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The Star Rabbits by ~Aramis-Dagaz:iconAramis-Dagaz:

Categories Literature > Prose > Fiction > Philosophical




Ever since man first looked up to the heavens and gazed upon the stars with wonder, we have been aware of these amazing creatures.  Though our ancient forebearers could only see tiny specks of light briefly dash across the sky, they seemed to understand that there was some greater significance to to what would otherwise be a mere natural phenomena.  The ancients believed them to be many things: celestial messengers, ancestral souls either leaving or returning to this world, or even the gods themselves.  It wasn't until the invention of optical lenses that we caught our first glimpse of what these creatures truly were.  Such revelations, naturally, threw much of civilization on its head, shaking the beliefs of many to their core.  Priests and natural philosophers initially sought to deny and disprove what the telescope had revealed to them, but as repeated sightings became more commonplace, they scrambled to reevaluate their understanding of the heavens and what it meant to them.

As the mind of the ancient era saw fit to venerate and worship these beings, the emerging era of Reason and Rational Thought sought to identify and understand them.  Countless brilliant minds devoted their entire lives to revealing the truth behind these creatures, spurring numerous advances and breakthroughs in many fields from advanced optics to astronomy to zoology.  Much of the scientific and technological progress that we enjoy today can be traced back in some way to humanity's quest to understanding these mysterious creatures.

But what has Science revealed to us about them?  The sad truth is, nothing at all.  Science gave us the tool that revealed their true appearance to us, but beyond that we are no closer to understanding them as our ancient ancestors were.  Each observation raises only more questions, yet precious few answers.  The only certainty we do have is that they continue to inspire wonder in all of those who see them, and the most brilliant minds of our age who have devoted their collective talents and intellect to understanding these creatures almost always develop a sense of awe that border on reverence.

It was only when we were able to clearly gaze into the heavens and see what was there that our understanding of these creatures grew, even if only by a tiny amount.  The scientists and philosophers of today now postulate that in order for us to understand them further, we must venture into the celestial realm ourselves.  If we could step foot into that sacred sanctuary overhead, then we could meet one of them face-to-face, perhaps even communicate with it.  Think of what we could learn!  Such a feat would be our greatest achievement throughout all of history.  For thousands of generations to come, the story of how we finally met and spoke with the messengers of the gods would forever remain a part of our consciousness as a species.

But what would we learn?  To this, I say: nothing.  Yes, we would discover new things about these creatures, but in the end I believe that we would still be no closer to understanding what they truly are than our ancient ancestors did so many millennia ago.  As paradoxical as it might be for me to say it, their true nature is a mystery, for they themselves are the very embodiment of the mysterious.  Even if they came down to us and explained themselves thoroughly, I have no doubt in my mind that not one of us would understand what they were saying.  To attempt to understand them is an exercise in futility.

Of course, this truth will do little to dissuade those determined to discover their secrets, and indeed, they should not be discouraged from their pursuit.  Humanity, when faced with a mystery it cannot solve, will go to greater lengths to in their efforts to solve it, a paradoxical quirk of our species that, in and of itself, is also a mystery.  But while we will never truly understand these magnificent creatures, we should never stop trying.  History has shown that we have benefited greatly from our quixotic quest, and so long as they continue to ride across the heavens, we will continue to grow and improve following them.  They are and forever will be a mystery, and humanity is all the better because of them.

-Thomas Feyerabend, Signs of Heaven
©2009 ~Aramis-Dagaz
:iconaramis-dagaz:

Author's Comments

Based on :iconnekophoenix:'s Spring .

Image copyright :iconnekophoenix:

Sometimes mysteries are simply mysteries.

Comments


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:iconnekophoenix:
*nekophoenix Mar 21, 2009, 7:38:26 AM
Wow! To think this was inspired by something that was only meant to be a relaxing little doodle, this is wonderous, I feel quite honoured I do :3

It really looks like an excerpt from a fictional, or even factual, diary of a respected astronomer or general man of science.

It is full of mystery and introspective musings, the best kinda of musings!

--
Neko Phoenix
can anybody stop this thing?
:iconaramis-dagaz:
~Aramis-Dagaz Mar 21, 2009, 9:07:22 AM
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I wanted to preserve that sense that sometimes a drawing is just a drawing with no real meaning behind it, but then I got carried away like I usually do. I was just as surprised as you were when this became the end result.

Would it be all right if I used the little doodle that inspired this as the thumbnail?

--
I long to write and
explore worlds that might be, are
not, and never were
:iconnekophoenix:
*nekophoenix Mar 21, 2009, 9:29:53 AM
Yes, sure you can use the doodle for your thumbnail :3

--
Neko Phoenix
can anybody stop this thing?
:iconaramis-dagaz:
~Aramis-Dagaz Mar 21, 2009, 10:03:04 AM
Thank you! =)

--
I long to write and
explore worlds that might be, are
not, and never were
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