Waterfall
Yosemite. One of the tourist stops along the valley floor is beautiful Bridalveil Falls. Jim and I finally managed to find a parking space amid the throngs of cars and people, and we hiked up the little walkway an eighth of a mile to the railed-in area designated for observation and taking pictures of the falls. We could feel the mist from where we were standing, but we were still pretty far from the actual base of the falls. Jim said he wanted to experience the real thing, up close. So being young and still invulnerable, we ignored the warning signs that were posted all around (someone said just that morning a kid had slipped and had to be taken out by ambulance), and headed for the real place of action--where the 620 foot fall actually hits bottom.
The closer we got, the thicker the spray, until it seemed almost like we were swimming--the air itself was full of water, though somehow we could still breathe. There were no people around us now, and we further picked our way very carefully among the slick rocks. We could now see up close where the massive torrent of water was hitting, and we discovered there was a little pool around it. We stepped into the pool and were surprised that, while the spray all around was turbulent and even painful on our skin, the little pool itself turned out to be calm below the surface; so we huddled down into the water as a refuge from the spray.
We looked straight up and watched the huge mass of falling water for a few minutes, and then suddenly Jim jumped up and said, "I'm going to go to see what it's like under where the water's hitting."
It was hard because the roaring water was so loud, but I had heard what he said. "You're crazy," I shouted.
"It's okay, I just want to go under there where the water's actually hitting."
"Don't do it!" I shouted. "There's a strong current there--you'll get sucked under! You may never get out!"
"Here, take hold of my hand." He stretched his hand out towards me. "If I have any problem, I'll let you know by a couple of tugs on your arm, and you can pull me out."
Such trust, I thought. If he trusts me that much, I'm up to it. He grabbed my hand and then we waded up to our necks toward the point of contact. Then Jim was gone into that turbulent water, and his only lifeline to the world was the clasping of our two hands.
. . . .
The aged man was dressed in long, dark robes. "Welcome to the portal of the Universal Archive," he said.
"Portal? Universal Archive? I don't understand." Jim said.
"This is the gateway to the Greatest of all Libraries," the man said. "Every great thinker throughout time has longed to find this archive. Herein you can learn everything there is to know. You can know everything True. And everything False if you desire that as well. Herein you will find the key of Progress. You will learn the Secret of the Universe!"
"Why are you offering this to me?" Jim asked.
"Because you are here," the man said. "Come, the opportunity is before you now, but it will soon pass. All you need to do is let go of your friend's hand, and you shall enter to learn the Great Secret of the Universe."
Jim looked through the Portal and he could see a cavernous room with shelves stretching far back into the mountain. Millions, probably billions of books. Scrolls and tablets of all shapes and sizes. Unlimited knowledge. All hidden things revealed.
Jim hesitated, not sure, wondering.
Do I really want all of this knowledge? Do I deserve all of this knowledge? Would I be happy with it? Is there not a good reason why I, as a weak mortal, must be kept in ignorance? Is my character strong enough to handle knowing all things? Would I lust for power, for wealth? Would I swell in pride, to know more than anyone else?
On the other hand, what good might I do for the human race if I were to receive this knowledge? How can I possibly deny this opportunity to serve my fellow beings? With the acquisition of knowledge, would not my judgment and character be enabled to correspondingly grow as well? How can I become my best self if I am unwilling to take a risk? Might I be the only hope for humanity in these perilous times of nuclear weapons and biological warfare? How could any person not desire to know the Secret of the Universe? Why would I not . . .
It had been long enough, Jim should have come out by now. With all of my strength, and grasping his hand as tight as I possibly could, I pulled Jim towards me out of that turbulent water, back into the safe part of the little pool. Jim said nothing, and just stared back into the waterfall.
At that moment, there was a piercing voice through a loudspeaker: "Hey, you kids get away from that waterfall! You are not authorized to be in this area! Move! Now!" I immediately climbed out of the pool, but Jim just stood there in the water, staring longingly into the massive spray. "I said move, you dumb kid!" A ranger plunged into the water and grabbed Jim by the shoulders and pulled him out. Jim did not struggle--he seemed to have lost his will. As we made our way back he kept turning around to gaze at the waterfall, as if by staring into it he might discern some great secret.
When I think of whether or not I would have made the choice to receive knowledge, I come up against a question- why would I be the only one allowed to have all that knowledge and be the only one to find it? I'm sure others had thought of going to the same place Jim had, wouldn't they be in the world helping everyone benefit from their vast knowledge? There's something fishy (and I guess there could've been fish down there since it was a waterfall) about the offer of the secret of the universe. However, in our day and age, we're not good at accepting gifts because it's hard to trust in our world with everyone trying to get what they want, even at the price of hurting someone else. I think for the rest of his life, Jim will regret not making a choice- he didn't choose, his friend did. Jim didn't turn down or to accept the gift. He didn't act, he was acted upon, and I think oftentimes, we give up our integrity when we don't act when we know we should.
ReplyDeleteHmm, as Natalie said, I think there was something fishy in the arrangement-- all he had to do was let go of his friend's hand... yes, very fishy. And dangerous.
ReplyDeleteWhat would we trade for all the knowledge in the universe? Maybe he would have gained all the knowledge, but lost his life.
Of course, I never would have gone down to the dangerous part in the first place. It's one of those situations where you're screaming "No, Jim, don't do it!" in your head.
I also thought this line was interesting: "If he trusts me that much, I'm up to it." Is that a reason to do something? Because someone trusts you?
Good story!! Really makes you think...
The first part of the story is a combination of two things that really happened. Swimming at the base of Bridalveil Falls, and my friend wanting to go under where the water was hitting. Also, at another place, this same friend did give me his hand while he entered a place with turbulent water, and I did pull him out--he said he wasn't able even to signal to me by pulling on my arm.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I just wrote the story--putting things in it that I would put in it. But as I look back at the story, I now see that the part about obtaining knowledge is autobiographical as well in its own way, on a number of levels.
On a very direct level, there's my obvious old theme about choosing whether to go off into my own world or stay and retain contact with other people who are not.
But there's also the idea about the price of knowledge. To Adam and Eve the price of the knowledge of good and evil was death. Merrilykaroly, you ask what would we trade for knowledge. Generally, in what way is knowledge perilous?
I began writing it with one thing in mind, and finished the story with another point of view, deciding to leave some ambiguity as part of the story's theme.
Natalie, I see you have not lost your talent for puns. Both you and Merrilykaroly are suspicious of the whole offer of knowledge. Was there something diabolical in the person with his black robes? Or was he just an academic wearing what they wear (like Nibley's comment in a prayer at a BYU graduation ceremony--dressed in the black robes of a false priesthood)?
One of the nice things about posting a story is insightful comments like both of yours.
Stories can be like Rorschach ink blot tests--we can see all kinds of things in them, whether really there, or in our own interpretations.
I discover more and more as I read stories people post on this blog that I'm not really very good at processing meaning right after I read. I really can't think of anything very deep after I read a story unless I can talk it out with someone. Most of my understanding of deeper meaning in stories comes after I have had time to really soak it in, and even then, I rely on others to help me see stuff that escaped me (whish is oftentimes the whole point of the story).
ReplyDeleteThus, it is only after reading these three insightful comments that I really began to see the many different meanings behind this story. Sigh.
And no, dad, this is not just because your story didn't mean anything or something silly like that (I can just hear you saying that)- I always had a hard time with this in English class too. We would read a short story or poem (especially poems, grrr) and immediately people would know all this stuff, while I was still trying to figure out what had even happened. This was always very frustrating to me.
Oh well. I really did like the story. I especially like the contrast between knowledge and safety. I found myself wondering, however, why he didn't just go for it. It didn't seem that ominous to me. I thought the robed guy seemed alright. I kinda wish Jim had let go.
I had a funny argument with myself when reading this story. Should I want to stay, or should I want to leave? Is this story about false priests promising knowledge, or about letting go of preconceptions and security bubbles to be able to gain some real knowledge?
ReplyDeleteIt is all very adam-and-eve, to me. Very much so. I felt eerie at the part where he said, just let go of his hand... the fact that he said it just seemed suspect. So I guess I'm on the side of "Don't do it, Jim!"
Thanks for the discussion and comments--it gives me more of an excuse to pontificate on my story . . .
ReplyDeleteCamilla, whatever reaction you have is interesting--the more viewpoints, the better. I don't know if the game is to figure out completely what the author intended--after all, you might have come up with a story from the original ideas/materials.
With these stories and poems we post on this site, in a way I like the comment/discussions as much as the original offerings, themselves. For me, that's part of the fun--for the offerings by others, I havehad the opportunity to interact with the authors, themselves.
Also, I don't think there has to be any particular response by someone, that's part of the dialogue of different personalities. Also, it's sometimes surprising to me, in a story I write, what things I put across well, and what things I put across weakly. In addition to being generally interesting, it helps me when I write something new.
Nosurfgirl, looking at the story, it appears that Jim had two simultaneous issuE in accepting or rejecting the knowledge. 1) Should he trust the offer and the man telling him to let goof his friend's hand? That is kind of creepy in the way you connect it. 2)He hesitates because he is not sure he wants or should even have the knowledge. Is the knowledge itself dangerous, or does he owe it to the world to get it? (What if this was the initial knowledge of how to unleash nuclear power?)
Also, I have thought more about Natalie's questioning why Jim was the only one with this offer? How do we know he's the only one? Maybe other folks have received it and done whatever they did with it.
Also, Adele's suspicion about the logic of if my friend trusted me, is that a reason to think I'm up to it? I don't know, but that's how I thought in the real world version of that event!
When the person in the story said “Don’t do it!” I thought of Adele right away, when she said the same thing when Devin was contemplating diving into Old Faithful (see BFB video archives).
ReplyDeleteI see the offer for unlimited knowledge as being like the internet. A person could spend their whole entire life and never find the end of it. “You can know everything True. And everything False if you desire that as well.” There are some people who, seemingly in a trance, surf page after page after page, at the expense of living life for real, until someone brings them back to reality (take out the trash!). So, I think this story is about the internet. Could be bad, could be good. Just like we learned in conference.
Carolee,
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, it is a lot like the Old Faithful video with Devin, especially at the archetypel level.
Incidently, I was talking to a guy I know in Exeter (who is Orson Scott Card's uncle), and he has actually been to Barabadur --mentioned in the video--the Buddhist temple that people would circumbabulate, and then level by level proceed to the center--like it was suggested that Devin do with Old Faithful.
Also, I think your ideas about the internet are very interesting.