[Fiction] Personal Philosophy

[Singularity]

The soft lapping of the lake against the shore mixed with the quiet, rhythmic sound of insects to fill the night air. Beyond the thick trees surrounding the tip of the peninsula, the rippling water reflected the illuminated skyline of Madison against the dark and star filled evening sky. The city hummed with its active nightlife, contrasting with and all but ignorant of the wooded peninsula jutting out into the lake.

Arcing over the isthmus that formed the core of Madison, Singularity slowed his flight as his destination came into view. The ubiquitous Picnic Point was as good of a place for a meeting; it was typically unused after night fell, creating often desired privacy, and a city known for its bars and restaurants surrounded the vast majority of the lake if a more public meeting was in order. And, of course, it lacked the paparazzi found in more typically “nova” locations.

The nova dipped out of the sky and down to the break within the trees at the peninsula’s tip. Bare, invulnerable feet settled into the rough grass surrounding the cold fire pit that formed the center of the clearing; perhaps if it was a weekend there would be a fire and a party burning here, but not this night. Satisfied with the location, Singularity walked to one of the large logs forming one of the benches surrounding the fire pit and sat down with inhuman fluidity to wait; he was early but punctuality certainly wasn’t a negative trait.

[Cosmic Comet]

The flight over to the meeting with Singularity was pleasant. He had forgone the quick and easy travel mode in order to clear his head for the meeting. CC's discussion over the Opnet had sparked this whole trip, and he hoped that what he learned tonight would help him find hid place in this world.

He passes the city of Madison, briefly glancing at the humans running around busy with whatever task the night held for them. It takes a few moments for him to spot the silver headed nova, sitting around the unlit fire pit.

Landing close by, CC makes his approach. His body a swirling color of blues, whites, yellows and red stands out among the rest of the night.

"Hello there, Thanks for agreeing to meet with me" he says offing his hand out to Singularity.

[Singularity]

Silver eyes picked out the nebula-colored nova's approach and an anticipatory smile took shape on Singularity's face. The ex-elite's legs unfolded deftly and he took Cosmic Comet's hand as it was offered, "And thank you for coming, I appreciate your interest." The dull, pale moonlight cast soft shadows over his statuesque body and only a simple pair of gray shorts hid his preternaturally smooth skin. But despite his physical appearance, the air around him was full of an infectious serenity, "Please, sit."

Returning to his apparently precarious seat on the log, Singularity watched patiently as the other nova situated himself comfortably, "I assume you had no problems finding this place; I hope your trip here went well?" The smile on his face changed to a mischievous grin even as the remainder of his body was still enough to pass for an inanimate statue, "Or do you have questions for me that cannot wait?"

[Cosmic Comet]

The remarkable stillness of Sing's body does not go unnoticed by CC. "Why yes it was a good trip and quite easy to find. This location you picked is quite perfect for our little chat."

"So do you live nearby? The city I passed on the way in looked rather lively" he asks hesitantly.

[Singularity]

The shake of Singularity's head is almost imperceptible, "No, Regan and I are currently settled on a quiet, tropical island. Privacy was our foremost concern when we moved in and it might remain that way if the world continues to get more unstable. The sun, of course, is always a nice element.

"But yes," he agreed with Cosmic Comet, "Madison has quite the active night life. That's one of the reasons why I picked this location; the various cafes, bars, restaurants, and clubs give us a large number of alternatives in case you didn't approve. Do you still keep a home here on terra firma?"

[Cosmic Comet]

CC smiles at Singulartiy words, "I'm staying with a friend of mine in Chicago right now, but I am thinking of maintaining a home here on Earth when I need a break from the stars."

"So how do we start this off, do I need to do anything special" he asks.

[Singularity]

"Nothing at all," Singularity smiled reassuringly, "A discussion about philosophy doesn't require any special actions. But feel free to interrupt me with any questions you might have. That is the point, of course."

The log creaked as he readjusted on the log to squarely face the other nova, "So, to the whole topic that brought us here, my personal philosophy could be defined as a form of Buddhism as I mentioned to you before. That is partially because someone who is much wiser than I made the broadest strokes of this philosophy from the standpoint of Buddhism; and it is because that ideas are shared between both Buddhism and this philosophy."

His voice carried a distinct cadence that seemed to compliment his words, "Unlike Buddhism, I hold to the belief that existence isn't necessarily a state of suffering. But, we do create discord and strife through uncontrolled desire and, in some ways, the basic way we interact with the world around us. And for us to fully realize ourselves and our own potential, we need to reconcile this disharmony we all have with existence. But I do not necessarily hold that all desires or attachments create discord. For example, my connection with Regan has improved my harmony with myself and the world, much to the surprise of the one who showed me the path.

"Any questions so far?"

[Cosmic Comet]

"I've never been a big fan of religion so please bear with me if it takes me a moment or two to digest your words" he humbly replies.

Looking back at Singularity a bit perplexed he asks "So how do you manage to not create discord thru your actions or attachments? It seems like it would takes years of thought or mediation to achieve this.?"

[Singularity]

Singularity let out a reassuring chuckle that led into an easy smile, "Indeed, attaining a complete and total harmony with the universe is a life's pursuit if I'm even correct about it being possible. And while thought and mediation are tools to help reach that goal, the path doesn't need to be limited to such techniques. In fact, one would argue that such a limitation would be detrimental.

"For myself, I started in a very simple way. I was once a very violent and abrasive man; the first step for me was to stop initiating unnecessary violence and conflict. I have obviously branched out from there, but I've also found myself solving many issues with violent people in nonviolent ways. Of course, there are the occasions where violence cannot be avoided; many people are surprised to find that 'nonviolent' doesn't necessarily mean 'incapable' in such situations."

He leans his head forward slightly, somewhere between a bow and a nod of acknowledgement, "And please don't be worried about the religious aspects; I was anything but a religious man when I started down my own path. One does not need be a theologian to find harmony with reality."

[Cosmic Comet]

As CC takes in Sing's words he can't help but wonder if maybe he has more in common with this man than he thought.

"I've never had to use violence in my time as a Nova and I hope that it will continue that way, so it seems that I share that trait with you."

CC pauses then continues, "I tend to think that with all I can do that nothing is beyond me anymore. I find that my only challenge is push myself harder in everything that I do, and at the same time" another pause, "I still don't feel quite in touch with myself. Hence me asking for this meeting."

[Singularity]

Nodding with encouragement, Singularity smiled and turned his palms up in his eerie but calming fashion, "Indeed, I've been in a similar place in my life before. I would venture that all people, baseline and nova alike, feel disconnected with themselves at least once in their lives. Hence, not only do I understand your position but there are a multitude of methods to approach that feeling.

"One method used in some forms of therapy often involve the question 'Who are you' being repeated over and over. Within that exercise, there is no right answer and it's meant to make the answerer explicitly explore their sense of self identity."

The silver-haired nova smiled, "From what I understand, a science fiction show from the mid-Nineties once showcased the technique. However, it's not the only way of doing things.

"One method I used to reconnect with myself is standard meditation I learned in Tibet. Some members of the Teragen would frown down upon such 'simple monkey games,' but meditation has been utilized by their own ranks though not all of them would call it as such. Introspection, it seems, is often a way to reconnect with oneself but there are a number of ways to accomplish it."

Again, the smile on his face radiates friendliness, "Of course, I'm more than willing to help facilitate whatever method you may wish to try."