Shattering Humanity-Chapter 272: Epistemology: "One Tiny Thread..."

"As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ’Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’

My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.

Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.

"When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them." -Ezekiel 33:30-33

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{Tomodachi Town Beach}

It is a cool, breezy autumn day as the mysterious and globally occuring SeiõrSnow continues to fall into the ocean and on land.

The early afternoon waves crash down on the sandy beach and there are only a few screeching seagulls seen successfully scavenging sandy scraps.

One of the ’rats with wings’ lands next to the beach’s empty changing room/restroom but it quickly flaps and *cawwhs* away once a Daisuki portal pops up on the side of the cement restroom outer wall.

From the other side, Sol and Aiden can be heard arguing in the echoing cafeteria about something while Daisuki is already exhausted from their accompanying debate.

Sol: "And that’s probably why you aren’t being accepted by Seiõr, numbskull!

Because you say things like that out loud, not even trying to pretend like you’re completely on board."

The two of the smaller, younger Takamagahara members step through the widening quick travel portal first while TayTay munches on a bag of popcorn. One kernel at a time.

He is about to stuff in a whole mouthful but Sol scolds him, technically from miles away through the hole in the wall.

Sol: "Ayye!

What did we talk about, Big Guy?!"

Tay flinches like a dog being caught doing something it’s not supposed to.

TayTay: "Buh Mama-!"

From the portal, Sol’s eyes of the Sun burn hotter, scaring the largest of the HFF Academy’s acclaimed and infamous "Beasts".

Sol: "One.

At.

A.

Time..."

With comedic tears in his eyes, TayTay walks through the large opening to the other side and taking a deep sigh of relief, Daisuki walks through last.

Walking away from the hole in the wall, as the last remnance of his ability pinholw closed, Scylia runs into the cafeteria but it’s too late.

Scylia: "Master Daisuki!

Wait!...

Shit."

She runs back out the double doors and down the dim lit cement hallway.

Back on the sidewalk overlooking the ocean, Aiden has a small but thicker paperback book in his grasp.

The title: "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems".

Aiden: "Well I’m sorry for being of a different conscious mindset than this all ’controlling universal energy’ we’ve barely been able to test.

I’ve always been someone who strictly believes in the syllogism of Theistic Scientists; Science is the language of our world’s truth.

Religious Scriptures, ’God’, and Karma are the truth of our being.

Therefore, all theistic tales, interpretations of ’God’ and the chaotic energy of Karma can all be explained through the language of science."

Daisuki surveys the area, looking for a proper home for Abby the Abrams.

Sol: "So that’s it?

You’re just going to give up on getting accepted by Seiõr?"

Aiden: "I never said that I was!"

Sol: "Well it seems like you’re ridiculing all these examples of the truth given to you by the people who you’re supposed to trust.

You said you wanted to believe and accept Seiõr if it will accept you back, now you seem to scorn it’s mysteries."

As they lead the way along the pavement parallel to the water, Aiden turns his head and looks out passed the horizon.

Aiden: "Last night, we talked about what everything in my life meant, now that all my life’s knowledge could actually be explained and manipulated by one conscious energy source.

We eventually ended up so far away from the main thread, I’m afraid of going further into my epistemology with anyone else. In fear of both, not being able to reel myself back in, and well..."

He blushes a bit, trying his hardest to express himself, without sounding like he’s also trying to imply anything other than his sincerity.

Aiden: "..Since I was fortunate enough to find a contrarian, who is willing to make sure I don’t drift too far out from the topic, but someone who also won’t throw me a life vest either when I’m struggling..."

With her hands behind her head while they walk, Sol smiles with one eye open from the confession of the intellectual young man going through his own unique existential crisis.

Sol: "I’m not surprised how quickly you’re able to confuse yourself without any help from me other than a few monkey wrenches in your theories.

Your mind is clearly so encumbered with things you know, that we all should know, but I am simply hear to be a pair of ears while you explain to me your thought process, Mr. Smarty-pants.

And what the Hell did you call what we are we talking about?

Epii-whatzitnow?"

Daisuki chuckles at her playful intrigue towards the scholar’s extensive lexicon along with his other interesting "internet-like" knowledge.

Aiden : "What?

Epistemology?"

Sol: "Yea, that.

Listen, you’re going to have to meet me halfway here.

If you use big words or something that my normal high school girl brain shouldn’t know about yet, do me a favor and spoon feed me the dumbed down definition.

Like when you explained to us about that cycling universe theory.

Maybe if you start there, I can get a better understanding of what I am actually helping you work through."

While his Mama isn’t looking TayTay grabs two kernels of white, buttery popcorn and tosses them in quickly. Breaking his Mama’s rules.

Aiden: "Well okay, I guess epistemology can be classified as the philosophical breakdown of the way we as humans think, learn, and distribute information back out into the world from our personal bank of knowledge."

Sol: "Okay.

See, that makes sense now. I see.

So you’re having a mental crisis about what’s real or not and you need me to help give you push back to make you feel like this isn’t all just a simulation, or a badly written story?"

Aiden doesn’t verbally answer and after a silent few seconds Sol turns her head to see Aiden fighting back tears.

[FLASHBACK]

Aiden looks at his hands with sad eyes.

Aiden: "...Since we’ve been told and proven Seiõr is the primary explanation for all of the universe’s energy, then what’s left for me?

If all of humanity’s scientific mysteries and religious backbones for faith, can be explained with Ancient Norse practices of magic, then what’s the point of wondering about anything anymore?

At the same time, what’s the point in learning about anything else?

Should I still have any emphasis on my life, even if all the ’respectable sources’ I would’ve believed, were written by people who were trying to find ’the truth’, but failed?

In retrospect, ’the most brilliant of our species’, were accidentally and unintentionally moving us all further away from ’the truth’ this entire time. Naive, but dedicated individuals, leaving their unfinished trail of their life’s knowledge towards ’the truth’, for others to hopefully complete."

Aiden puts his face in his hands and his voice begins to sound panicked.

Aiden: "So is that it? Is it simply game over for weaklings like me in this world who can accept and welcome the existence of Seiõr but can’t be given reciprocates back? Is it now ’survival of the acknowledged’?"

Sol watches a beetle carry a leaf passed the bonfire, but the unfortunate bug, carrying the perfect kindle, crawled a little too close to the giant flame. One small ember floats on top the leaf and it begins to ignite the leaf on top of the large bug. Then another ember falls on top.

Aiden: "...Even though one small truth in our creation has been exposed, the larger, more severely life altering truth of Seiõr, has made all other previous truths pointless."

The poor insect gets engulfed in a blanket of fire and in it’s own panic, walks right into the bonfire to complete it’s roasted death.

Sol with sad eyes, looks away from the perfect analogy of what the smartest Takamagahara member is going through.

[END FLASHBACK]

Sol sighs and tries to play the devil’s advocate role she’s been entrusted with.

Sol: "You know, before this apocalypse, I was in my biology class and we were being taught about the human nerves."

Daisuki and Aiden both listen closely, and TayTay continues to secretly toe the line by eating two pieces of freshly buttered popcorn, instead of one at a time like he was told.

Sol: "I was taught, early anatomists and credited philosophical minds believed our nerves grew from the heart.

After dissection it was discovered only one tiny thread of a nerve served as the only connection between the human heart and brain."

She puts her hand over her heart and feels the personal, steady, and easily noticable motion within her own chest.

Sol: "Humans noticed their heart was the only vital organ detectable from the outside of their body, without lethal dissection.

And when it was exposed from it’s cage, the life beating organ would stop, and the host it was in died."

Aiden grabs his chest, cringing at the thought of having his heart torn out while still alive.

Sol: "But you know, my grandmum use to tell me something and I’m not a religious nut, but it makes me think in times like these...

She said, ’our hearts alone are proof of God’s existence’.

It was clearly a metaphor for ’He doesn’t need to be seen to be appreciated, just like our hearts don’t need to be seen for us to realize it is there’."

As the young girl with her head screwed firmly on her own shoulders finally gets to her point, Daisuki looks in a direction and his eyes grow wide and a twitching smile slowly creeps onto his face.

Sol: "I guess what I’m trying to say is, whether you decide to choose the decision of your heart or your brain, either way, they are still connected and both choices have been influenced by the other in some way."