As expected, Seth and others had their hands full for a few weeks, as more and more people watched their handbooks change, and heard the reasons. No matter what was said, there was a steady exodus back over the Bridge. Finally, things began to stabilize, but it had been a disheartening experience.
One morning, Seth walked out of the learning inn he had been staying at, and found Wisdom waiting for him.
“Maturity asked me to come, to answer some questions you have.”
“Thanks, but I think things are back under control, now. It was a hard few weeks, but we got through it. I don’t have any questions about it, I don’t think.”
“No, those aren’t the questions he had in mind. He thought you would ask me three different ones. First one, when we get to the palace, will we meet up with those who have died? Will we be reconciled with our old families? Will we form new liaisons? Will we even remember our old lives?
“To Question Number One, I can categorically say, I have no idea. I haven’t been there yet, and I’m no more privy to the information than you are. Moving on…”
“Wait! Aren’t those pretty big questions to just gloss over?”
“Well, it’s actually just one question, asked in several different ways. But yes, the answer is important. I just don’t know what it is, and we won’t know until we get there. So, moving on…
“Your second question was going to be, what do we do once we’re there? A lot of religious ideas about Heaven – which, I suppose, might be similar to where we’re going – suggest that since all our problems are solved, we just sit around and contemplate our navels.”
“What? Contemplate our navels?”
“Don’t you know that phrase? It can mean a style of meditation, in which you stare at your stomach while becoming self-absorbed with your own thoughts. In slangier terms, it just means that you don’t do anything useful or worthwhile. What do the teens say? You just ‘veg out.’
“I think the part about the future that worries some of us the most is the fear that – in the Kingdom - we won’t have any need to read, or learn, or discuss, or brainstorm, or any of the other mental things that we liked to do across the Chasm – the things that made us feel like humans. The view of the future presented by the Prince’s Religions is pretty much a ‘veg out’ one – walking streets of gold, basking in eternal sunlight, etc., etc.
“Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. We’re still humans, with all the wants, wishes, and desires we ever had. We also have all the cleverness and innovativeness we ever had. That doesn’t change when we walk through the gates into the Palace. We are all going to be very busy, planning and then establishing the Kingdom. When we get there, it will be just a shell of what it will become. We all know how to plan and execute; the big difference will be that we all work together for one big Good, rather than competitively for a lot of little achievements.
“I think we’re going to be able to read every book we ever wanted to read, and they’ll still be relevant. I think we’re going to argue and discuss endlessly, just like humans are supposed to. I think we’ll be able to fish, hike, climb mountains, listen to music, dance… Whatever.
“As to the sex and violence that the human race has been drowning in for so long – not personally, but you know what I mean – I think the only violence we’ll encounter is the clashing of good ideas. Sex? Well, I’m hoping there’s lots of that – you understand I’m talking about pure, wholesome types, of course. It’s probably not going to do me much good. I’m pretty old. But, hey, we don’t know what we’ll be like once we pass through the gate into the Palace. Maybe there will be a rejuvenated me, waiting in there.”
“I’m thinking that may not be one of the highlighted Kingdom benefits mentioned in the King’s publicity,” Seth offered, drolly.
Wisdom chuckled. “Probably not but, hey, we are still going to be humans!
“Okay, enough levity and folderol. Moving on to Question Number Three. This is a big one. What happens to the people who remain across the Chasm?
“I can’t claim to know for sure, but my guess is… nothing. It won’t be lakes of fire, or eternal torture while chained in a cavern somewhere, as some Religions suggest. (By the way, just as a passing thought, I don’t think the Prince is responsible for those stories. Why would he be? Wouldn’t they just make people more anxious to go back to the King? No, I think those were some extemporaneous ideas stuck in by later religious leaders, to scare their particular followers. Well, as I said, just a thought.)
“What I started to say – before I so rudely interrupted myself! – is that I think life beyond the Chasm will continue pretty much on the course it’s on, now. The rich will get richer, and the poor will get poorer. Those ‘in power’ will continue to try to gain more power, at the expense of everybody else. Criminals will get more guns, so non-criminals will feel they have to buy more guns to protect themselves. Random acts of killing will increase. Nobody will think about anything much farther away than the next day. Depletion of resources, both from overuse and the effects of climate change, will eventually make vast areas uninhabitable. People seeking food, water, and a bearable climate will immigrate to other areas, where the residents will forcefully try to stop the invasions. Wars, and rumors of wars, will become more common. If the religious leaders are correct that there is a Hell, I think that I may be describing it right now.”
Seth thought about that for a moment. “So, you’re saying that their punishment and their reward are one and the same?”
“That’s what I think, yes. I think I’ll be very glad to be here.”
***
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