Chronicles From The Future: The amazing story of Paul Amadeus Dienach

“Now more than ever, people like us, who do not wish to pursue professional ‘success’ and do not need to make a living, have to arrange our lives around our capabilities as conceived by each of us individually. I’m perfectly happy with the way I am because I know that I wasn’t born for greatness. The truth is that creators are born, not made. If, however, before I was born, I was given a choice, I think I would sacrifice this calm and carefree life for the agonising world of creation.”

He fell silent for a few moments and then, touching my hand in a friendly and confidential way, he continued with a hint of a smile. “I won’t lie to you; neither Eric nor Axel agrees with me on this subject. Eric, with his heart of gold, would choose the exact opposite. As for Axel, he continues to saw on his violin, unwilling to realise that he will never reach that level of excellence that would even justify devoting one’s whole life to it.”

He then added, “This candid approach, which was true for the arts since the beginning of time, now also applies to the world of science. And the reason is what I told you before: one’s involvement in science is not a professional need that justifies mediocrity for the sake of one making a living. Our universal socio-political community needs high quality rather than quantity. It all comes down to this: either you say something actually worth saying or say nothing at all!”

I asked him if it were true that the content and purpose of the current class distinction was purely spiritual and if, apart from the honours that these people necessarily—as he claims—accept, there is no other material gain for all those prestigious wise men and great artists, or any special power over the others.

“You will not see any further distinctions beyond the ones I’ve told you: love, respect, enthusiasm and gratitude. That is, unless you consider material gain the few palaces and artworks that were given to The Valley of the Roses (their hub of learnin

g) and our other great intellectual centres. These things have more of a symbolic significance than anything else. In fact, these immense buildings even tire them sometimes.”

“On the other hand,” Stefan added, “there are many more joys in life: youth, travels, requited love—joys that we enjoy to the fullest every day and of which they are deprived, choosing sacrifice and creation to quench their thirst for knowledge. They’re not made for our way of life; they don’t receive enough satisfaction from these things. What could quench their thirsty minds cannot be found in this ‘environment’.”

“I think that nothing could quench their thirsty minds; the constant feeling of dissatisfaction and unfulfilment is part of their destiny,” I added, wanting to show him I understood his point.

“The only thing that could,” said Stefan in a tone of profound faith, “is the Great Reality, the Samith... But it is inaccessible down here. Every worthy conception and form in art is nothing more than an attempt to touch it, an excruciating endeavour, full of desperation and, at the same time, frenzied hope! Every worthy conception and form in art was, is and always will be generated by the longing for the Samith… If that did not exist, neither would artistic creation. And if even the greatest artists are never satisfied by their works, that’s because the Samith

is the quintessence of the greatest arts, just like infinity is the ultimate of the largest numbers we can imagine. But now I’m talking to you about Volkic Knowledge, something you’re not familiar with…”

“When are you going to talk to me about this type of knowledge? Will you give me some books on the subject?” I asked him impatiently.

“That is a subject that will take many hours to discuss. We don’t have enough time today because Hilda will be here shortly. I will only answer the last part of your previous question. Material superiority is unknown to the contemporary ruling class and so is any type of power over others. Twelve or thirteen hundred years ago, when still under the rule of the leading physical scientists, the concept of ‘power’, in its original sense of penalties, enforcement, coercion was still in force. But corresponding legal relations and property disputes were almost inexistent back then, as they are now. The implementation of private laws and institutions had proven largely unrealistic. But the rights and responsibilities between citizens and political authority still needed to be defined by a multitude of modernised and efficient institutions, enacted by those wise people in accordance with new needs. Eventually, with the passage of centuries, any form of compulsion and penalties became obsolete.