Heart-to-Heart Conversation
What defines reality? This endless question has been treated by countless philosphers and thinkers ever since the dawn of time. Some have argued that you will never know what it is because humans are bound by their bodies to grasp reality through their senses. If these senses are essential for us to get to know our environment and effectively undertake this task mostly, sometimes they can be deceitful.
Once again I gave a few thoughts on this matter yesterday, after I visited a twisted person whose mind was possessed by a terrifying madness. This person has been living in a psychatric facility for a year. And his delusion is so intense that he firmly believes to be living in an abandonned city where he is asked to participate in deadly games with strangers. I’ve been regularly visiting him as a member of the volunteer association over the past few months. For some reason, what initially felt like a chore gradually became a moment I came to look forward to every week. Despite this person being a lunatic, I perceived something that I lacked in this mad person. When I arrived, he greeted me in this manner:
“Chris, I have somehow barely managed to survive until now. But I’m beginning to doubt the reason why I’ve been struggling during all these time. Over the past few months, I’ve seen so many friends die with my own eyes during these atrocious trials. Whoever that designed this cruel game, I beg you to stop. I don’t think I have the will to make it anymore.”
He continued:
“Today, I’m glad you came to see me for I have a request that I would like to ask you. I know I can count on you. You and I have gone through some much over the past few months, I can’t remember how many times you saved my life. Do you remember that time at the beach when the leaders discovered we did in one of them?”
What surprised me yesterday while I visited this friend who was still a stranger to me months ago wasn’t the unbelievable stories that he told me about how we had to escape from a criminal organisation after disposing of one of its leaders. But what surprised me yesterday was the unusual glimmer that I saw in his eyes. The last fews times I went to visit him, he looked sluggish and pitiful, so I was glad to see signs of recovery. However after a few moments, he seemed more agitated than lively. I got the uneasy feeling that this sudden surge might mean no good for him.
“Chris, the time is nigh. I have one last favor to ask of you before I leave this world. Oh, Friend! You know I’m no fool and I can see clearly that you are worried sick about me. I can easily see it the way you look at me like I am some sort of madman. Things have been pretty hectic over here since the first time we met. I know I was never transported to a parallel world. I was never asked to participate in terrifying games. I never had to put my life on the line every week in order to survive. All the same, I would be lying if I said I never wished I was living in this wicked world. I know these reckless adventures and all these dearest friends weren’t real. But there’s still something that I need to say. I need to tell someone what kind of person I was in this world. I need someone to bear the proof that I existed and that I did what I could to be a better person everyday.”
His face was showing a calm and sad expression as he looked at me with a melancholic smile. It struck me when I realized that he was perfectly sound of mind. That day was unlike others, I had the feeling that we were on the brink of something that would lead to great changes. Still, I was devastated to see my friend embracing despair. Here I was talking to someone who was suffering from a frightful affliction. But despite being trapped in his torment, this person is seeking for my help. I decided to reach out to this friend who had been suffering all along as he asked for my help one more time:
“Dear friend, will you hear me out?
- Of course, Alex, haven’t I been there for you during all this time? You bet that I’ll be listening to what you have so say. Whatever it is that you wish to tell me, I will be listening and I will remember it all.”