and all things end, and; All things are always part of the whole, as our universe tells us.”
“In the long-run,” Anzu said, “even Stars die, Galaxies change, fade and expire. Planets, and people we never knew existed, die; But perhaps not ‘end’, as We think of it.”
“What are ‘We’, when compared to such grandiose elements here on Earth and above and beyond?” Anzu asks. “Perhaps, one day, instead of loss, angst and fear, we could find a simple, joyful gratitude at the end of the physical? ‘From whence we came – thus do we return’; AFTER!” Anzu says to never forget; “A unique, one-off, privileged and tangible Life-experience, here on the Blue planet…”
Footnote by family member; Nikasi Imdugud;
‘Anzu Imdugud lived to the ripe young age of 19 years, when an assassin – rumoured to be sent from a cabbalistic group of major Religions – shot and killed the ‘ever-more-popular’ pragmatic-philosopher, while Anzu was speaking to a crowd about genuine equity for all living creatures.’
‘Anzu is survived by his words and other pragmatic thinkers…’
An End.
