The Teacher & The Pupil

“So, now that we’ve had our little opening tete-a-tete, and a couple of tongue-loosening drinks, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here.  It’s obvious that you came to see me for some reason, other than just to have a reunion with your old Western Civ instructor, now fully fledged Professor Emeritus.”

“Yes, you’re right, Professor Emeritus.  I did come for another purpose.  And that was to ask you a question, before I thank you.”

“Thank me.  That’s interesting.  And what is the question?”

“Were you a communist?”

“Because I tried to open your Freshman minds?  The children of the wealthy class?”

“My family wasn’t wealthy.   I was there on a scholarship.”

“Little matter.  You were at a prestigious American university. My job was to help educate you to the history, and realities, of the world.”

“And you did a good job.“

“Thank you.”  

“Opening minds is a wondrous thing to be engaged in.”

“Indeed.”

“And it was because you opened my mind to a larger reality than was dreamt of in my philosophy of that time, I have come to discover, here all these years later, that we are all playing parts, in a Drama of our making, that we are in the process of waking up to; and in that awakening process, I find that individuals like you, my dear Professor Emeritus, chose to play the more difficult roles.”

“I don’t - “

“Difficult, not just in the ‘minority’ sense.  But in the sense of playing a part on the Dark side.  Which was critical, for the historical Play to unfold to its conclusion.  And now you have the difficult task of releasing the ‘identity’ that you chose to take on.  Of The Rebel.  The Luciferian role.  Whereas those of us who chose to stay on the Light side are more ‘at home,’ as it were.  Even if we have had to go through permutations on that side.  Sort of like the Zen concept, of first, there are mountains, and then - “

“You don’t have to lecture me on Zen philosophy, my dear forner pupil.  I know all about it.”

“Do you?  Do you, really?”    

“…Why do you say that.”

“Because you still appear to be stuck in your belief system that there is nothing more than Man.”

“Excuse me?”

“Remember: Empty your mind of everything.  Everything that you have ever been taught.  In order to let pure Light in.  And I did that.  And I found, that just as there is a huge realm of microscopic life beneath our human senses, so there could well be a whole huge realm above our senses; levels upon levels, what are called 'densities' in  - “

“Nonsense!  There is nothing more than Man!

…

“…So now you know.”

“With all due respect, sir; what I know now is that things are not always as they seem.  That I owe you an apology.  That I looked upon you for years as The Enemy, for trying to seduce me into your way of looking and thinking about the world.  I thought of it as indoctrination.  Propaganda.  But then, as I grew wiser - with a more open mind - I began looking at it as a stepping-stone.  Nay.  A gift.  

“Look, Professor.  I’m not here to try to bait you on the nuances of my current belief system.  I’m here to thank you for your role in the unfolding of my consciousness.  And for one thing in particular, that you taught me - taught us.  For those of us who had ears to hear.  

“Something that you sort of threw out there towards the end has stayed with me through my whole process.  And that is the words of some South American philosopher that you left us with, at the end of our time under your tutelage.  I forget his name; but I will never forget - have never forgotten - the impression it made on me.  His, and your, parting words of wisdom, to us undergraduates:

“‘Of all sure things, the surest is to doubt.’

“Goodbye, Professor Emeritus.  You served me well:

“And that is all, really, that I wanted to say to you.”