Ethan and Michael set out on foot. Through Alicia and Dawn, they had intel on a big gang coming from Texas, currently making its way through Kentucky. It was moving slowly. Every state had gangs of its own, and these gangs being territorial by nature, and naturally resisted the Texans from entering their turf. The smaller gangs were told to either join them, get the hell out of the way, or get rolled over. Some of the bigger gangs put up opposition. Fighting would break out until the home state gang leaders came to the conclusion they had better form an alliance. Even then, there was a lot of jockeying for power within the ranks. This all took time to sort out, but it didn’t stop the Texans. Through assimilation the gang had grown into the hundreds of thousands. This was the first gang Ethan planned to take on. To Michael’s consternation, he didn’t seem in too big of a hurry to do it.
Ethan was in a somber, thoughtful mood as they made their way through the cities and byways. It had nothing to do with him and Michael having to face what appeared to be a fighting force of seemingly insurmountable odds. He was reflecting on having found Leita dead in this world. In duality, this was the world closet to reality if Ethan had not intervened during his first quest. It was the exact opposite of that.
Knowing Leita was alive and would live forever, allowed Ethan to look on the situation with more of an analytical frame of reference. Still, it renewed questions of his role and responsibility in this world. Even more, he didn’t like how this world turned out. He decided, when this quest was concluded, he would come back and change things so Leita never died in any world.
The other thoughts Leita’s death provoked in him, were what a miscreant he had been in his past life. In some worlds like this one, his actions had been irrevocable. Until he showed up on this quest, Whitehead had been him. In this past life, it was him who killed Leita. Why under any circumstances did he deserve to be a leader, let alone responsible for the entire world? He wondered if everyone in the New World had created their own worlds with such destruction? He supposed in accordance with the Many Worlds theory, they had.
“You know, Michael,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about why I would be so forcefully reminded of my destructive role in Leita’s life just before we set out on this journey. I think it was to remind me of the great depths of forgiveness in the universe, and that I should show the same compassion when we meet up with these gangs. Otherwise, me being here makes no sense to me”.
“I say we should burn them to the ground,” was Michael’s reply.
“I know your experience in this world. It was the same as Leita’s during my first quest. Besides being a warrior yourself, I’m sure that incident fueled your instinct for vengeance, but I don’t think that’s the solution here. We have to rid ourselves of the evil that exists in this world. There’s no question about that, but it seems to me if we go in there, kill everyone off, and throw Satan into a pit of fire, it’s over. Some go to the New World, some to hell, but this world is over. An entire world, wasted. This is my world.
“I’m not going to give up this world, Michael. I’m going to make it grow again. What we need here is a new culture. A culture where we are not so self driven, we can easily overlook the damage our actions bring. A culture where parents don’t beat-up or kill their kids like you and Leita suffered. A culture where it is not acceptable to take everything from someone under the pretense of honest competition, then leave them in the gutter to die. This is what comes from living out of the baseness of the animal mind instead of our higher abstract being. I will change this.
“You know, there’s a thread that runs through the religions of man. The message is very simple. You have a new beginning in evolution. Go out and find your way, no longer as an animal, but as a thinking animal with all the potentials that come out of that. All man made creations have come out of the thinking part; the abstract mind. Come to understand your potential and responsibilities, both as an individual and society.
“The story of Adam and Eve is the story of our evolution. If you want to think like a God then get out into the harshness of the world and figure out what that means. Come back with a greater awareness and purpose, because there’s purpose in our existence. Come back recognizing evil and it resides in you. Learn how to tame it.
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These religions tell us point blank what to watch for. Beware of the Beast; the animal mind. Do not let that from which we came control you. The Beast only serves itself and you can recognize him from his actions. Our lesson on earth is out of the animal world, we have risen like the Phoenix, with a whole New World to explore. Beware the Beast does not take that from you.
“You know, this whole world is governed by the tail end of evolution. Who should be the dregs in a functioning society, are running it. There are still many in this world who have the potential to become enlightened, but they’re being dictated to by animals their entire lives. I’m going to give everyone a chance like I was given. When we meet these gangs, I will teach compassion when I pass judgment. I will remember the sinner I was, and lean towards forgiveness, for forgiveness was shown me.
“Your word be done,” Michael said, taking this as some kind of half-assed battle cry. “Let’s get going”
If you want to know the truth, the encounter with the first gang wasn’t that spectacular, except Michael killed a bunch of them because he misunderstood Ethan’s intent which was not to kill everyone and give them a second chance. What happened was, the gang caught word two men, believed to be Ethan and Michael were coming to confront them. They sent out their best assassins to greet them, and here is what ultimately separates the animal mind from one controlled by the abstract. Entanglement. The abstract mind is able to conceptualize and if developed enough, put into effect, quantum entanglement. This is something the animal mind can never do.
All humans are particle and wave. We are here and we are everywhere. When we look three miles to the horizon, because of entanglement we know, we are there as well. With just a thought, even an impulse thought, we are there. The same applies when assassin's bullets start tearing through our body because we’re walking leisurely with our buddy, talking about how benevolent of a leader we are going to be, and things like that. When a bullet enters your body, you become the wave. When it exits, you are back to your particle self. Nothing can interrupt the wave/particle function of an enlightened being, which Ethan was on this quest. A bomb could fall on him, and his wave/particle function would simply activate, and he would reappear whole, somewhere out of danger.
Everyone in our species has this potential. It’s a gene in the abstract; not part of the physical realm at all. Like many genes, it remains inert until needed. It is up to us to nurture this gene throughout our lives. If we don’t, it recesses and is unavailable during times of need. The animal mind cannot recognize or access this gene. For it, the gene has recessed. It is this monumental difference that separates us from the animals, four legged or two. This gene is our salvation. It serves us even during times of war. In the end, when it comes time for an accounting, evil cannot possibly triumph.
Anyway, Michael killed all the would-be assassins too. He was just like a dog looking for a fight. You know how when you have a dog and you take it to a park or something, and right away it’s pulling at its leash looking to start something? So you get there, and you say, ‘Okay, if I take off this leash, are you going to behave yourself’?’ Then you go on to explain this is a public place and how the other dogs aren’t here to fight, and the whole time, your dogs squirming and looking at you like let me go, and not paying any attention to what you’re saying at all? That’s what Michael was like.
In the end, Ethan could only condemn their souls and leave them waiting for his final judgment. That’s not to say he didn’t try to explain to Michael again how he didn’t want to kill anyone.
When they arrived at the gang site in less than a minute of walking, but still more than 300 miles away, the outcome was equally as unspectacular, except Michael went to killing again. Finally, Ethan flew over and swatted him and that got him to stop, but now there were only a few ringleaders left, and this was going to be Ethan’s first big opportunity to pronounce his law upon the people. Now all he had left was a few Nephilim cowering before him. It just lacked panache, having so few of the Beast to admonish. That’s how he felt anyway.
In the end, all he did was levitate above the crowd and begin to speak.
“Listen to me!” he began. “There is a New World in which you can live. A world of peace and happiness where you don’t have to survive and never die. I am offering this world to you, but you must earn it. Turn away from the destruction and chaos that comes from the likes of these,” he said, pointing to those who wore the Mark. Work with each other. Make compassion, empathy and sharing your way. Lock these sinners in chains where they belong, and know this. I will come back, and if you have not done these things I command, all of you will surely die”.
Then Ethan and Michael made their way out of the crowd.