The race speaks.... "There is no longer a God or a Heaven of futures.
The words eternity and infinity are bottomless and no longer hold us or
guide us. But we must have a master, one who will enable us to dream of
His recompense since we still dare not adventure in dreams of our own.
And this master must assure us as our old master did--that there are
great purposes in life, great rewards. We will make a minor change in
our theology. Once it was our desire to think of ourselves as having
been created in the image of God--a Superior. This was when we were
strong, when we walked the earth and wore our destinies like gay
feathers in our caps. Now we have grown diffused and weak. The world is
no longer simple enough for us to understand and ignore. We dare not
ignore our disappearance from life. Therefore in order to compensate for
this disappearance we will create a God in our image and worship Him.
The deeper we sink, the further we vanish, the higher, nobler and more
powerful will we make our new God. Come, illusion mongers, we desire a
new God. We desire a new Heaven. Make us a Heaven of quicksilver in
which we may see not Jehovah who is a myth but our own image glorified,
which is closer to reality, and which our dawning intelligence may more
easily swallow. In this heaven let us see our civic virtues magnified.
We want for a master an idealization of ourselves, whom we may serve in
hope of rewards."
Thus the vanished ones stare aloft and slowly the heavenly mirror
spreads itself for them--a mirror of identifications and explanations.
It is all clear--or at least it grows clear--in this mirror; who we are
and what we are.... A beautiful image marches across its face. It is the
image of the vanished ones, ennobled and deified--become a new illusion,
become a God-like creature with flashing eyes. A marvelous,
unsurpassable creature whose every gesture is perfection, whose every
grimace is unsurpassable perfection. A reassuring God. Whatever their
moods, their despairs, their manias--they have only to look up and see
them ennobled and deified in the mirror-heaven.
Gazing aloft the vanished ones raise their voices in a cheer of triumph.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account