Seeking answers

Once there was a Man who desired nothing more than to know discover the truth. Every waking moment he had he spent on mastering sciences, crafts, folk tales, everything that could be learned, he learned. And thus he did for years upon years. However, though his knowledge were as vast as the sky that covered all of the Earth, he never once felt satiated in his hunger. The Man realised that on his own he would never complete this endeavor, and so he scoured the world for a person who knew more than him. He walked and sought and at long last, after many years of seeking, found the one he was looking for- an Old Woman.

"Tell me," he said. "How can I learn everything? How can I find the truth?"

"The truth about what?" she asked.

"The truth about the grass that grows rises from the soil, the truth about the trees that stem from the earth, the truth about the animals that consume them for sustenance. The truth about their meaning, the truth about humankind, the truth about life. The truth about the Universe. The truth about all!" he uttered in a fervent voice.

"Are you certain that you wish to aim for this grail? So many men have wasted away while seeking it, and it was always for naught" she warned.

" I care not of the failures of others" he retorted ardently. " I shall see my journey to its end, whatever perils it may hide and however long it may be".

An ephemeral moment of remembrance flashed across the Old Woman's face, but nevertheless she whispered " Sail across the Sea that is boundless. Walk the Road that has no end to its end. There, you shall find the Mountain that cannot be climbed. Climb the Mountain, and you may find what you desire. Perhaps".

And thus began the Man's quest for the truth. He sailed across the boundless Sea. He walked the road with no end to its end. There, at the very edge of the world, he found the Mountain that could not be climbed. And he started his journey upwards.

It was no ordinary mountain. Instead gasping for breath, the Man was feeling more and more vigorous with every step he took. Soon, he was running, and not long afterwards he began flying. After many hours, though they seemed like mere moments to him, he reached the top of the Mountain That Could Not Be Climbed. The top of the world. 

What a sight it was! All the world could be seen from up there. Though it were many thousands of miles away, it seemed so near, like he could almost touch it if he were only to stretch his arm out. The Man could see the Boundless Sea and the Endless Road, too. They were queer to behold- it was as if they could fit in his palm and yet engulf the entire world.

.There was a small hut on the peak. The Man walked to its door and knocked. "Come in" said a voice that inspired both fear and courage, joy and sorrow, hope and despair.

The Man opened the door and went in.

The Man opened the door and with an intrepid step entered the hut.  It was empty, like a black void. There was no sign of the person who had invited him in.

"Well done" said the Voice. It was as if an infinite number of people were speaking at the same time... and yet as if there were only one person. "Very well done indeed".

The Man could hear it in his head. The Voice sounded limitless, it made the Boundless Sea seem so tiny in comparison. It felt timeless, ageless, and yet so very young. Distant, yet near. " Who are you" asked the Man. He would have his answer soon.

"You know me" came the reply. " I am the everything and the nothing. The eternity and the moment. The first and the last. The omniscient and omnipotent One. I am everything."

"Then you are God" the Man said in an amazed voice.  " The One with all the answers!"

"Yes, I am God" replied the Voice. "And I have all the answers, save one. You are the first and only one that has managed to reach me. You sailed the Boundless Sea, walked the Eternal Road, climbed this Mountain. So tell me now, who are you?"

" I am a simple man" said the Man. "A simple man searching for the truth."

"If you do indeed seek that, then I can tell you that you are no man. You are me. You have become me. And thus you have now found the truth".

"That is impossible. How could I have become God? And I do not feel I have discovered the truth yet. How can this be?"

" The obstacles I have created- only I can pass them. It is only to me that the Boundless Sea is small, only to me is the Endless Road short, only to me does the Mountain seem a small hill. And only I can find the truth" said the Voice.

"Tell me then, what is the truth?" asked the Man. At long last, his infinite journey had come to its end.

"The truth is that we have are the truth. Yes, we are the truth... but can we comprehend ourselves, can we thus comprehend the truth? We, who are everything- time and space and existence and non-existence and even beyond that! How can we understand ourselves?! We have been labouring on this since before time began! And yet, every time we feel we have the answer, the truth... it melts through our fingers and vanishes into us again! Thus is has been always and thus it shall be always. This is you answer: we are the truth. I cannot tell you what we are."

"You do say "we"" replied the Man. " And yet, I still feel like the mere human I was when I began my journey. You claim that I am You, but it is not so. For I refuse to accept this truth. I refuse to accept a truth which is no truth, but a circle, an infinite circle. A circle is not the answer!"

"Then tell me what the answer is!" demanded the Voice.

"The answer... my answer... My answer is that I do not know! And that is my truth! An imperfect one, but better than none!" said the Man in a fiery voice. He turned around and walked out of the hut. He descended the Mountain, sailed back across the Sea and walked the Endless Road to its beginning. 

He went to the Old Woman again.

He was smiling. Smiling for the first time since his birth. "Wise woman", he began saying,

"I have my answer now."