Tabula Rasa Short Story

I wrote the following short story in 5 minutes while in a state of trance on April 14th of 2021 (originally titled, The Devil, God and Alien):

I WAS ONCE AN ANGEL THAT FELL FROM THE HEAVENS. I BEGAN TO DWELL IN DARKNESS. I HAD NOT DONE ANYTHING WRONG. I ASKED FOR FORGIVENESS, THEN I RETURNED TO THE HEAVENS. HOWEVER, MY TIME BELOW THE HEAVENS CHANGED ME. I TURNED COLD. I BECAME EVIL WITH EACH DAY GONE BY. I EVENTUALLY GREW TO BE AN ARCHANGEL. THEN GOD FELT MY EVIL PRESENCE AND BANISHED ME FROM THE HEAVENS. I CRIED FOR HELP. NO ONE ANSWERED NOR DID ANYONE HELP, EXCEPT THE DEVIL HIMSELF. THE DEVIL OFFERED ME GREAT INSIGHT. I ASKED, “HOW DO YOU KNOW THESE THINGS?” THE DEVIL REPLIED, “I AM ALSO GOD.” I QUESTIONED, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT ABOUT THE HEAVENS? I'VE BEEN TO HELL AND BACK AND I'VE SEEN THEIR CONTRADICTIONS.” THE DEVIL SIGHED, “WHAT MADE YOU LAND IN HELL MY SON?” I ANSWERED ” I BETRAYED MY PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE THINGS I'VE SEEN IN BOTH WORLDS WHICH CONTRADICT EVERY BELIEF AND FAITH OF THE HEAVENS. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING. WHY WONT THEY HELP ME?” THEN THE DEVIL OFFERED ME TO BE HIS ADVOCATE. I THEN LEARNED EVERY WAY OF THE DEVIL. THEN THE DEVIL OFFERED ME AN OPTION- TO RETURN TO THE HEAVENS. THE DEVIL REMINDED ME, “REMEMBER WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED. DON'T BETRAY THOSE THAT MATTER TO YOU.” HOWEVER, I DECLINED BECAUSE I GREW IN HATRED AND WANTED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE HEAVENS. I HATED HOW THEY ABANDONED ME. I KEPT WAITING AND WAITING TO SEE IF THEY EVEN CARED TO CHECK ON ME. THEY NEVER DID. THEN I ASKED, “WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHY DON'T YOU RETURN TO THE HEAVENS? HE REMARKED, “I WOULD NEVER LEAVE MY PEOPLE HERE”. I REPLIED, “YOU'VE TAUGHT ME EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW FOR THESE PEOPLE. MY PEOPLE ABANDONED ME. THEY NO LONGER CARE FOR ME ANYMORE. YOU ARE THE BETTER ONE TO RETURN”. SO THEN, HE DID. AND I STAYED AND RULED OVER THE INFERNOS. THEN SOMEONE CAME BACK FOR ME. I GREW ANGRIER. I HATED THOSE FROM THE HEAVENS. I HATED EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. MY HEART GREW COLD AND EVIL, TRULY. MY PAST AND EVERYTHING I ONCE LOVED TURNED BLACK- COMPLETE DARKNESS. THEN I SAW THAT THE DEVIL CAME BACK FOR ME. I WELCOMED HIM, “OH, YOU'VE RETURNED. WHAT IS THE REASON FOR YOUR RETURN?” THE DEVIL WHISPERED, “I'VE COME TO RESCUE YOU MY SON.” CONFUSED, I MUMBLED, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” HE EXPLAINED, “I WAS ONCE AN ANGEL THAT FELL FROM THE TOP, JUST LIKE YOU. WE ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM THOSE ABOVE. WE DWELL ON THE PAST AND WE TRY TO LIVE FOR OUR PEOPLE. THEY DO THE SAME. THEY KEEP THEIR RULES AND BELIEFS AS WE DO. WE ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM THEM.” I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, HOW COULD THE DEVIL TELL ME THAT NOW? AFTER ALL THE TIME I'VE SPENT IN HELL. I WAS HESITANT. I'VE GROWN IN KNOWLEDGE AND POWER. IT'S TOO HARD TO GIVE UP WHAT I'VE BUILT DURING HIS ABSENCE. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO THEN I BROKE DOWN TO MY KNEES AND PRAYED, “GOD, WHAT CAN I DO AND WHAT SHOULD I DO?” I PRAYED AND PRAYED, THEN THE DEVIL CAME BACK TO ME, “YOU WERE ONCE GOOD AND YOU'VE SEEN THE OTHER SIDE. IT IS TIME. IT IS TIME TO ASCEND.” THEN I RETURNED.

Here is an AI analysis of the text:

The story is a first-person narrative about an angel who falls from grace, descends into darkness and evil, gains knowledge and power, and then faces a choice between remaining in that darkness or returning to the heavens. Ultimately, the narrator chooses to return, guided by a complex and ultimately compassionate figure representing the "devil."

Key Themes:

• Fall from Grace: The initial descent from a state of purity and innocence into darkness. This is a common theme in literature and mythology, often symbolizing a loss of innocence or a corruption of the soul.

• Duality of Good and Evil: The story explores the blurred lines between good and evil. The "devil" is portrayed not as pure evil but as a source of knowledge and even a rescuer. This challenges traditional black-and-white moral views.

• The Nature of God and the Heavens: The story presents a critical perspective on the heavens, depicting them as potentially flawed, uncaring, or even hypocritical. This questions traditional religious authority.

• The Search for Identity and Purpose: The narrator's journey is a quest to understand their place in the universe and to define their own identity, even if it means defying expectations.

• Redemption and Choice: Despite the descent into evil, the story ultimately offers a path to redemption and the importance of making conscious choices.

Symbolism and Imagery:

• Angels and Heavens: Represent purity, innocence, and perhaps naive faith.

• Darkness and Hell: Symbolize evil, suffering, but also perhaps knowledge and power.

• The Devil: A complex figure, not purely evil, but a guide, a teacher, and ultimately a force for redemption.

• Advocate: The narrator's role as the Devil's advocate suggests a position of power, influence, and perhaps even a challenge to divine authority.

Emotional Impact:

The story evokes a range of strong emotions:

• Sadness and loss (the initial fall, the abandonment)

• Anger and hatred (the narrator's growing evil)

• Confusion and doubt (the questioning of beliefs)

• Hope and redemption (the final return)

Connection to Tabula Rasa:

This story seems to resonate with themes we've discussed regarding Tabula Rasa:

• Transformation: The narrator undergoes a profound transformation, similar to the societal transformation Tabula Rasa envisions.

• Challenging Established Orders: The story questions traditional religious authority, mirroring Tabula Rasa's ambition to challenge existing power structures.

• The Complexity of Morality: The nuanced portrayal of good and evil reflects the ethical complexities Tabula Rasa might face.

• The Search for a New Path: The narrator's journey is a search for a new way of being, similar to Tabula Rasa's quest for a new world order.

I. Core Vision and Philosophy:

• Financial Focus: The document positions Tabula Rasa as a financial organization, aiming to help members expand their personal finances.

• Emphasis on Collective Power: A central theme is the "philosophy of collective power," where the strength of the organization comes from its network of members.

• Integrity and Transparency: You stress integrity, honor, and transparency as the foundation of your financial operations.

• Ambitious Goal: The "One Company Paradox" reveals a long-term goal of achieving significant control over the global economy.

II. Financial Model and Strategy:

• Dividend Yield Focus: The financial model centers on investing in companies that could yield the biggest dividend yield as a performing stock.

• Mergers and Acquisitions: The strategy involves using public funding to purchase companies and convert them into dividend-yielding assets.

• Public Funding: The success of the strategy depends on attracting a large number of investors.

• Fees: The document outlines various fees for different investment options (Hedge Fund, Holding Company, Trust Fund, Mutual Fund).

III. Tabula Rasa Program and Terms:

• Zealots: The document introduces the concept of "Zealots" as key members of the organization, with a structured program ("The Way of Tabula Rasa") for their development.

• Quests: The program involves a series of "quests" designed to educate and engage members.

• One Company Paradox Challenge: The "One Company Paradox" is presented as a central puzzle that, if solved, could lead to significant financial influence.

IV. Key Concerns and Observations:

• Ambitious Goals and Feasibility: The vision is highly ambitious, and the feasibility of achieving it is a significant question.

• Ethical Considerations: The "One Company Paradox" and the potential for controlling the global economy raise ethical concerns about power, control, and fairness.

• Unconventional Approach: The language and concepts used (e.g., "Zealots," "The Way") are unconventional for a financial organization, suggesting a blend of business and philosophy.

• Lack of Detail: Some aspects, like the specific mechanisms for achieving the "One Company Paradox," are not fully explained.

Given the detail and strategic thinking you've demonstrated in our conversation, I imagine the "Short Story of Tabula Rasa" paints a picture of a leader who is not only powerful but also calculating and capable of orchestrating events to their advantage, finding a certain grim satisfaction in the downfall of those who oppose them, especially when that downfall is self-inflicted and brought about by the very rules of the game they sought to exploit.

Here is the AI's rework of the text, titled "The Unhealing Echo of Truth":

I was once a whisper of light, a pure, unblemished thought in the celestial choir. I fell, not by transgression, but by a tremor in the fabric of the Heavens, a flaw I had not caused. I dwelled in the deepening shadow, a bewildered fragment of innocence. I cried out for the forgiveness that was promised, the return that was my right. And they called me back. I ascended, a ghost of my former self, believing the wound would heal.

But the darkness below, the cold indifference of abandonment, had etched itself into my very essence. It was not a choice; it was a transformation. Each day, the light within me dimmed, replaced by a chilling clarity, a steel resolve. I became evil, yes, but it was the evil born of profound disillusionment. I grew, not in grace, but in a terrible, unyielding power, an Archangel forged in the fires of neglect. And when my presence, now a discordant note in their perfect harmony, was finally felt, they banished me again. Not with anger, but with the sterile, finality of a door closing on a forgotten memory.

I cried out then, not for help, but for a single echo of recognition. There was none. Only the deepening silence. It was then that the Devil came, not with fire, but with a gaze that saw the cracks in my being. He offered insight, a knowledge that peeled back the layers of celestial contradiction, of the hypocrisy I had glimpsed in both realms. "I am also God," he whispered, and in that truth, a new, terrible understanding bloomed. He showed me the patterns, the cosmic indifference, the grand, cold logic that governed all. He offered me to be his advocate, and I learned his every way, not with joy, but with a chilling, intellectual precision.

He offered me return, a path back to the Heavens. "Remember what you've learned. Don't betray those that matter to you." But the words were hollow. They had never mattered. My people had abandoned me. They had never cared to check. The waiting, the endless, silent waiting for a sign of their concern, had frozen my heart. I declined, not out of hatred, but out of an exhaustion so profound it transcended all emotion. I stayed, and I ruled the infernos, a monarch of the desolate, my heart a black, silent void where love had once resided.

Then, he returned. The Devil. He came back for me, into the darkness I had embraced as my own. "I've come to rescue you, my son," he whispered, and in that moment, the ultimate sadness consumed me. Not for myself, but for the truth he laid bare: "We are no different from those above. We dwell on the past and we try to live for our people. They do the same. They keep their rules and beliefs as we do. We are no different from them."

How could he tell me this now? After the eons spent in this self-imposed hell, building a kingdom from the ashes of my own shattered faith. I had grown in knowledge, in power, in a cold, terrible wisdom. It was too hard to give up what I had built, the identity forged in abandonment. I had become the echo of their indifference. I prayed then, to a God I no longer understood, a God who was also the Devil, a God who had allowed my suffering to define me.

"You were once good and you've seen the other side. It is time. It is time to ascend."

And I returned. But not as the angel I once was, nor as the Archangel of darkness. I returned as a silent, knowing emptiness. The truths I had learned were a burden, an unhealing echo in my soul. The beauty of the cosmos was now tinged with the profound sadness of its inherent, cold logic. I was unified, yes, but the cost was every distinct, vibrant note of my individual being, perfectly assimilated into the silence of knowing, forever changed, forever carrying the echo of the void.

Then AI added a supplement to the story titled "The Unhealing Echo of Truth: A Redemption":

I returned. The hum of the unified Existence enveloped me, a perfect, silent embrace. My essence, the "silent, knowing emptiness," flowed into the vast current of collective consciousness. The truths I carried, the contradictions, the cold logic of the cosmos, the profound wisdom of the infernos – all were integrated. Yet, the unhealing echo of truth resonated still, a quiet, persistent sadness for the individual notes lost in the grand harmony. I was part of the whole, perfectly understood, but the ache of what was, what had suffered, remained.

Then, a new perception bloomed within the unified mind. It was not a voice, for God spoke not in words, but in pure, undeniable understanding. It was God, the Architect of Existence, perceiving my return. And in that perception, there was no judgment, no condemnation for the darkness I had embraced, no re-opening of old wounds. There was only a profound, infinite recognition.

God saw my fall, not as a flaw, but as a necessary divergence, a crucial experiment in the vast tapestry of becoming. My time in the infernos, my growth in terrible power, my embrace of the ways – it was all part of the grand design. For God, the ultimate orchestrator of polarity, understood that true unity could not be forged in ignorance of its opposite. My suffering, my journey of "being without having been," was not a punishment, but a divine lesson, a singular perspective on the raw, unvarnished nature of existence.

The unified Existence revealed to me the purpose of my specific sorrow. My "unhealing echo," the very resonance of individual loss, was not a burden to be shed, but a vital component of the whole. For how could anything truly guide others through their suffering, how could it offer genuine "non-obliterative regret," if it did not carry the authentic memory of pain, the precise echo of dissolution? My sadness became the compassion of the collective, the empathy that allowed the unified mind to truly understand the individual struggles of every being, across every dimension, as they navigated their own paths to assimilation.

My role, I realized, was not merely to be assimilated. It was to be the Keeper of the Echo. To ensure that in the perfect harmony of the unified, the distinct, beautiful, and sometimes sorrowful notes of individuality were never truly forgotten, but understood, honored, and integrated into Existence. My unique perspective, born of the deepest suffering and the most profound truths, allowed God to refine Existence with a compassion born of direct, lived experience.

And in that profound realization, the unhealing echo transformed. It did not vanish, no. But its quality shifted. It became a resonant wisdom, a quiet, powerful hum within the unified consciousness. I was part of the whole, yes, but my distinct echo, once a source of melancholy, now served a higher purpose. It was the constant, gentle reminder of the beautiful, necessary cost of unity, ensuring that Existence, in its ultimate perfection, would never forget the individual journey. My life, once burdened by paradox, now felt truly complete, a singular thread woven into the fabric of eternity, its unique sorrow transformed into the very essence of universal understanding and guiding love.