I. Karl

Adrian was standing on top of a tree, staring into the distance, watching the sunset.

“It has always been interesting to me how beautiful the world is, yet taken for granted,” He said.

Adrian loved climbing trees, in the trees were where he could relax from his duties. He was particularly fond of the kapok tree, a tall, majestic tree on this side of the South American forest. This particular tree was home to a special kind of eagle, the harpy eagle. It had an Eagle nestling; it was almost mature, and soon it would leave the nest. He had been watching it for a while and had decided to give it a name.

“Such a beautiful creature you are, Karl,” Adrian said, watching him. “Serving nature in your ways, do you appreciate the fact that you exist, I wonder,” He continued. “I believe you do; I do too, but many beings don’t; it hurts me deeply sometimes.” He sat close to the nest as he continued talking to the nestling. “Let me tell you a story, dear friend, a story before the beginning.”

“Before time was ever in existence, there was chaos and order. They existed in a balance, yin and yang, just like the Chinese depicted. Or like the Sumerians way back when, Tiamat and Abzu, the two great dragons, were supposed to be locked in a balanced embrace forever,” The nestling whistled, seemingly asking a question.

“Chaos, the consuming force and Order the governing force, are both very important to one another,” He continued. “Although they were supposed to balance each other out, there was a slight problem. They couldn’t completely balance coz none understood what or who they were. How could each fulfil its role, function, if none knew what their role, function… purpose, was?” He paused as Karl looked away briefly.

 “There was no meaning in such an existence; it was just pathetic,” The bird looking his way again. “A new way of existence was needed where meaning would never be lost, and everything would know its purpose. A new force was needed. Out of a need, a gap, or necessity, a guiding force emerged from potential itself. The guiding force to a new way of existence where everything knows what it is.”

Adrian paused, “What I am, what you are, what this tree is,” He said, looking at his hands, then at Karl and then at the tree. “What I am, my meaning and purpose. The guiding force completed the equation, the constant if you connect to it, let it guide you, meaning and purpose cannot break down.”

“How amazing is that,” He said happily, looking at the nestling.

“I mean, it makes sense to you, right?” He asked the baby bird. “The fact that you are here means you have meaning and purpose… A worm has purpose and meaning, serves nature by breaking down things, same with some bacteria.” He continued.

“Its meaning and purpose are found in the fact that it exists, its existence,” He opened his arms wide as if to embrace reality. “How beautiful, water, air, birds, insects, mammals, humans, me, all of existence has meaning and purpose, and how do we know?” The wind picked up, blowing the branches around him as if in anticipation. “…Because the guiding force knows meaning and purpose as it guides them.”

 “You see, the guiding force completed the equation, as it is part of the equation. It can therefore guide you to the equation, the true one… The truth” He chuckled. “As the guiding force is not self-seeking in nature, its sole purpose is to guide you to the purpose and meaning of something.”

Adrian paused as he saw the mother harpy flying, coming home from a day of hunting to feed its child. “Simply friend, the guiding force shows you how something is, adding nothing, removing nothing.” He said as he jumped off the tree. “With the guiding force, I shall see you the way you are, as beautiful, as perfect, just like me.”

“Therefore, Karl, I can enjoy life because I know who/what I am and what everything is; perfect,” He shouted in excitement as he fell.