The trees, they say, must see the forest for themselves. This is difficult, because they have no eyes. And you cannot describe the forest to them, because they have no ears. And so, though you would volunteer your services to them in your empathy, it is to no avail. The trees must see the forest for themselves. I would expect this to be plain to you at this point, but you are too distracted by cares and concerns to perceive the simple truth: You cannot see the forest for the trees.
When the end of the world came all the souls from the beginning of time had to stand in a long line, waiting to discover their personal doom. Somewhere, far up at the head of the line, some system or another was rewarding or punishing souls according to their merits or some such. It wasn't at all clear from the back of the line what was happening. We all just knew, somehow, that we had to wait in line for fate.
It took a long time. It took a really, really, long time. The line stretched off for miles over roads, across fields, over mountains, across bridges, along rivers, down into valleys and back up and out again, as far as the eye could see and farther still. We waited in that line for years. We didn't eat. Sometimes we talked to the people in the line ahead of us or behind us. We didn't drink. Sometimes we sat down in place, scooting along whenever the line moved. We didn't sleep. We were not hungry or cold or afraid or even bored. We just moved slowly along in line toward the end of the world and whatever came after. We were souls, all together in this line, at the end of the world.
Now it's been almost three hundred and fifty years, and we're still in this line. Are we getting near the front? I have no idea. Neither does the girl in front of me. Nor the man behind. It's a lovely day. We're atop a mountain now, looking down to where the line passes into the shadows of the valley below. None of us question, though you might think we should, whether perhaps the line never ends. It ends. And then destiny.
Is this what I expected? Yes. Yes, I suppose it is.
Hello, friends. How are you today?
Later. Love.
