CHAPTER NINE
Only a few in that great hall were shocked at the manner of her
going. The others had passed the point where one more shock could
reach them. They were overburdened by shocks.
Those that had come to view her in person were held captive in
their seats as the full import of her words hit them. As leaders
of Nations, she had destroyed their worlds. How would they lead
now? Who would listen to them? For the first time in their lives
they came to realize that a leaders role was to lead a Nation
into the future as well as guide them in the present. People with
no future will go their own ways. As men and women with private
lives, apart from those of leadership, they were hit twice by her
words. They joined the rest of the world in a common question
that had to be faced. What was the point of life now?
A world that had cried out in anger and terror at the loss of its
babies was now struck dumb at its own future death. On a world
where men and women had been trained for all their history in the
beleif that they could fight to overcome any problem, no matter
how large, they found that they had nothing to do battle against.
How do you fight death? He always wins in the end...it’s only a
matter of time...and time has always been on his side.
In the long week that followed, there were many strange things
that took place upon the earth but the strangest was the lack of
suicides.
Man has always been a lonely creature within himself. From cradle
to grave he sought to link himself with others in bonds of
security that would banish his loneliness. When those bonds
broke, he broke. Over and over again he had to learn that the
more people he linked himself to, the lonelier he became and the
more tenuous became the bonds. He very seldom learnt the lesson
he was being shown; the less relationships, the stronger the
bonds; the stronger the bonds, the stronger the link to life.
Until the strongest link of all is forged; the link between man
and himself. Man and the spark of life within himself. Once he
makes that bond within his own being, with the spark of life, he
can never let it die willingly. Keeping that bond of selflove
alive becomes the most unselfish act he can perform, for love is
always unselfish.
No longer does he sit and wait in dissappointment for others to
throw him a link, but sends them outward from himself. He will
not let that love perish from self hatred or shame. Nor will he
let it be defiled with acts that would destroy it; either his own
or others.
The words of the woman had forced the world to look inward to
that spark of life. The millionaire saw his money for what it was
all along; a bid for approval so that he could have more bonds
that anyone else, only they were made of links that never reached
him. He had never been lonelier.
The worshipper discovered there was only one God left to worship
and it was dwelling deep within him; the spark of life...and it
had always been devine. He also discovered that while he
worshipped at that alter there was no room for anything within
the temple but love.
Those who dwelt in lonely places had always worhipped at this
shrine and understood it. They had only regret that they would
leave no one behind to worship at the same alter of life.
Each day that dawned in that week saw the crust of hardness melt
away from the people. Eyes that had been clouded from gazing
outward now became clear. Life became recognized as the gift it
always had been. It became recognized as too valuable to throw
away.
In certain parts of the world strange but predictable events took
place.
Communist China mounted massive campaigns addressed to
‘Pheadeknosses’ or ‘Fairway’ as the name translated, to remind
her that they had abolished lies, dirt, unfairness, want and
poverty in their land and should be given a better deal.
It is only fair to state that the communist countries felt a
greater sense of defeat than most of the others, for in their
eyes they had tried to better the lot of the masses. Now they
were asking themselves why they should suffer the same fate as
the rest of the world. There were even those in the western
nations that agreed with them and felt their anguish.
In India the poor were overwhelmed by the rich bring them food
and clothing at the last minute. Maybe the rich could be spared
if they could show they had changed their selfish ways. The poor
didn’t see much to be upset about. Hadn’t they always had a short
life? Weren’t they always losing their children to the black
abyss of death? The woman said their children were fed and well.
That was more than they could do for them these days. Of course
they mourned...they always mourned.
Throughout the whole week there were two things that held the
world in thrall and see-sawed their emotions between fear and
hope: curiosity and love.
Curiosity is a strange emotion in humans. It has killed them and
it has given them life. Of all the traits he carries, this one is
the strangest. It never seems to die in him. That may be one of
the reasons no one took their own life that week. There was
always time later to do that, but right now they were living
through the most unusual events of history and they waited for
two things: Pheadeknosses said she would ask a great sacrifice of
them. They were curious to find out what this was and for some it
would be the time to laugh in her face for asking a condemned
world for favours. She also said that she would tell them all
about the children and what was to become of them and she
mentioned a plan they were working on for the Earth to see their
children again. For the parents and relatives of the little ones,
this was all the hope they needed to hang on to life. For them
the time had moved slowly towards the next visit from the alian
woman.