Heremia I, standard year 2745
The footprints ended there, after nearly 10 years of walking, he rested his bare foot in the last footprint. A blinding purple light forced him to cover his eyes, and seconds later a deafening roar swept the sand around him like a storm.
He opened his eyes again, high in the sky dominated an immense metallic figure, the shadow obscuring everything he could observe. So he sat down, crossed his legs and began to meditate.
“Are you Moad Haid?”
“I am, how come you are here?” – he answered without changing his position.
“Then it’s true!” – exclaimed the stranger, then continued – “They say you have been walking on this earth for 10 years, without eating or drinking. Why do you do this?”
“The footprints precede me, I follow the only path.”
“And where, tell me, has this path of yours led you?” – replied the stranger annoyed.
“Here, with you.” – He opened his eyes, his white irises barely distinguishable – “Now my journey will continue with you, I think I’ve always waited for you, but I understand it only now.”
The stranger smiled – “I came seeking answers, Moad Haid, now I find that you are but a fool. Look at you! Alone on a desert planet and not even allowing yourself the pleasure of food, then what is the point of living? You might as well be dead!”
“I don’t need food and water to live, I don’t want to die as long as I can feel.”
“Feel what?” – the stranger interrupted him abruptly.
Moad Haid then stood up, a footprint materialized in the sand beside him, the stranger recoiled in disbelief – “What technology is this?” – he stammered.
Moad Haid began to walk, each time resting his foot there where a footprint materialized, the stranger followed him.
“Moad Haid, why such a trivial trick? Why need to impress me?”
“As I told you, my footprints precede me, I follow the only path. I live in the present, then time ceases to have meaning. Your footprints do not anticipate you because as you walk you see endless possibilities in front of you, I see only one, there”-and he pointed to the footprint that had just materialized in front of him-“and I simply follow it.”
“I’m sorry but I have a hard time believing the ravings of a madman.”
The stranger did not speak for a while as he followed Moad Haid, he thought he was trying to impress him with his tricks, but then convinced himself that he had no reason to, after all, why should a man who does not even enjoy food find pleasure in impressing a stranger? Finally he asked – “Suppose what you say is true, can I also start following my own way?”
“There is no such thing as your way, there is only the way. Certainly, everyone can follow the way.”
“Like Moad?” – he asked impatiently.
“I follow my way because that is what I see, what do you see?”
“I don’t see anything, I don’t know, what do you mean?”
“If you see nothing it is because you do not observe, stop, eliminate all necessity, and open your eyes.”
“I have my empire to follow, if I stop, me! Thousands of billions of humans throughout the galaxy would lose their jobs! Then I have a family, one can’t just stop when it happens to him!” – So saying, the stranger raised his tone.
Moad Haid did not respond, the stranger tried to calm down.
“Moad Haid, what were you doing 10 years ago? Why did you choose to come here?”
“I was trying to remember how to get back on the path. I found myself on the street accidentally when I was a boy, and from there on I did nothing but try to go back. In the meantime I worked to be able to afford not to have to think about working anymore. I didn’t choose to come here, I just followed my footsteps.”
“And what was it like that day when you started following your footsteps? How did that happen?”
“I began to believe in the way. First, every moment, I was thinking about all the futures ahead of me, then I simply stopped caring. Nothing in particular happened.”
“One cannot simply stop thinking about the consequences of one’s actions.” – retorted the stranger.
“The consequences already exist, the actions already exist. The path is one, you simply don’t look at it as you take it.”
“But for the choices I have to make, I don’t have the luxury of not thinking!”
Moad Haid paused, his white eyes met the stranger’s again – “No choice is forced, particularly in your case stranger, from what you say you are rich enough to stop making at least 100 of the generations that will follow you think about food.”
“I don’t want to give up everything.” – sighed the foreigner.
“No, you are afraid to take the road. We do everything we can to avoid taking the way, civilization itself is just a veil of the richest silk we put over our eyes to avoid seeing the way.”
The stranger did not understand-“Moad Haid, do you mean that what makes us men is what prevents us from following the way?”
“Me first, I am the one who follows the way, then I am a man.”
“So you are suggesting that we should return a primordial state? We should all live the way you live?”
Moad Haid realized that the footprints had led him to the alien’s landing module-“That’s how I live. Did I ever say others should follow me too?” – Then he pointed to the module – “Can I go with you?”
Finally the stranger also realized that he had walked exactly the way back to his landing module – “How did you know?” – he interjected, already knowing the answer – “the footprints.” – he whispered in disbelief. Finally he answered – “Of course.”
Cruiser Súnoikos, standard year 2745
It had been two weeks since Moad Haid boarded the Súnoikos, the foreigner had already contacted him twice to arrange a meeting, but both times the same foreigner, a few hours before the appointment, had been forced to cancel due to unforeseen business circumstances.
Moad Haid did not change his habits aboard the cruiser; after each awakening he would start walking. Now, however, he had to look closely at the metal floor of the cruiser, without sand his footprints could be distinguished only by the slight movements of the dust that preceded his footing. He was not used to it, he usually did not feel the need to look at his own footprints, perhaps because these were clearly visible. Now, hidden, Moad Haid took care to keep watching them, as if each footprint could be the only one.
A fast-stepping man interrupted his walk – “Moad Haid, Noah has freed himself, he is ready to see you, follow me.”
Moad Haid smiled and chased after him.
“Hello Moad Haid! Come, have a seat.” – the stranger invited him to sit at the table on which he was already dining with his family – “Here, this is Hanoka, my wife, these are my two children.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” – Moad Haid replied, then sat down in the seat opposite Noah.
“I advised my husband to go to Eremia I to look for you. I am immensely honored to have you here at the table with us.” – said the young woman bowing several times.
“There is no reason to feel honored by my presence; I am the one who should thank you for all the gifts you are giving me.”
“My husband has told me every night about your meeting, I know it was brief but it had a great impact on him.” – So saying, Hanoka caressed Noah’s hand as he looked at him.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t invite you earlier Moad Haid, from now on I would like to meet more often.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Tell me, Moad, how do you feel after leaving your desert?”
“Now at night I don’t feel cold and in the morning I don’t have to shake the sand off my head.” – Then the children burst out laughing.
“Children, be good.” – said Hanoka softly, turning to her children.
“What about your footsteps? I was born that they no longer anticipate you like on Eremia I…”
“Then you have not been observing well; they are always one step ahead of mine. I have a hard time seeing them too, but they are there.”
“Other than through your footsteps Moad Haid, do you have other ways of realizing that you are following the path?” – Hanoka asked.
“When you read a book, in what ways do you know you are reading a book?”
Hanoka understood, his question was too general, the answer could not be otherwise, so he corrected himself, “Excuse me Moad Haid, I meant, in what other ways does the way present itself?”
Moad Haid then took a fruit from the table-“This fruit is a Gojahel of Prasso, one of the best fruits in the galaxy, few men can afford to have a dozen on the table. But what really is a Gojahel? The set of molecules that form it? A symbol of wealth? A Praxian’s enthusiasm for accidentally finding one on the way home? A Gojahel does not exist, but that Praxian will wonder about all the events that led him to be there, at the right time. And he will be grateful.”
“So we have to wait for a special event to start following the path? So that we can say, here I am.” – the stranger asked.
“No need to wait, it is already here.” – So saying Moad Haid opened the fruit, an intense floral scent spread throughout the room, Moad Haid then stopped, took a deep breath and gave the fruit to Noah.
Hanoka repeated the breath-“I understand, don’t you think, however, that habit makes each moment indistinguishable from the others?”
“It’s not habit, it’s fear.” – he took another deep breath, then continued – “Only those who are capable of non-judgment can walk the path, judgment causes fear, fear is the little death that brings with it total annihilation.”
“Judge what?” – the stranger asked.
“Your breath for example, try to take a deep one.”
Noah, embarrassed, breathed hastily. Hanoka smiled and tried to reassure him – “Love quietly, you are with your family.”
“I know meditation is proven to be good for you, but I’m not used to it, it makes me feel strange.” – Noah said.
“I didn’t suggest you meditate, just breathe. You have filled your life with such strong emotions that now to feel the weaker ones you have to engage. For this you judge yourself, for this you are afraid, for this you do not feel the way.”
The stranger then closed his eyes taking a deep breath – “Now I understand Moad Haid.”
Planet Earth, standard year 2765
Noah returned to earth with his family and Moad Haid. The work of de-artificialisation had paid off. Over the course of the 20 years they spent together with Moad Haid, Noah shaped parts of his empire to mirror his master’s teachings; the earth was his first experiment, after having removed every human construct, nature had plenty of time to reconquer the earth unchecked. Now humans could begin to return, but only on one condition, to follow the new low anthropic impact laws. Most of earth’s previous inhabitants chose to move elsewhere, many to the large artificial commercial planets that orbited between earth and mars, but a few chose to return.
Winter turned the steep valley sides white. The river flowed quietly as Moad Haid and Noah walked along the banks.
“Moad, I’m sometimes afraid that such radical choices frighten the masses, give great propaganda opportunities to our political opponents. Don’t you think we should make this process less explicit?” Noah asked.
“You’re the politician, Noah. I’m just the cricket on your shoulder that you’ve decided to listen to. Just ask yourself if you’re following the path.” Moad Haid replied smiling.
Noah immediately turned his gaze to Moad Haid-“You know that I too follow the way”- he said annoyed, and after a long breath he added-“In these 20 years I have never been able to explain how you can not ask yourself any questions .. .”
“My problems just don’t need questions, they already have an answer. I know I have to be with you, but it’s not my responsibility to think about political affairs, so I don’t wonder what’s right or wrong. Of course I’m fine now.” He rolled his eyes, a large eagle was about to disappear behind the top of the mountain in front of them.
“I know my needs are artificial, and I want to make others understand too, but it’s so hard. And I too Moad I’m fine, alone, sometimes I’m scared because I believe you are the only real human being and I know that no one is ready to live like you.” – Noah picked up a piece of wood from the ground and threw it into the river – “Now I go with the flow, but I remain a twig, you are the water Moad.”
“Both the water and the stick are part of the river, even the water doesn’t flow up the mountain where it pleases, but erodes the rocks that the mountain allows it to erode. And this game, Noah, goes on and on: every element it’s where it belongs, reality itself manifests itself following its own patterns. Everything follows the path, because the path is everything.” – while he was speaking Moad Haid walked on the snow and where his foot was about to rest a footprint materialized anticipating him.
“The fact remains that the way I follow the path, I need to ask myself questions, because my choices have much more complex implications than the choices you make. Or do you believe that every choice can be taken as you take yours?” Noah asked.
“Since you started breathing you’ve gotten closer to the way, now you know that what we call future is just a thought in our head, actually the next moment already exists, and your mind comes late compared to what your body is already living. And there’s no difference between a second or a year, you’ve already made your choices, just like I do with my footprints, you just have to put your foot where they appear. You have to accept that your body knows reality better than your mind, the mind is the wall that prevents you from seeing reality: the stick, the river and the mountain are the same thing, they are the way. The ego of men lives with the constant complex of being a step back from the body and then invent the past, present and future to believe that we have a choice.” – concluded Moad Haid.
The two were meditating sitting on two white boulders at a point where the river created a large natural pool, when Noah broke the silence – “When consciousness manifests itself in reality, it stops being the way, but it doesn’t stop wanting to be alive” .
“That’s right Noah” – said Moad Haid calmly.
“The ego is the manifestation of this fear, man’s greatest deception is his greatest salvation.” – continued Noah – “Now I understand, you are not Moad and I am not Noah. We are constructs of the dream of the way.”
“Exactly Noah” – repeated Moad Haid.
In front of the rocks a great splash of water splashed the two, but nothing had fallen or jumped out of the water.
“Come on Noah.” – said Moad Haid pointing to the ripples left in the water.
Noah dived, and there were no splashes, because those had already been there.