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The Heart of the Universe
Ashok lost his son to cancer. His wife didn’t eat or speak a word for two days out of depression. He felt like his world collapsed along with his son two days ago.
He walked aimlessly that night, not knowing where life will take him now. He stopped in front of a temple involuntarily. Ashok never believed in God. He was an astrophysist and believed science could explain everything. Given enough time, science will even be able to explain how the universe began. The priest who was standing outside noticed his melancholic expression. He walked to Ashok and placed his right hand on his shoulder.
Ashok instantly moved back and said, “Please, I don’t think you should touch me. I lost my son two days ago”. His voice was barely audible when he told the last sentence. Although he didn’t believe in superstition, he respected others’ beliefs.
The priest smiled and said, “I’m sure God is with your son. Please come with me”, pointing to the temple.
Ashok hesitated. The priest noticed it and said, “Don’t worry, my temple is open to all”
He asked Ashok to sit on the floor in front of the idol of goddess Kali. He then gave Ashok some holy water to drink and sat next to him.
“What’s your opinion about the afterlife?”, he asked.
“I’m sorry, but I am an atheist. I don’t believe in all that”, Ashok replied honestly.
The priest smiled. “What do you believe in?”, he asked.
“Science”, Ashok replied. He was still lost in the memories of his son.
“Good, that’s good. What do you do?”, the priest asked.
“I’m an astrophysicist”
The priest smiled again, but didn’t reply. His smile was like that of a child, filled with innocence. A smile that can heal any pain.
“Close your eyes”, the priest said.
Ashok hesitated at first, but then he closed his eyes.
“What do you see?”, the priest asked in a soft tone.
“Darkness”
“Imagine you are in space, looking at the beautiful planets, stars, and galaxies. What question comes to your mind?”
The priest’s voice was very soothing. Ashok’s thoughts slowly moved away from his son and came to his imagination.
“It’s… It’s beautiful. Where did all this come from?”, he said.
“What do you think?”, the priest asked.
“We have many theories to explain the universe’s creation”
“Tell me about the one you believe in”
“I believe in the Big Bounce theory”, Ashok said with his eyes still closed. “Our universe is continuously expanding. Before us, there was another universe that was exactly opposite to ours. That universe was contracting. Over there, time ran backward, cause came after effect. But the universe ended when the contraction led to the universe becoming infinitely small and dense. Then everything reversed and our universe was born from it. This universe expands, time runs forward and cause comes before effect.
“One day, the expansion of this universe will reach a maximum and the universe will end in a Big Rip. Then again the contracting universe will be born. This cycle of expansion and contraction continues infinitely.”
The priest listened to Ashok patiently with his eyes closed. In his mind, his imagination was building the universe as Ashok explained it.
“That’s such a beautiful way to imagine the creation of our universe”, he said. “Why do you believe in this theory in particular?”
“I find it hard to believe in the Big Bang. It is hard to prove how something can emerge from nothing. Also, nobody can explain what happened before the Big Bang”, Ashok replied.
Ashok and the priest both still had their eyes closed.
“Why does the universe have to expand and contract?”, the priest asked.
“We have evidence that our universe is expanding. We see it with our own eyes when we see the red-shift in distant stars and galaxies. Naturally, once the density becomes infinitely small, it should start contracting, giving birth to the next universe”, Ashok replied.
“Place your hand on the left of your chest”, the priest said. “What do you feel?”
“My heart beating”, Ashok replied.
“You know why the universe expands and contracts? Because the universe is a heart”, the priest said. “Just like the heart expands to draw blood in, and contracts to push it out, the universe also expands and contracts to stay alive.
“You say when the universe will stop expanding and start contracting, our universe will end and the next universe will be born. What I believe is it is not the end of the universe, but it is the universe renewing itself. Just like every time the heart expands and contracts, the blood is supplied with fresh oxygen.
“Our universe is the heart of a giant being. It is the heart of God. As long as this heart of his is beating, the universe will stay alive. Just that it will refresh itself with every cycle. When the heart contracts, blood slowly moves out of it. Just like that, people have to move out of our universe slowly. But the blood will eventually return to the heart with the next cycle. Just like that, the same people will be reborn in a new and refreshed form to the universe in the next cycle. Don’t fill your life with sorrow for your loved ones who have left this universe. They have gone to supply oxygen to God’s body. It’s just a matter of time, after which they will return again. One day you and I have to leave too. It’s our destiny.”
Ashok listened to the priest’s words with patience and deep breaths. In his mind, he first saw distant stars and galaxies. Then everything zoomed out and he could see the universe. It kept expanding and contracting and looked like a giant hourglass with infinite bulbs. Then the infinite hourglass turned into the beating of a giant heart. Everything zoomed out again, and he could see a sleeping giant to whom the heart belongs. The giant slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ashok. He then came closer to him and caressed his body. “Don’t worry son. Life is a tough journey, but I am always with you”, he heard the giant say. The giant’s smile was very calming. Ashok’s chest and head felt lighter. He knew that smile very well. He slowly opened his eyes, but the smile was still visible to him. He smiled back at the priest with tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Thank you”, he whispered.
“Now go. Someone needs you the most at this time”, the priest said.
Ashok headed back to his home. As he walked, the world seemed very different to him than ever before. He was no longer walking on a dry patch of land on a giant ball of rock and water. He was walking inside a giant heart. The heart of God.
#fiction
#inspiration
#fantasy
#love
© arpan
He walked aimlessly that night, not knowing where life will take him now. He stopped in front of a temple involuntarily. Ashok never believed in God. He was an astrophysist and believed science could explain everything. Given enough time, science will even be able to explain how the universe began. The priest who was standing outside noticed his melancholic expression. He walked to Ashok and placed his right hand on his shoulder.
Ashok instantly moved back and said, “Please, I don’t think you should touch me. I lost my son two days ago”. His voice was barely audible when he told the last sentence. Although he didn’t believe in superstition, he respected others’ beliefs.
The priest smiled and said, “I’m sure God is with your son. Please come with me”, pointing to the temple.
Ashok hesitated. The priest noticed it and said, “Don’t worry, my temple is open to all”
He asked Ashok to sit on the floor in front of the idol of goddess Kali. He then gave Ashok some holy water to drink and sat next to him.
“What’s your opinion about the afterlife?”, he asked.
“I’m sorry, but I am an atheist. I don’t believe in all that”, Ashok replied honestly.
The priest smiled. “What do you believe in?”, he asked.
“Science”, Ashok replied. He was still lost in the memories of his son.
“Good, that’s good. What do you do?”, the priest asked.
“I’m an astrophysicist”
The priest smiled again, but didn’t reply. His smile was like that of a child, filled with innocence. A smile that can heal any pain.
“Close your eyes”, the priest said.
Ashok hesitated at first, but then he closed his eyes.
“What do you see?”, the priest asked in a soft tone.
“Darkness”
“Imagine you are in space, looking at the beautiful planets, stars, and galaxies. What question comes to your mind?”
The priest’s voice was very soothing. Ashok’s thoughts slowly moved away from his son and came to his imagination.
“It’s… It’s beautiful. Where did all this come from?”, he said.
“What do you think?”, the priest asked.
“We have many theories to explain the universe’s creation”
“Tell me about the one you believe in”
“I believe in the Big Bounce theory”, Ashok said with his eyes still closed. “Our universe is continuously expanding. Before us, there was another universe that was exactly opposite to ours. That universe was contracting. Over there, time ran backward, cause came after effect. But the universe ended when the contraction led to the universe becoming infinitely small and dense. Then everything reversed and our universe was born from it. This universe expands, time runs forward and cause comes before effect.
“One day, the expansion of this universe will reach a maximum and the universe will end in a Big Rip. Then again the contracting universe will be born. This cycle of expansion and contraction continues infinitely.”
The priest listened to Ashok patiently with his eyes closed. In his mind, his imagination was building the universe as Ashok explained it.
“That’s such a beautiful way to imagine the creation of our universe”, he said. “Why do you believe in this theory in particular?”
“I find it hard to believe in the Big Bang. It is hard to prove how something can emerge from nothing. Also, nobody can explain what happened before the Big Bang”, Ashok replied.
Ashok and the priest both still had their eyes closed.
“Why does the universe have to expand and contract?”, the priest asked.
“We have evidence that our universe is expanding. We see it with our own eyes when we see the red-shift in distant stars and galaxies. Naturally, once the density becomes infinitely small, it should start contracting, giving birth to the next universe”, Ashok replied.
“Place your hand on the left of your chest”, the priest said. “What do you feel?”
“My heart beating”, Ashok replied.
“You know why the universe expands and contracts? Because the universe is a heart”, the priest said. “Just like the heart expands to draw blood in, and contracts to push it out, the universe also expands and contracts to stay alive.
“You say when the universe will stop expanding and start contracting, our universe will end and the next universe will be born. What I believe is it is not the end of the universe, but it is the universe renewing itself. Just like every time the heart expands and contracts, the blood is supplied with fresh oxygen.
“Our universe is the heart of a giant being. It is the heart of God. As long as this heart of his is beating, the universe will stay alive. Just that it will refresh itself with every cycle. When the heart contracts, blood slowly moves out of it. Just like that, people have to move out of our universe slowly. But the blood will eventually return to the heart with the next cycle. Just like that, the same people will be reborn in a new and refreshed form to the universe in the next cycle. Don’t fill your life with sorrow for your loved ones who have left this universe. They have gone to supply oxygen to God’s body. It’s just a matter of time, after which they will return again. One day you and I have to leave too. It’s our destiny.”
Ashok listened to the priest’s words with patience and deep breaths. In his mind, he first saw distant stars and galaxies. Then everything zoomed out and he could see the universe. It kept expanding and contracting and looked like a giant hourglass with infinite bulbs. Then the infinite hourglass turned into the beating of a giant heart. Everything zoomed out again, and he could see a sleeping giant to whom the heart belongs. The giant slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ashok. He then came closer to him and caressed his body. “Don’t worry son. Life is a tough journey, but I am always with you”, he heard the giant say. The giant’s smile was very calming. Ashok’s chest and head felt lighter. He knew that smile very well. He slowly opened his eyes, but the smile was still visible to him. He smiled back at the priest with tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Thank you”, he whispered.
“Now go. Someone needs you the most at this time”, the priest said.
Ashok headed back to his home. As he walked, the world seemed very different to him than ever before. He was no longer walking on a dry patch of land on a giant ball of rock and water. He was walking inside a giant heart. The heart of God.
#fiction
#inspiration
#fantasy
#love
© arpan
