Solomon's Private File #327
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 30 in this story, in the Summer of 2056.
Solomon's Private File #327 "Romanesque"
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I shifted in to stand before the Emperor of a mighty empire on a
world in another galaxy. They looked almost completely human. I looked
like them, but with my aura visible. I said, "Greetings! I am Solomon."
I said with a grin, "Now you don't have to ask me who I am, like
everybody does in these situations." He said, to the guards, "Remove
this person!" They came at me, but bounced off of my extended shield. I
said, "I will leave when I decide to." He said, "Have you come to kill
me?" I said, "If I had, you would be dead. You don't look dead to me,
much." He had a mix of emotions. He said, "Are you a God?" I said, "I
have some unusual abilities that can case people to think I am a God,
but there is only one God, the Creator of All, who I serve." He said,
"There are many Gods! Our Gods are the most powerful!" I said, "You may
honor any number of Gods, if you wish. The Creator has many faces, but
all are His. If you choose to view Him as a number of Gods, there is
still truth in that. But you are wrong about one aspect of that. They
do not fight with each other, unlike people, who prefer to view their
Gods in their own image, being unable to understand a Being greater
than themselves, and being unable to admit it."
He said, thoughtfully, "There is some wisdom in your words. Why are
you here?" I said, "You are planning to kill some people who worship
differently than you do. That is unwise for the future." He said, "They
are causing my people to disobey the Gods!" I said, "To disobey the
Priests, who are unwilling to give up their power over even one person.
They say they speak for the Gods, but they speak only for themselves,
and not very well, too." He tried not to smile, and said, "My power as
the Emperor comes from the Gods, through the Priests." I said, "Your
power comes from how much you pay your military to keep your people
from killing you." He laughed, and said, "That's true! You are not at
all ignorant of these things. How will killing those people be unwise
for the future?"
I said, "Religions depend on faith, not reason, no matter what people
may think of that. They are also internal things. You only know of the
religion of another, if they want you to know. Therefore, you will not
find all of them, which will then cause them to practice their religion
in secret. In doing what you plan, you are also giving them power and
respect, as a danger to you. Religions thrive under the pressure of
persecution, even if it only happens in their imagination. There will
always be people who need to be against the society. Many of them will
be drawn to the new religion precisely because it is opposed by you.
You kill some now, you will make the rest stronger, and they will gain
in membership, until eventually, they will be the majority, and it
becomes the new state religion which then kills those of other
religions. This has happened in many lands, many times."
He said, "Well thought, I have to say, but they are damaging our
Empire by who they convert. The slaves." I said, "True. It's a religion
that is well suited to slaves, in that it says that suffering in this
life will enable greater happiness in death. It also requires them to
obey their masters, but the nature of people opposes that, so few fully
obey that rule. I note your smile. Very few people ever obey the
totality of their religion. It just can't be as real to them as their
daily lives are." He said, "Wisely said! Is there a solution to this
problem?" I said, "There are parts of partial solutions, but none will
cause the religion to completely die. The most they will do, is
postpone the inevitable with a little less suffering for all. Yes, well
beyond your life. Hundreds of years, actually. The religion is very
attractive to saves. If they were freed, the religion would have very
few converts, but we know you won't, can't, do that." He said, "Yes,
can't. It's not possible. If I were to try, there would be a revolt.
Our Empire would be destroyed." I said, "It will, eventually. Nothing
lasts forever. But always not with YOU leading it." He grinned, and
said, "Absolutely!"
I said, "The other possible actions include isolation. Send them to a
different land. Their owners will protest, and so will others, and that
will make the religion stronger, but out of your control. You know what
could come from that." He said, "Rebellion in a outlying provence,
seriously disturbing the Empire." I said, "Causing other provinces to
see where you are leading. Anything I do against them, makes them more
of a problem." I said, "If they are to be considered a problem. Often
the problems we see, are caused more by how we see them, than real
dangers. You receive visitors from many lands, and do business with
them. Are they to think you do not respect their beliefs? Would showing
them that you do, with how you treat those of the new religion, benefit
in this area?" He nodded, and said, "It would."
He said, "Tell me, is there any truth to this religion?" I said,
"That is solely a matter of opinion, and what a person wants to be so.
For them, it is more of a philosophy, a way of living, they only
partially ever obey, and worship only with words, asking for things
they are never going to have." He laughed, and said, "Well said!" I
said, "And that describes the basics of all religions." He said, "It
might. Are their beliefs true?" I said, "In part yes, in part no. Again
like all religions, which are created by people, and so are imperfect.
We are to learn in this life, how to be better people. Knowing what
that actually means, is a matter of opinion to people, who usually are
not able to understand that. They are partially right, in that we are
judged after death, just as you and most religions believe." He nodded.
I said, "Now comes the difference. Most souls are sent back to live
on the world again, to keep learning. If they were bad, their next
lives may include more suffering, good, less suffering. After many
lives, if they progress far enough, they are allowed to join the
Creator, and help Him to administer the reincarnations, and to do other
duties that are part of that existence. Some of those can come back and
be teachers here on the world, or work here directly for the Creator,
such as in explaining things to rulers. I have been those in the past."
He said, "You are not now? But you are doing that work." I said, "They
used mostly words, and some limited special powers. They could die. I
did, many times. Now, I am the Senior of them, and am not allowed to
die. And I can do what the Creator can do, in his place."
I raised my fist to be level with my head, beside it, and pulled it
down sharply, and the sky thundered, and grew bright with flashes of
lightening, and it rained. All that could be seen in the openings of
the building. I raised my empty hands, and it all stopped, and the sky
cleared. He said, "I will not kill them. Thank you for your wise
advise." I said, "You are welcome. Will you accept my love?" He said,
"I will." I wrapped him in my love, and he almost fainted. I shifted
into a large ball of light, and expanded and dimmed until I was all
gone.
That large room hadn't been empty of people. There were guards, two
scribes, two aids, and some other government parasites. They were all
murmuring to each other about what they had witnessed. Then one of the
scribes noticed something different among his things. He said to the
Emperor, "Sir, there is an addition to my things that wasn't part of
them before. A strange paper, with writing on it." Emperor said, "Give
it to me!" He read it, which was a word for word recording of what was
said. He said, "I will keep this." The other scribe purposefully didn't
look at his things. The first scribe noticed that. They exchanged
secret looks. They later discovered that a lot of people had that
letter, including those of the new religion. Word spread quickly,
mostly in secret. Both religions are changing, and changing each other.
I showed the action to Paolo. He had some wows for it. He said, "Many
parallels." I said, "Millions of dimensions, each with millions of
galaxies, with billions of planets. I choose what to show here that's
most understandable, so they WILL have parallels." He said, "You're
letting them keep the slaves." I said, "In that relatively primitive
non tech society, it's necessary." He said, "I wondered of you would
see it that way." I said, "It's true that God has absolute standards,
but they are relative to the people and society they are applied to.
That's why I'm not going to make this one public. Some overly selfish
people would insist on believing that God condones slavery in all
situations." He said, "It's unfortunate, but I have to agree. It shows
you at your best in communication. A disappointing loss to the world."
I said, "My monitors agree. Won't change anything, though. I'm only
showing this to you, because I thought you would like to see it."
"That will work for them, too, and I added this discussion to it." He
grinned, knowing that I knew he was going to ask for that. He said,
"The letters. Different languages, too, and in other lands?" I said,
"How did you know?" He said, "You wouldn't want your message
corrupted." I nodded and said, "They'll try." He grinned, and said,
"And you'll make them look stupid and foolish." I grinned back, and
said, "You know me too well!" We felt a touch. I said, "So does God,
and He likes it!" Awe and chuckles. We hugged with love.
I walked into the office of a Catholic Priest in South Africa. He saw
me, and sighed in resignation. I said, "You thought I wouldn't know?"
He said, "I thought, if anything, that it would be the Corps." I said,
"Not for religion. That's mine." He said, "What will happen to me?" I
said, "First, you must resign. You know that. If you want to work to
make less your suffering for your sins, you need to Confess. You know
that, too. If you want to work to make the suffering of those you
sinned against, less, that is your choice. You know your duty, your
obligations to God. You don't need me to tell you of them, but you will
NOT continue to represent Him. That is MY duty and obligation to
cause." He said, "I agree that it is, and I am glad for that, because
I smiled, and said, "Yes. I understand. Rules are for other people.
Human nature, the betrayer." He said, "So true!" I said, "You would
know that more than most, and how difficult it is to resist it, which
all must. Helping others to understand that, would help you, too." He
said, "I think I see that. I have been evil. I know that. I was tempted
beyond my weak ability to resist. I betrayed my office, my God, and my
people, and most of all, my victims." I said, "It may not be possible
to make it all right. But the effort WILL count in your favor." He
said, "Will I go to prison?" I said, "That isn't my decision. If your
victims or their parents seek that, it might happen. I am not now the
direct cause of that. But if you do it again, there will be an
immediate consequence." He said, "Would you put a compulsion on me
against that, if I ask?" I said, "That would remove your choice not to
sin, preventing you from acquiring that virtue, which would reduce the
severity of your suffering for your past sins. For that, I recommend
against it." He said, "I will try. But If I ask in the future?" I said,
"With regret, I will, just as I would in administering a consequence,
if necessary."
He said with tears, "I know this hurts you. I sincerely apologize for
that." I said, "As you know yourself, we all have our own burdens. Our
own fictional crosses to bear." He grinned, and said, "I never believed
that, and for the reasons you and your father spoke of. It would be too
heavy for him to carry far, and a weapon the Romans would never let one
to be executed to have." I said, "Still a man well worthy of great
honors." He said, "Truly! Will you inform His Eminence?" I said, "As
you ask, yes, but you must inform your immediate superior, AFTER
Confession. During it, would be better for you, for legal reasons." He
said, "I understand. I don't deserve your consideration." I said, "I
agree, for part of you, but your life has been in good service, other
than this problem. That should be respected. And loved." We hugged with
love, and he cried.
I gave a crystal of that to Paolo, and he had tears, too. We hugged
with love, and some sadness, too.
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Grant
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