Parable of the Silence

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And so God, who knew all things and was all things, decided that there should be Existence. And so She created Existence with pieces of Herself.

First, she created the Things. And to them She gave the Laws and the most simple purpose: to be those Laws. She gave water “wetness” and it knew how to be water. And She gave space “distance” and it knew how to be space. Thus all Things were given their purpose and that was their Gift from Her, the piece of Her they carried with them.

When all Things were created, She still had some of Herself left. So, She created the Creatures. And to them She gave the ways of being and the form to be in those ways. To the bears, She gave the Ways of Being a Bear, the sharp claws, the strong muscles, the thick fur, the lust for food and the will to have it. And they knew how to be a Bear. To the fish, She gave the Ways of Being a Fish, the breathing of water and the swimming within it, and the joy to dive and the love of the dark and cold places. And they knew how to be a Fish. Each of these came into Existence knowing their Way and living it.

And then all the Creatures were created, save one. By this time, God, who knew all things and was all things, had very little left that did not Exist. But She had saved something very special, her most sacred, severest, most demanding Gift. She hesitated, for She knew all things and so knew what a burden she would place upon they who carried this Gift. But for all She was to Exist, this too must be given.

And so, She made Human.

And for Human, She made Her last form, and granted Her last Gift. And then, all She knew and all She was Existed.

And Human opened their eyes and beheld all of Existence, in its beautiful and terrible and ugly and pristine splendor. And Human found their voice. And Human asked… “Why am I here?”

There was no answer.

“My God, I perceive that I Exist. And I perceive that all manner of Thing and Creature Exist around me, and they move by their Laws and they know their Ways. What are my Laws? What is my Way?”

There was no answer.

“My God. I see I have not the claws nor fur of the Bear. I cannot breathe the water nor swim like the Fish. I cannot fly like the Bird. I have these hands, and this mind, and this burning need to know: what am I for?”

There was only silence.

“My God, you must answer me! You gave all other Creatures their Ways; they never even needed to ask! You gave all things their Laws; they cannot break them! You have given me no Laws and no Ways! Why have you cursed me to ponder, to move through Existence with this ignorance? I might break the Laws! I might transgress the Ways! You have made me powerful and without purpose, and therefore I am dangerous! Why, God? Why do I exist?”

And Human despaired and became angry, for they did not understand. To all other things, God, who knew all things and was all things, had given every answer in Existence.

But only one of Her creations bore Her question.