Some Kind of Monster

November 19, 2012

Praised be the name of the LORD who delivered Moses from the hands of Aegypt. I am Eli, the son of Elijahu, a prophet of the Almighty. I studied the most ancient scrolls and traveled to the farthest ends of Earth to find Him, and lo! Because I have.

On the 777th day of my meditation on top of Mount Zion, I was delivered to the presence of an immense being, whose company was both physical and spiritual, and whose every breath was a foreign intellect. I spent countless days and nights praising the creature and praying to it, asking for a sign.

Finally, a human form appeared in front of me, whose visage was that of a young man. He bowed low and spake: “Rejoice, Eli, for I was created to speak to you in the name of the Creator."

"I am lowly and unworthy,” I said, “But if that is the will of the LORD."

"It is not the will, for will is a thing of man, and the Creator is not a man, nor does he resemble a man.”

I bade forgiveness a thousand times and asked the young man to explain the scripture to me where it said that man was created in the image of the LORD. The young man replied: “So it was written by men like you, as they were trying to understand what cannot be understood. God and man have nothing in common."

"How can that be?” I asked.

”You were given a mind, then think,” said the young man, “For the Creator is all powerful and all knowing. And all that has come to pass He knows, and all that will come still, He has always known. And yet, the entire universe wails, and cringes, and hurts. Would you think the Creator some kind of monster?"

"No, my teacher, I would not."

"And think again. The universe is immense and old. Man is but a speck in it and exists for only a heartbeat. Not even that. Now think, would the Immutable and the Endless God the Creator be like that which passes and exists for a mere moment?"

"I dare not say that, my teacher,” I spoke, and my heart was filled with wonder, but also fear. “But does man not possess an immortal soul?"

"You were given a mind, than think,” spoke he, “Why would you say a man has immortal soul? Is it because it was ordained so by men? Men are feeble and fear death, so they would tell a fairy tale to console themselves. Man does not possess any immortal particle, except for the particles that create matter and the energy which never dies, but is eternal in all matter.”

I was on the floor now, almost wailing, but I felt a huge burden lifted from my heart, for I understood. My weak human form would not exist forever, and suffer doubt forever. I would perish and the atoms of my body would soon become something different. Always changing, and always alive.

The young man told me more of the wonders of this universe, which I retell in this humble collection of work. Please, judge me not, but listen to my words and let them tell you a story.

Posted by: Paweł Kowaluk