Death, Family, and Love. Michael H. Mitias
the name a name if it does not name a particular object? How does it point to what it names? What do you think when someone utters the name ‘Plato’?”
“What is Plato but his deeds or achievements? What if an idiot calls himself Plato, here I mean the man who flourished in Athens twenty-four hundred years ago, wouldn’t you chuckle? A fool can call himself Plato, but he remains a fool. What ‘Plato’ means and what ‘fool’ means are different from each other. ‘Plato’ denotes a particular person. I am interested in the identity of the man who calls himself ‘Mowt’: the God of Death.”
“You deserve the respect accorded you by your students and colleagues.”
“I am not interested in what you or others think of me, I am interested in an answer to my question.”
“I am not the mythical Mowt; I am the real Mowt, the God of Death! I am the power that supervises human affairs and determines their human death. I am the living embodiment of this power. To be clear, I am the real embodiment of the god of human death! And, let me rush to add that I am as real as everything in this world is real. Neither you nor any other human being can afford to ignore, deny, or in any way underestimate my powers.”
“Let me remind you that we do not live in the dark ages. We live in the age of reason, of technology, of the highest promise of human nature. Any discourse on supernatural or superhuman beings is meaningless. Mythical deities, places, and empires are fictions that exist in the minds of some human beings.” The guest was grinding his teeth, his lips were pursed, and his eyes were spouting sparks of anger.
“Am I a fiction? Are you conversing with a fiction? Is a fiction sitting on the sofa in your living room?”
“I am talking with a human being. You are not a fiction; therefore, you are not the living reality of Mowt.”
“Have you heard of the ego-centric predicament, Dr. Athenaion?”
“You should take the Introduction to Logic course at Union College.”
“This is my very point. You are a prisoner to one kind of logic, your logic, the logic you teach, the same logic that governs your way of thinking. You think that it is the only measure of truth and falsehood, reality and unreality, good and evil because its rules are conducive to the survival of the human race in this kind of natural environment—Earth. But, what if the conditions of human survival change? Wouldn’t you need another logic to survive under the new conditions of life? What if there are rational beings who surpass your capacities of thinking, feeling, and willing. Have you, as an instantiation of humanity, installed yourself as the god who created you and the universe? What you call logic is the product of the natural process—of the struggle of the human species to survive over millions of years. But you should remember that my existence and my function in your world are not governed by human laws but by the law of The One. Have you ever tried to lift your mind, when you meditated on the cause and nature of the universe, to the logic of the power that created this whole cosmic spectacle?
“I have, but what you say does not make sense.”
“Do you mean that what I say does not agree with, or fit, your capacity of logical comprehension? Can you agree, or disagree, with me on anything except according to the capacity of your comprehension, which confirms the validity of my claim that you are a prisoner to your logical faculty and that the eyes of your mind cannot see the possibility of other equally valid ways of thinking?”
“You seem to have studied some philosophy, but unfortunately, you are more of a sophist than a philosopher.”
“Let me assure you that I am neither a philosopher nor a sophist. Do you think I am foolish enough to live in the prison of your logical way of thinking or to restrict my existence to your puny world? Matters of existence and non-existence cannot be decided or understood by your logic. The only class of objects, whose existence and non-existence can be decided or understood by your logic is the class you call artifacts. Every other type of existence and non-existence are decided and understood according to laws that surpass your capacity of understanding. The laws that govern my existence and functions transcend the capacity of your understanding. These laws emanate directly from The One. Have you ever thought, or even dared to think, of standing on The Edge, the very edge of the universe? Have you ever tried to probe the mystery of the infinity of the infinite Dark, that stretches before your minuscule mind? If you venture into this type of experience, you will see a glimmer of the light that emanates from it. Anyone who embarks on this adventure would mock your logic and would certainly put your metaphysical speculations in the wastebasket that sits at the side of your desk. Be assured, Dr. Athenaion, that I am real and, more importantly, I am the master of human death.”
“I cannot waste my time on your sophistry and meaningless claims.” Dr. Athenaion said and was about to ask her uninvited guest to leave her apartment. But she could not declare her wish because he was neither ready nor willing to withdraw from her presence.
“If not on sophistry, on what subject do you wish to spend your time? Has it occurred to you that most of the books, articles, and documentaries on philosophy that fill the libraries and bookstores of the world, not to mention private libraries, are nothing more than sophistry presented as serious philosophy? Haven’t you noticed that even the so-called serious philosophers are not interested in wisdom and the good life, that is, in truth, goodness, and beauty? How many of them regularly demonstrated in the streets against the atrocities committed by the Nazi, the Soviet, and the Fascist states during and after the Second World War? How many of them now march in the streets at least once a week against corruption in the main social institutions, including schools and churches? How many of them speak against the neglect of the poor, the disenfranchised, the illiterate, and the oppressed? How many of them speak out against the violence inflicted on the innocent at home, in the office, and the classrooms, even in the church? No, Dr. Athenaion, your philosophers are not interested in the ideals of wisdom, and they are not interested in the betterment of human society. They do not give a hoot about these ideals. They are interested in survival—in their security, pleasure, fame, and fake immortality. Remove the robe of philosophy they wear in the classroom or the marketplace and observe how they actually think, feel, desire, and what they expect from themselves and life in general. In short, observe them stripped of their social and academic dress, and you will see mediocrity staring you in the face. You will see selfish, fickle, frightened human beings who sell empty ideas in the name of truth. You will see the same priests who abandoned their flocks the moment their survival was threatened when the Bubonic plague struck Europe during the fourteenth century. The majority of your philosophes are businesspeople. The difference between them and the professional businesspeople found in commerce, industry, and the ordinary marketplace is that most of the contemporary philosophers pretend to be devotees of the truth the way the priests of the Middle Ages pretended to be the disciples of Christ! They act as philosophers in the classroom, when they write books or articles, and when they read papers at academic conferences and symposia. The ideas they communicate to their students or colleagues are commodities. These concepts do not originate from their minds and hearts. But we can discuss this subject in detail later, not now.”
“What analogy! What presumption! You speak as if you have witnessed and examined the different philosophical communities during the past twenty-seven hundred years, as if you have visited their souls, minds, and hearts.”
“It is not a question of ‘as if’ but of ‘act.’ Yes, I’ve witnessed and examined them in the privacy of their souls, minds, and hearts—and yours, too, Dr. Athenaion! You are a rare exception. You are a living flame of the philosophical spirit. I am not interested in dead minds—regardless of whether they dwell in the area of science, religion, politics, or art. I am interested in genuine, creative, visionary human beings. This is why I am here in your apartment this morning! Trust me!”
“Trust me!” Dr. Athenaion repeated with a distinct feeling of irritation. “Trust is earned. Nothing you said and did so far inspires trust. Who are you? What is the purpose of your intrusion?”
“Is it fair to call a visit you voluntarily allowed an intrusion?”
“Yes,