The Medium Of Soul End Of Life Story Chapter 6

In this, my next to last chapter before the end of my End Of Life Story, the Devil and I continue to argue over the disputed wager, but the relationship between us begins to shift. Unbeknownst to the Devil, the “condition of the possibility for the devil’s existence,” begins to unravel as the discussion moves into the more positive effects of this condition. I manage to keep my soul until after I have introduced, at the end of this chapter, the article Stranded In Flatland—A Critique of Education in Modern America [By David Fideler].



I Am All You Hold Dear And When Things Go Wrong I Am That To

You Limit Freedom And Consciousness—You Are Incompleteness

Future Time Nine Concluded


“So am I finally out of the hole? I said.

“Which hole?” replied MV.

“Remember, according to you, Matthew Broderick and I were inside Godzilla’s footprint looking for a footprint,” I responded, “but all we found was dirt.”

“Oh, that hole,” exclaimed MV. “What do you think? I’d say yes; now that you are on the outside looking in. From atop the hole, you can see the whole footprint, and taking in God’s footprint, what you see is the ‘designer of dirt!’”

“Hey, you’re preaching to the choir here! My two term reality concept made God’s footprint possible,” I responded. “But where are you in all this? In the scientific journals I don’t recall one citation with your name on it.”

“What’s unusual about that? Hate, cruelty, pain, or for that matter, beauty, justice, and goodness are not cited either,” replied MV. “Does that mean its all illusion? Does that mean what we see, hear, smell, taste and feel doesn’t exist? Sometimes you have to ask: just how smart are the smarties?”

“Okay, so where do you fit in,” I replied. “I know that as the ‘enabler of creation’ you are everywhere, but I think I’m missing some details, as you so lovingly like to remind me!”

“How can I refuse such a ‘sweet request,’” said MV. “Sometimes you’re just pathetic! You are right about one thing, though. I’m in everything. I’m earth, sky, and water. I’m food, air and sex. Without me there would be no hope, no dreams, or future. Hell, without me the ‘big bang’ would have been a ‘big fizzle.’ I am the great ‘Enabler’ and ‘Ennobler’ put together. Do you get it yet?”

“Alright already, calm down,” I said. “All I’m asking is that you fill me in on a few more details. Ok?”

“You know all you need to know,” replied MV. “First Atlas shouldered the world. Then, briefly, Hercules hefted the weight. But everybody knows that muscle, even those muscles, can not support the world. Fortunately, this problem was solved when the weight fell upon the back of the mighty turtle—and after that it was turtles all the way down. Well, I’m the shell of that turtle. Without me there would be nothing above or below!”

“Bull,” I responded, “You are the fractional nature of freedom and consciousness; you are that incompleteness! You are change and death. You are also the slayer of freedom and growth. This is where you fit in. How am I doing?”

“Not bad, but way to gory,” replied MV. “You left out what’s really important. My, my, you have forgotten so much? Without me this conversation couldn’t take place; there would be no stories, no questions, or, for that matter, no libraries, goodness, justice, or right and wrong. You also left out my potentialities, the potentialities that you, more than most, could not live without. Without me there would be no ‘shake you alive wilderness experiences,’ no sunrise, sunset, magnificence’s, and those love interests, the one’s that used to keep you awake at night, the one’s consummated only in your dreams—don’t blame me for that,-- zilch, up in smoke, gone! Read my lips, nature’s nurturing is not possible without me! In fact, to see where I fit in, look at everything you hold close to your heart!


Morality, Goodness, Justice And Evil Are Products Of Free Will

Death Is Only A ‘Right Of Passage,’ A Structural Necessity, A Mere Door Separating Different Levels Of Freedom And Consciousness

Future Time Ten


“It is as you say it is,” I said. “I see now.”

“See what?” exclaimed MV.

“The whole picture,” I replied. “It seems like a lifetime ago, but I remember the moment your voice first popped into my head and said that without evil, righteousness and goodness would disappear. At the time, I thought I was going insane. But it’s true. Right and wrong, good and evil, are flip sides of the same ‘free will coin.’ Morality, goodness, justice, and evil necessarily follow from free will. It’s all about the continual structuring and liberation of an evolving universe. I see it clearly now!”

“What else do you remember from that conversation?” said MV. “Do you remember my promise? You seem to have penetrated reality’s nexus, so you must feel pretty damn good--right?”

“I feel strange. It’s a bit numbing,” I replied, “but I can live with that.”

“A hum! That’s probably a bad choice of words,” said MV. “In the overall scheme of things, nobody lives forever—if you catch my drift.”

“Well, I don’t feel bad,” I replied, “but, in a round about way, maybe we do live forever. After all, death is only a ‘right of passage,’ a structural necessity, a mere door separating different levels of freedom and consciousness, even without death, freedom and consciousness remain, albeit at a diminished level - right?”

“Have you forgotten who you are talking to,” said MV. “In this life you owe me; a pact must be obeyed. You don’t know it all, but you know enough to lose it all. Do you remember our bargain? You agreed to something back in New Orleans, what was it?”

“Yes, I remember,” I replied. “It went something like this: If God exists and pain and suffering is a necessary part of all that is righteous and good then I would willingly give up my soul in return for that ‘truth.’”

“Very good,” said MV.

“But wait, there’s more,” I exclaimed. “You also told me that because bad becomes good, the wager was a win, win, situation. In effect, by striking that bargain, I got you out of my head and in the future I would, with your help, become privy to the truth that everything is part of the Divine plan. Well, I’m there. I see that now. You’re not the Devil of old; you’re simply the structural manifestation permitting someone like me to believe that Satan exists. Other people, upon hearing of your possible existence, have the option to choose for themselves whether to believe or not to believe. Well, I have chosen not to believe, so go away; leave me alone?”

“Ignorance isn’t bliss,” responded MV. “Welching on this bet is not an option, comprende! What else did we agree to back then? Don’t strain that poor little memory of yours, I’ll tell you. Back then I said your knowledge was incomplete and you had to admit that fact before I could help you find the truth—that was part of our deal. And further, I pointed out that you possessed a total lack of knowledge when it came to matters of Divinity. Do you recall the phrase, ‘In God’s house there are many mansions?’ In that cockroach infested apartment of yours, your arrogance was hardly perceptible, but now it seems it has become your passion. You were barely worth my time back then, but now, I must admit, you make me proud. Be advised though, there will be no reneging here. Begging, however, is allowed. Win me over if you can!”

“I will not beg,” I replied, “and furthermore I admit that I do not know everything. You do agree, though, that everything is part of the Divine plan-right?”


Determining What Is Divine From What Is Purely Human Is Very Problematic

Language Is Divine, But How It Is Used, Or Can Be Used, Is Another Thing All Together-- Science Too Is Divine, But Its Application Can Be Totally Profane


Future Time Ten Continued

“Yes, inside and out, the Divine plan is everywhere,” said MV, “however, as you yourself have pointed out, some things are not divine, they’re just plain human—and thank God for that!”

“Exactly, that’s my point,” I replied. “The problem is figuring out what is Divine and what isn’t. For you, retributive justice is Divine, but I only have your word for it, and quite frankly, your reputation precedes you when in comes to lying, treachery, and deceit. The rest of it, however, makes perfect sense; that is, the continual structuring of an evolving universe makes sense. Christ, I’ve even had dreams about it, or were you somehow the source of those dreams too?”

“No, your dreams are your own,” said MV. “If you need explanations, go read a book on dream physiology.”

“And that’s what dreams are about,” I replied, “the excitation of random neurons firing in the brain?”

“They certainly aren’t about free will,” said MV.

“But are they part of the Divine plan?” I replied. “I know my dream was about divinity, but was it also part of the Divine plan? I’m going to say yes because I prefer to think of it that way, but, determining what is Divine from what is purely human is very problematic. Hell, even science falls into that gray area. In science, when the boundaries between purposeful action and moral principals become blurred, science becomes a dehumanizing endeavor. In fact, I devoted a section of my thesis just to that point.”

“Here’s how it works,” MV responded. “In your dream, when you dreamt that all writing was a manifestation of the Divine, well you were right, but what gets written is not always divine. Language is Divine, but how it is used, or can be used, is another thing all together. It’s the same with science. Science is Divine, but its application can be totally profane. What I like best about science, though, is that most scientists value science as if it was a religion, and that’s fertile ground for me!”

“Like I said, I know all about that,” I replied. “In fact, let’s take a look at some of what David Fideler had to say about the downside of science. His article, Stranded In Flatland—A Critique of Education in Modern America, gets right to the point; that is, if it’s alright with you?”

“Not alright,” said MV, “but, agreeing, in the end, to a little groveling before me might persuade me to be more accommodating.”

“I’m not going to grovel,” I replied, “but after the article I’ll be ready to ‘give up the ghost,’ or whatever you want to call it. I have nothing more. How does that sound?”

“Irritating,” said MV, “but okay. Finis, I like the sound of that!”


What Is The Greatest End Or Goal Of Human Existence

Man Can Degenerate Into The Brutish Lower Forms Of Life, But He Also Possesses The Power To Be Reborn Into The Higher Forms, Which Are Divine


Excerpts From: Stranded In Flatland—A Critique of Education in Modern America [By David Fideler, Gnosis Magazine/Summer 1994]

The Cosmological Underpinnings Of Education

[“One crucial aspect of any cosmology involves the question of anthropology; in other words, what is the nature of humanity? On the practical side, the belief that you are a totally preprogrammed machine, conditioned entirely by your upbringing, and that the greatest end of existence is to acquire the maximum level of material comfort reinforces an experience of reality that will differ from that of someone who believes the most important end of human existence is the realization of understanding, insight, and creativity. Thus the question “what is man?” always leads to a further question of teleology, from the Greek telos or “end”: what is the greatest end or goal of human existence?

“From a pragmatic standpoint, no one can maintain that cosmology, anthropology, and teleology are merely abstract concepts. More than any other factors, the questions of the structure of reality, the nature of humanity, and what we should strive for in life ultimately determine how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to Nature. They determine how we experience reality, how we go about shaping the world, and what we decide to do with our lives. In short, the assumptions that we carry in these areas, both individually and collectively, condition every sphere of life, including the sphere of higher education, that hallowed domain which supposedly enshrines the highest ideals of humankind.


Education in A Hierarchical Universe

“Up through the Renaissance, the universe was viewed as an organic, hierarchical structure stretched between the extremes of spirit and matter. In addition to the linear, temporal dimension, reality was pictured as possessing a timeless, vertical dimension. This cosmology also viewed humanity as a microcosm, the entire universe in miniature; humanity not only encapsulates spirit and matter, but is seen as the mediating principle between the two extremes. As the Renaissance philosopher Pico della Mirandola notes in his Oration on the Dignity of Man, humanity possesses an infinite freedom of choice, for it can fashion itself into whatever form it prefers. Man can degenerate into the brutish lower forms of life, but he also possesses the power to be reborn into the higher forms, which are divine.

“True education is implicitly based upon this traditional view of human nature, which is rooted in a metaphysical vision of man’s place in the cosmos. From this perspective, the end or goal (telos) of education is the expansion of awareness and realization of the soul’s innate potential; ultimately this is the path of initiation (telete). That is why, in practically every traditional allegory, the path of education is pictured in terms of an ascent….True education thus is not merely something that is assimilated during four years of college; rather it forms a cyclical process of cultivation and an authentic path of initiation extending for a lifetime, and perhaps even beyond.

Science And Technology—The New Materialistic Faith

Thus The Guiding Principles Of Science And Commerce Came To Be Dictated By Entirely “Pragmatic” Concerns: Empiricism On The One Hand And “Improving The Bottom Line” On The Other, A Financial Dictum That Gave Rise To The Modern Economic Ethos Of “Unlimited Growth”



Excerpts From: Stranded In Flatland—A Critique of Education in Modern America Concluded [By David Fideler, Gnosis Magazine/Summer 1994]

Education In A Two-Dimensional World

“Intimately associated with the hierarchical view of traditional cosmology is the notion that Nature is a theophany, an emanation of the divine, the best possible image of divine reality within the confines of time and space. With the so-called Enlightenment, however, a linear, reductionistic, and materialistic view of the universe arose. For most people, this eclipsed the perennial vision of a multidimensional, hierarchical cosmos, in which the various levels of being are linked together by universal harmony and sympathy. All of a sudden, we were left stranded in Flatland. And within
the new, two-dimensional cosmos, Nature came to be seen not as an already perfect theophany, but as a “natural resource,” ready to be developed by human technology. Traditional cosmology had always approached the transformation of nature through art and consciousness in an alchemical sense, which implied a corresponding transformation of both individual and culture; the new approach, on the other hand, was dictated by exploitative, commercial motives.

“The Enlightenment can be seen as a backlash against centuries of Christian repression of free intellectual inquiry. The Christian Church appropriated the hierarchical universe of traditional cosmology, but it did so with a political agenda, proclaiming itself the sole custodian of universal truth. Under the Church’s auspices, the path of philosophical inquiry was replaced with theological dogmatism, and politically enforced belief triumphed over reason and knowledge.

“The modern era began when European intellectuals rebelled and demolished the dogmatic stranglehold of “theological certainty,” but one evil was replaced with another. Fueled by centuries of pent-up potential, science and technology broke loose from ecclesiastical constraint. But because the view of a multidimensional cosmos was lost, there was little left to guide the hand of science and technology, which became subservient to the interests of business and commerce and established itself as a new, materialistic faith.

“This two-dimensional philosophy of materialism had little use for the vertical dimension of value and meaning, and limited its sights to the Promethean manipulation of the natural world through technology. Thus the guiding principles of science and commerce came to be dictated by entirely “pragmatic” concerns: empiricism on the one hand and “improving the bottom line” on the other, a financial dictum that gave rise to the modern economic ethos of “unlimited growth.”

“Only against this historical backdrop is it possible to diagnose the ills of the modern educational system, which we can now see as synonymous with those of the modern world itself. The fact that education is in trouble should not surprise us, for if true education is rooted in the old hierarchical view of reality, it simply cannot flourish—or perhaps even survive—in the current cosmological climate. Our culture, while often proclaiming high ideals, is essentially indifferent to beauty, art, education, and the spiritual dimensions of life. For example, politicians claim that we need to “raise the level of education so that we can remain globally competitive in a world economy,” but what they are really saying has nothing to do with true education, or the expansion of awareness, and everything to do with expanding economic interests. If we lived in a world that really did value education, the world itself would look and feel like a different place than it does today.

“The most telling symptom of the breakdown of the educational system is the ever-accelerating transformation of our colleges and universities into trade and business schools. Most students don’t go to college to expand their horizons or to get an education; they go to college to get a job. The anthropological assumption of our consumer culture is not that the individual is a spiritual entity with a unique relationship to multiple levels of being, but that the individual is a potential cog in the economic machine of production and consumption. Students attend universities to be exposed to the latest techniques and technologies, but they are rarely encouraged to question their own lives or cultural assumptions. Rather than presenting alternative models to the philosophy of materialism, universities regularly sell out to economic interests and thereby grant tacit approval to the two-dimensional cosmology of Flatland. Universities thus forsake their credibility as the custodians of education and, rather than questioning the integrity of the world we have created, become silent instruments of indoctrination and socialization for the economic machine.

“In the modern age, the myth of the celestial ascent is replaced by the favorite myth of American culture: climbing the corporate ladder. The pursuit of excellence, which formed the basis of Greek civilization, is replaced by (or equated with) the pursuit of higher sales or a higher salary. And the realization of an individual’s intrinsic humanity through art, creativity, and learning is replaced by yet another end: acquiring the trapping of social status.”]