The Veil

Civilization as we know it is being slowly dismantled into something we don’t recognize. If I were somehow able to travel and see my grandchildren 100 years from now,  I’m sure things would be as strange to me as today would be to my great-grandparents. I am given no comfort in the fact this is probably true of every generation since the dawn of time. Proving what the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change.” We realize early on that our tenancy on this planet is temporary. It’s with this awareness that we seem to be pressing ever closer to the edge of the cliff. Most have picked an afterlife scenario that is supposed to bring them peace, yet surprisingly, there is a paralyzing fear of leaving this world and moving on to what is supposed to be a pretty great place. Like the 1990’s pop art craze Magic Eye, life itself is like a picture that calls upon us to look beneath the surface and discover its hidden mystery. It’s almost cruel then that by the time you figure out what it is, it is whisked away. You know there is no choice but to keep moving forward, moving back to an earlier time is not an option. You see it there, just ahead. Everyone keeps pressing on, nobody else is stopping. As you approach the edge, there is a flash of light and for just a moment, you see yourself as a young child, running and playing. There’s a flash once again and you find yourself sitting in your high school bleachers with your friends. Everyone is cheering loudly when someone calls your name. No sooner have you turned to see who called, when comes yet another flash. It’s the birth of your first child. It’s about then you realize you are actually watching it all as an observer. You can also see other scenes playing all around you. They come into focus then fall out just as quickly. Wonderful memories that you want so to reach out and touch, but somehow you know you can’t, you are just an observer. You watch in awe and delight as you recall faces and places you’d forgotten. All the moments of your life playing as if musical notes of your life’s symphony. Then suddenly you notice the sky. It resembles one of those Magic Eyes, only this one is almost translucent, for on the other side you can see your friends and loved ones looking back as if through a window. It is almost wonderment in their faces as they gaze on, trying to uncover the hidden picture beneath. Then a flash again and you find yourself standing near that cliff’s edge. Only now you’re alone. The sky hasn’t changed and there is nobody moving you toward the edge. You begin to hear the faint voices of young children laughing. You all at once understand that the hidden picture is a collection of your life’s events. Those children are still laughing, almost beckoning you now to come and play with them. Walking to the edge you look down, but a fog-like veil obscures the view below. It is where the voices are coming from. You listen for a while to the rhythmic sound which is now calling your name. Then you slowly begin to move away from the edge. A smile washes over your face as you reflect on everything you’ve witnessed. You understand. It has been revealed to you. Life is a gift that is unpacked one moment at a time. You are no longer afraid. The voices sing out your name even louder. Just to your right, you notice a path that winds down from the edge. Perhaps if you are careful you can make your way to the bottom. But you start to think about the dangers that might lie ahead on that path. Suddenly, you dart toward the edge and throw yourself into the mist. The voices are still singing your name as you fall. You start to join the chorus of laughter yourself, falling through the mist and not knowing what lies below. A final flash finds you squinting. You realize it’s the sunlight glistening through the window as you wake to another day.

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