Á Deux

4

- You do know, don’t you, that I experience everything differently?

- I am withheld from knowing how you feel. And this notion of incommensurability of our impressions, alas, does not help me. I even believe that your fabulous feelings will be granted me eventually at the end of ends. Not here. Further still, I think we have greatly enriched your impressions. Without us, you would miss a lot, and the whole project would not make sense. But tell me: this is it? Is the show over? Are seven and a half billion souls, just screws? Surely, we could still hold on for a while, and in thirty years there will be nine and a half. Unless we manage to bring some new plague upon us.

- At this point let us get back to what you call withering or demise. As I understand you do not take science into consideration at all.

- I do. Stunning progress. They are sneaking up on you already, in their particular way, of course. Plead with us to radically change our view of the Universe or else perish. We must get out of an obsolete impression of the universe separate and independent of us. Since in fact everything is whole and exists in your boundless mind, and there is nothing else. Only various forms pop up once in a while, sometimes quite intricate ones – again out of your restless cognitive need, and a yearning for creativity – and then disappear as they get caught unavoidably in a fatal net of time and space. Why? As if you do not know all that…

- I do know about them. But what do you think of all that?

- Ah! I am tired, my lord. I am so worn out… Why have you dragged me into this conversation?

- …

- You are so emphatic, pitiless. Are you pitiless?

- …

- Also, silent. Almost as I am. They are right. Of course, everything is as they say it is. But why do they think that the suggested re-orientation of consciousness will save us, escapes me. I lack the miraculous mentality of scientists, so it is not for me to say. Perhaps such an invert vision can advance their research mightily. I wish them all the best. But once upon a time, we believed that the Sun runs around the still Earth. Now anyone will tell you: no, it is us who circle the Sun. Moreover, we are rotating. But what in essence changed in our perception? How this full cartwheel reflected in our daily life? What do we lose relishing dawn still and seeing the eye of the day off at sunset with our archaic sight? I still walk on flat earth however round it is. Surely, we were set up with our five senses in such a way that we bulk from breaking a wall with our fist not because Uncertainty Principle and Exclusion Principle would not let us, but because it is hard and will hurt. And what would be your gain if we drop all variety of our feelings and adhere only to elusive quanta, that is mathematics which you already know everything about, and from which everything has begun?

- …

- …

- They sneak up not on me, but on you, trying to substitute your artistry with their own. Let it be; it will pass.

- Why, their intentions are noble. They are fighting materialism. By the way, here you have yet another example: they attempt to take over our responsibilities. Hence, they recognize our failure.

- But there are just a few of them. What about the others? Those who work on fundamentals, don’t you have any trust in them?

- It looks like they have the same situation. In the last hundred years, nothing fundamental was discovered. Plenty of theories, no breakthrough. But this might be our salvation if there is one. We do not know if what they have already discovered would be enough for the next war to be the last one. That is to say: there will be no one to fight. So if it is you who curbs them – big kudos to you. Do not forget biology, if you can separate it from medicine though. Listen; speaking of the design, have you not squeezed some self-preservation principle into it? So that the General Theory which they crave for would slip their hand unless we exclude wars, relentless greed, wrecking the environment and so on?

- Possible. Maybe. I do not recall. But let us get back a little further. So, to your mind, everything has been proceeding with my participation up to now.

- I would want to believe that. It sounds encouraging.

- Can you portray it in any way?

- What for? You know how it is. If not, if you have no part in it, there is nothing to talk about.

- As I said, I see everything differently, whatever and however it happens.

- Does the name Spengler ring a bell?

- Not the name obviously, there were so many of them. Some cyclic mumbo jumbo, I guess.

- Yes, cyclic. But why mumbo jumbo? He was rather a sober man. Got worked up a bit, carried away. It is useful – clears minds. Now then, the same hundred plus years ago he has noticed, in his way your absence in the creative circulation. Unlike me, he took it with enthusiasm. But when he “dusked the Europe” and treaded us, artists, in joyfully, he has forced himself to invent certain ‘resigned piety,’ a second religiousness. It is not to say that he was especially happy about it, but he had to mention it. That means he has noticed its absence. But one does not need any great theories to realize weakening wings in music, poetry, art – in all arts. Talented artists are born, so you keep supplying us with the gift – or it somehow passes on – but you quit sharing the inspiration. At least such is the impression. Second religiousness is nowhere to be seen too, save the new righteous ones – we have discussed them already.

- A little back again. About five senses that you were created with… You might agree that you cannot know how many of these senses exist. So far you were content with the five, it was enough for survival. What if there are others in stock? If not righteous ones which you do not appreciate, but scientists might awaken them in you someday, and these new features, in their turn would sharpen your sensitivity, open your eyes to the cause of current troubles.

- Magical chance! Our science fiction has already hit on the idea.

- You see. So, your creative flock is not napping after all. Is it not a new perspective?

- Unfortunately, this brilliant plot 2 has a bitter flaw. The authors knew that therefore for the sake of harmony they placed the storyline in a faraway future, where humanity would have overcome existing mess by some unknown means. They understood that such breakthrough – either in biology or psychology – an abrupt extension of our capabilities being introduced now would only exacerbate existing crisis. There is no guarantee that people will use it for a greater good. And there are plenty of reasons to believe that they will manage to multiply their destructive abilities. No one would restrain them.

- And what could have held them back?

- It might be hard to imagine, but I thought it would be the most simple and accessible thing. The one that always prevented humans from insolence and at the same time impelled them to cultivate themselves, question apparent prosperity – art, its shrilly, purifying impact. It reminds us in the most direct way of the creativity’s preciousness – of you, in fact. Up till very recent these great souls have kept their selfless laboring despite ever more increasingly perilous circumstances. Now we watch as the last ones of them disappear. And there are no new ones. And since they stood nearest to you, never committed evil, never expected rewards other than the joy of creation and chance to share their works with the rest of us – I see no other reason for the lack of their successors than your strange decision to strip them of your blessing.

- Your reality looks so heavy. If you do not mind an opinion of an expert in creativity, I am not sure that such a weight would let you lift off the earth. These saint toilers and creators for whom you grieve, they were all light. They could hit hard, bring you to tears, even sweep off your feet, but they would never bludgeon you to death. The spirit of play was always employed.

- True. But they could hit. Who can strike a good blow now?

- Maybe this s not about them then, but about skin thickening, that your overdeveloped mind has grown? About diminished susceptibility?

- It should not have stopped either them or you unless you have opted to wait until biologists grant us with seventh and fifteenth senses. Look out! There will be no one to bless.

- You might be rushing. Do you not count on second religiousness at all?

- No. I am not talking of Second Coming. I often think there were no First one either, at least in a way it has been rendered. God’s sons come all the time. I am not for miracles, but for honest, cooperation. I would take it to be inconspicuous if you wish.

- If inconspicuous, it might be going on.

- Then tell me, is it? I’ll buy into it.

- …

- You should not have bothered me.

- But it would be exactly a miracle if I tell.

- So, what?

- You said you are not for miracles.

- Yeah, go on, pick on words. You are not me. My job is putting up with everything; yours… I do not know what your job is.