Satori's Stories: On a Digital Island

art by PAWEL KUCZYNSKI

There once lived a man named D. He lived on a digital island, made of 1s and 3s. This island was made of fear and isolation, but also of endless possibilities. But Mr. D just couldn't see what could be, only what was in front of him.

Mr. D would sail to his Nine to Five on the mainland. After work, he would stock up on herb & brew and sail back to his island to escape the harsh reality of society.

On this island of one, the only contact off the island was a book, a Book made of Faces. He would roll his herb, open his brew, set the 1s and 3s to a beat, and stare at all the pretty faces. Most nights Mr.D would be too tired to think, all he needed was a drink.

In the beginning, he would just look at all the faces of his blood, people of past and present. In these pages of familiar faces, he had visions of the past memories, desires and could have been. Most nights this was enough.

One day when at his 9 to 5, Mr.D ate a lil mushroom because the day was slow. As the doors of perception were cleansed, he thought What am I doing? What have I become? Who am I? As he paused in the timeless moment of inflection, his boss broke him out of infinity and told him "I don't pay you to think! Get back to work D"

This is when Mr.D told him to go fuck himself in the kindest way and just walked away.

That night on the island, all he could do was think, What am I doing? What have I become? Who am I? He opened his ritual drink, but couldn't bear to put it to his lips.

That's when the fear and loathing set in, all he could think I don't pay you to think! What does that mean? Do I ever truly think? All I seem to do is work my 9 to 5, smoke, drink and look at faces eating food and/or drinking. Surely there is no thinking involved. Have I ever really used my MIND? For I know my face but do I know my MIND...

And that's when he had a Satori. A sudden flash of something eternal, visions and knowledge began to leak out of reality. A Bee Shaman made of 1s and 0s appear. It was dancing things in and out of existence. Sound is Vibration and Vibration is Sound. A visual language began to emerge and it was saying Use Your Mind, Use Your Mind behind those eyes. Your Being is Rooted Outside of Time!

Then proceed to dance, the cosmic dance of eternity. It's lil bee feet hitting those 1s and 0s, singing the most beautiful music Mr.D ever heard, and with his lil bee hands willed those 1s and 0s to the strangest most beautiful vision one could ever see. This cosmic dance of eternity was too much for Mr. D. His unused Mind couldn't take it, so it went blank.

The next day when D woke up, he thought; Was this all a strange digital dream? But it felt more real than anything he had ever experienced before. Or was it just that he wanted this to bee?

For the first time in a long time, he really began using his MIND. But one thought just wouldn't leave. Is he just a Man dreaming that he was Bee or just a Bee dreaming he is a Man...

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Image Note: modified and remix (by me) of PAWEL KUCZYNSKI, who does great modern surreal artwork.