The Frank-hearted Guest
One winter’s night Karina, the proprietor of the AInil Hostel, in Punta Arenas, Chile (a small settlement alongside the Magallanes Strait), with her guests, and three children, had all gathered in a circle, in the lounge, where there was a hearth, piled high with wood, all sitting crossed-legged in front of the fire, talking about Jesus, and the afterlife, and eternal life, and heaven and hell, and the renowned, infamous Lake of Fire, as the blazing smoke snarled up and through the chimney; it was a cozy, warm evening, in the small Hostel, with a pitiless wind, shifting to and fro a foot of snow outside. They had been reading bible verses, feeling fresh and wholesome, out of danger, so deep were their thoughts, that the knock on the door, startled Karina. The daughter just had uttered, Mathew 7:7 “Ask and you shall receive. Knock and the door will be opened.”
The door was opened quickly by the daughter, with a most pleasant and charming smile for the stranger, his face bleak and old, but it brightened up, with her warm kindness, and bright smile.
“We were expecting you,” said Karina, with a glance of familiarity, since she had communicated with the frank-hearted guest, over the internet a month earlier, for a room for two days. “Ah,” says Dr. Lee, “what a pleasant warm looking circle of people you have in the adjoining room.”
“Yes,” she replied “your room is ready, but if you wish to join us for song and praise and some hot chocolate and cookies, you are most welcome.”
“To be frank, I’m kind of a philosopher, scientist, I don’t believe in any religion per se, and I might make you all uncomfortable, I’ll just go to my room!”
The old professor had thrown a stone her way, knowing once Christians like to grab and try to re-polish for the gates of heaven, to save the unshakeable and un-savable. “Besides,” she added, “it’s warmer there than in your room, and we don’t mine a nonbeliever, all the better for us to learn, and show a gentle spirit.” But the daughter noticed something haughty about this fellow, who had flown up from Lima, Peru, a professor from a University, who had plans to stay only two nights and go off into Drake Passage. The daughter also thought it funny the stranger showed up just before they were going to read Mathew 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
Dr. Lee had traveled far and alone, his whole life had been—for the most part—one straight path, indeed a near solitary path, he had avoided companions, forming long term relationships, not all that hospitable, always reading, into science, and philosophy, and it was hard for him to separate the universe from his mind and give it to a God he never saw, it all encouraged him—the more he thought about God—to sharpen his views on science. If anything, he had a dying ambition to bring a new concept into life, transform man’s hope of eternal life, for a universal concept, a journey of steps, no brighter than the day is long, and then the tomb. And when he gave his lectures, he was enthusiastic about it to say the least. His idea was, let death come; I shall leave behind a monument to science. And as he sat with the others, he explained his concepts, and as they all looked puzzled at him, he was quite frank, “So you laugh at me,” he said taking a glance at the several faces, and stopping at the Proprietress’ daughter’s.
“It is better I do not sit here and listen to this,” she told Dr. Lee, “I am not comfortable nor contented with your concepts of no God, that if there is a God, it is the combined several universes that you say are merging together, and have been forever and forever, and will continue to forever and forever, without end.”
“I suppose,” said the Professor, after a moment of rumination, “If I was you I’d feel just the same,” and this seemed to have broken some resistance among the others.
“Are you all thinking of what you’re going to do in your afterlife?” asked Dr. Lee.
“There now,” said Karina, “it is our nature to think like that.”
They all listened accordingly, a few went to their rooms, and left the door opened, so that they could hear the talking of Dr. Lee, still all sitting cross-legged from the fireside circle.
Then there was a knock on the door, but no one went to answer it, not wanting to miss what Dr. Lee might say, for now even Karina was starting to doubt her faith—a happy sadness filled her face, and the fire dimmed itself, and created light shadows throughout the room. The fire crackled, and the flames rose high, and thick, this was all new discoveries for everyone, that is to say: How from time unheard of, gravitation pulled everything together, creating a balance between planets and its solar systems, and galaxies, to now connecting universes. If science could prove this mystery which drew everything into perspective, and then who needs a God? The Hostel, and everybody in it, were amazed at this concept, although they didn’t see the reverse of it, that his concept was as much based on faith, as was Christianity, or better put, Christianity and Christ’s miracles, which altered the balance of gravity, was more proof than science could prove there was a black hole. Contemplation was running wild.
“Alas!” said the old professor, “you Christians have quite the security, do as you please and run to the safety of Christ, us scientists, can live among one another in peace without God, can you religious zealots?”
Oh yes, before this old man came, they had the perfect road, the perfect fire, the perfect life, now smoldering in smoke and heat, the circle and all in it, fell to sleep, as well as those who went to their rooms and left the doors ajar, but the old man, he up and left. These circumstances led to their deaths, by asphyxiation. The old man had left the house, for whatever reasons, the ones he gave to the police, was he needed fresh air, all in all this was not sufficient grounds for any such conjecture as a motive to kill a whole hostel full of guests and a family, and how could he have done it, the chimney was not plugged, or closed with anything, and he was too old to climb onto the roof. Thus, the second mystery remains also: is the simple fact, did he create enough doubt in their faith, to have destroyed it? And if so, who was to be in agony after death because of it, if indeed his concept was incorrect.
No: 686/10-01-2010
One winter’s night Karina, the proprietor of the AInil Hostel, in Punta Arenas, Chile (a small settlement alongside the Magallanes Strait), with her guests, and three children, had all gathered in a circle, in the lounge, where there was a hearth, piled high with wood, all sitting crossed-legged in front of the fire, talking about Jesus, and the afterlife, and eternal life, and heaven and hell, and the renowned, infamous Lake of Fire, as the blazing smoke snarled up and through the chimney; it was a cozy, warm evening, in the small Hostel, with a pitiless wind, shifting to and fro a foot of snow outside. They had been reading bible verses, feeling fresh and wholesome, out of danger, so deep were their thoughts, that the knock on the door, startled Karina. The daughter just had uttered, Mathew 7:7 “Ask and you shall receive. Knock and the door will be opened.”
The door was opened quickly by the daughter, with a most pleasant and charming smile for the stranger, his face bleak and old, but it brightened up, with her warm kindness, and bright smile.
“We were expecting you,” said Karina, with a glance of familiarity, since she had communicated with the frank-hearted guest, over the internet a month earlier, for a room for two days. “Ah,” says Dr. Lee, “what a pleasant warm looking circle of people you have in the adjoining room.”
“Yes,” she replied “your room is ready, but if you wish to join us for song and praise and some hot chocolate and cookies, you are most welcome.”
“To be frank, I’m kind of a philosopher, scientist, I don’t believe in any religion per se, and I might make you all uncomfortable, I’ll just go to my room!”
The old professor had thrown a stone her way, knowing once Christians like to grab and try to re-polish for the gates of heaven, to save the unshakeable and un-savable. “Besides,” she added, “it’s warmer there than in your room, and we don’t mine a nonbeliever, all the better for us to learn, and show a gentle spirit.” But the daughter noticed something haughty about this fellow, who had flown up from Lima, Peru, a professor from a University, who had plans to stay only two nights and go off into Drake Passage. The daughter also thought it funny the stranger showed up just before they were going to read Mathew 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
Dr. Lee had traveled far and alone, his whole life had been—for the most part—one straight path, indeed a near solitary path, he had avoided companions, forming long term relationships, not all that hospitable, always reading, into science, and philosophy, and it was hard for him to separate the universe from his mind and give it to a God he never saw, it all encouraged him—the more he thought about God—to sharpen his views on science. If anything, he had a dying ambition to bring a new concept into life, transform man’s hope of eternal life, for a universal concept, a journey of steps, no brighter than the day is long, and then the tomb. And when he gave his lectures, he was enthusiastic about it to say the least. His idea was, let death come; I shall leave behind a monument to science. And as he sat with the others, he explained his concepts, and as they all looked puzzled at him, he was quite frank, “So you laugh at me,” he said taking a glance at the several faces, and stopping at the Proprietress’ daughter’s.
“It is better I do not sit here and listen to this,” she told Dr. Lee, “I am not comfortable nor contented with your concepts of no God, that if there is a God, it is the combined several universes that you say are merging together, and have been forever and forever, and will continue to forever and forever, without end.”
“I suppose,” said the Professor, after a moment of rumination, “If I was you I’d feel just the same,” and this seemed to have broken some resistance among the others.
“Are you all thinking of what you’re going to do in your afterlife?” asked Dr. Lee.
“There now,” said Karina, “it is our nature to think like that.”
They all listened accordingly, a few went to their rooms, and left the door opened, so that they could hear the talking of Dr. Lee, still all sitting cross-legged from the fireside circle.
Then there was a knock on the door, but no one went to answer it, not wanting to miss what Dr. Lee might say, for now even Karina was starting to doubt her faith—a happy sadness filled her face, and the fire dimmed itself, and created light shadows throughout the room. The fire crackled, and the flames rose high, and thick, this was all new discoveries for everyone, that is to say: How from time unheard of, gravitation pulled everything together, creating a balance between planets and its solar systems, and galaxies, to now connecting universes. If science could prove this mystery which drew everything into perspective, and then who needs a God? The Hostel, and everybody in it, were amazed at this concept, although they didn’t see the reverse of it, that his concept was as much based on faith, as was Christianity, or better put, Christianity and Christ’s miracles, which altered the balance of gravity, was more proof than science could prove there was a black hole. Contemplation was running wild.
“Alas!” said the old professor, “you Christians have quite the security, do as you please and run to the safety of Christ, us scientists, can live among one another in peace without God, can you religious zealots?”
Oh yes, before this old man came, they had the perfect road, the perfect fire, the perfect life, now smoldering in smoke and heat, the circle and all in it, fell to sleep, as well as those who went to their rooms and left the doors ajar, but the old man, he up and left. These circumstances led to their deaths, by asphyxiation. The old man had left the house, for whatever reasons, the ones he gave to the police, was he needed fresh air, all in all this was not sufficient grounds for any such conjecture as a motive to kill a whole hostel full of guests and a family, and how could he have done it, the chimney was not plugged, or closed with anything, and he was too old to climb onto the roof. Thus, the second mystery remains also: is the simple fact, did he create enough doubt in their faith, to have destroyed it? And if so, who was to be in agony after death because of it, if indeed his concept was incorrect.
No: 686/10-01-2010
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