The Replica
Having eaten of the tree of knowledge, man was no longer the perfect
image of God. God saw that man had changed and told man he had to leave the
garden.
• • •
In the beginning there was man. To symbolize who he was, man decided
to make a world that was square. And so the world was made square with a high
wall enclosing its borders. This is what took place on the first day.
On the second day, man made replicas in his own image to inhabit the
square world, giving the replicas dominion over the world to make of it what they
would. For the task of making the rest of the square world, man gave the replicas
a square mind with a language of words. Wishing the replicas luck, man went
away to rest, observing and judging the replicas from afar. Thus the second day
came to an end.
On the third day, the replicas went to work dividing the square world with
straight lines into smaller segments of squares, rectangles, and triangles. And the
third day came to an end.
On the fourth day, the replicas found they needed numbers to identify the
segments and also each other. So numbers were given to everyone and everything.
With the concept of numbers came money, or numbers with a special value.
Everything and everyone was given a monetary value. Work by the replicas was
rewarded with money and money was needed to pay for things.
The fifth day came and the replicas continued making the world and making
their money. To help them with physical labor, they built machines. The replicas
were then ready for the work of the sixth day.
The sixth day arrived, and using their machines, cities of buildings were
constructed all over the surface of their square world.
On the seventh day, the replicas made computers to do their mental work
and to keep control of everyone and everything. Also on this day, the replicas built
special computer machines called robots. The robots were replicas of the replicas.
And so the seventh day came to an end. The major work of making the world was
complete.
Man saw what the replicas had made and was pleased, saying, “I could not
have done better myself.”
So it was, and all that remained was for the replicas to maintain what they
had made. There was no time for rest.
• • •
One day, a worker whose job was to program computers, quit work and
left his job at the factory. The replica was bored with his job and no longer liked
what he was doing. Instead of programming computers, he realized he was being
programmed by the computers and that he was turning into a robot. He wanted to
escape, not only his job, but also his very existence in such a world.
So, by walking away from his job and the factory he began to escape. The
replica kept walking through the city and walked past his apartment cubicle.
There was nothing there he wanted, so he continued walking out of the city. He
reached the edge of the city and came to the beginning of the next city. He walked
on and on through city after city. The cities all seemed the same to him with their
roads and machines, factories, buildings, apartment complexes, and replicas.
Everywhere he looked he saw straight lines, rectangles, triangles, and squares.
“There has to be an end to all this,” he thought, “and if there is, I shall find it.”
After traveling for days, he came to a high wall which he thought had to
be the end of the world. He stood and looked in wonder at the wall. He wondered
what was on the other side and how he could break through or get over the wall.
After thinking a long time, he decided he would build a stairway.
So, making and moving blocks, he made a stairway to the top of the wall.
At the top he rested, looking over the world from which he had come. He could
see a very long way from his perspective. He felt sad to see the world of cities
ruled by the square. He turned to see what lay beyond the wall. There was only
nothingness. He hesitated, closed his eyes, and took a big leap into the void. And he
fell and fell and fell, into a deep, deep, sleep.
The replica had fallen into a dream world, a world that was just as real as
his square world. Yet he could not fully understand it with his square-world mind.
The only way he could comprehend his dream world was by simply experiencing
it.
When he opened his eyes, the replica saw a brightly lit disc above him.
At first its brightness hurt his eyes and he felt afraid; he did not know what it was
or where he was. But as his eyes adjusted to the light, he felt its warmth and knew
that he was still alive. The replica turned his head and found that he was lying on
his back upon a beach. He stood up. There was a great expanse of water stretching
outward to a curved horizon line that divided the dark blue water from the
light blue sky. He watched the gently rolling waves find their way upon the beach.
The replica felt at peace in this world where he found himself, and forgot
the world from which he came.
Turning inland, he saw a lush forest of living plants vibrant with colors
and curved shapes he had never seen before. The replica wandered along the
beach between the forest and the water. He was amazed by it all. After awhile, the
replica came to a river which poured its waters into the ocean, and he decided to
follow this river into the forest. The music of the river was a song of joy to his
ears and the patterns of light filtering through the trees were a joy to his eyes.
Curved creatures began to appear here and there along the way and he observed
them in awe. This curved world was so different from the square world which he
had escaped. Its new aliveness filled him with a growing spirit. The replica felt
his old self eroding away and a new self slowly taking shape within him.
The river the replica was following became smaller and smaller. Eventually,
he came to its beginning, which was bubbling out of the ground in the middle
of a large clearing. There was one beautiful fruited tree growing at the source
of the water. For the first time the replica felt thirsty, so he lay in the water and
drank from the source. He became part of the river and the water flowed over him
and through him. When he emerged, he sat under the big tree and ate its fruit.
The replica’s eyes opened and he saw that he was no longer a replica but
a curved creature. He realized that his whole self had changed and he felt overwhelmed
by many deep feelings. He felt a great love for life and a joy for living.
Waves of thankfulness and serenity swept over him. Remembrance of his old
world brought feelings of sadness and despair and he suddenly felt alone. For a
long time he sat under the tree listening to the water and feeling his feelings move
through him.
Slowly, he stood up and began walking down river, lost in contemplation
and questioning, “Exactly where am I, and why do I seem to be the only one here?
Where are the others? Should I go back and tell the replicas about this curved
world? How would they receive me? If the replicas did come to this world, would
they destroy it with their knowledge? Is there a way to use knowledge as a tool
without harming this world? Can I live alone in this world? Can I survive in the
square world? Would I be changed back to my old self if I returned? Would my
presence make any difference in the square world? The replicas are destroying
themselves; can I just let it happen? Can I live here and forget the others? How
can I show others love, joy, and hope? Can I even get back to the square world?”
Before he knew it, he was on the beach watching the red circular sun’s
reflection on the ocean’s deep blue water. As the sun slowly went beyond the
water’s edge, the sky’s color changed from red to orange to yellow to green to
blue to violet to darkness that was lit by millions of small star lights. Listening to
the waves, he fell into a deep sleep.
When he awoke, he found his new self standing on the wall by the stairway
where he had started. Looking outward, he saw the square world with its
cities of buildings reaching to the walled borders. Turning to the other side of the
wall, he faced the nothingness. Within himself, he saw his curved dream world.
He stood on the wall for a long time, waiting, wondering what to do.
