Tamsin’s Quest for the Meaning of Life
The rumour circulating the corridors, but not taken seriously, was that Denham Hall Young Ladies College was about to be amalgamated with the Watford Grammar School for boys. I would believe Miss Sefton was a secretly married mother of four or that Miss Pringle was an Extra-Terrestrial rather than believe such silly rumours. I suspect it was started by Chloe Higgins of the fourth. She is a known trouble maker. It ranked as vicious and chilling; a rumour as turning Denham Hall into a Comprehensive School. But the news allowing ‘boys’ into Denham Hall was not only ludicrous but rumor-mongering of the worst kind and was certainly not part of George the Two’s plan when he founded the Young Ladies College in eighteen something or other. Usually, Miss Sefton dispelled such gossip but this time she chose to totally ignore such tittle-tattle.
Anyway, I have wandered off my thread here which is Tamsin’s question of Mr Crisis ‘What is the Meaning of Life?’
You see Mr Crisis arrived at Denham Hall when Miss Cribb resigned to get married and he applied for the vacant position of science teacher. His credentials stood him in good stead as we found later that he had just flown in or materialized or whatever people do when moving between galaxies and other parts of the solar system. I am not sure if this came out at Miss Sefton’s interview for the position of science teacher or not, but it would have certainly helped Mr Crisis secure the position, that’s for sure.
He certainly proved later he was capable of transporting himself inter-stellar wise when a device he knocked up in the science workshop malfunctioned ……hang on a sec, in retrospect it must have worked because he took himself and Rhonda off to Epsilon Bootis, well not Bootis because that is a star, but a small planet in the Bootis galaxy or system, I think it was. Hang on, look I will have to get back to you on that one. I like to check that all my facts are authentic.
Miss Sefton, the headmistress was not amused with Rhonda’s unexpected disappearance and her mother was beside herself with worry. Anyway, Rhonda, if I remember, showed up the next day, with Mr Crisis appearing a day or so later, which was opportune, even handy, as Miss Sefton did not have to re-advertise Mr Crisis’s position. I think it was a genuine accident but Mr Crisis was not about to admit it.
A week or so later at home at Inveraray Castle, father has flown in from Brazil and mother, thank heavens, had not organized any séances or bridge parties for the weekend. Mr Crisis and my two best friends Phaedra and Tamsin were our guests for the weekend. It was a pity, Mrs Dalrymple, mother’s friend and our local medium and séance host was not here as this subject would have been right up her alley.
During the adult drinks in the library and colored fizzy drinks with umbrellas topped off with slices of orange for the girls, there was a lull in the conversation when Tamsin asked the question of Mr Crisis, triggered by our previous discussion back at college, “has life any meaning and what happens when we die?”
Mr Crisis replied. “Well Tamsin, the first question is easy to answer. The meaning of life is what you decide to make of it. Life has no ‘meaning’ as such. You arrived, you lived and you die. To put it simply you are but a passing traveller clinging to this inconsequential blue/green dying piece of flotsam floating aimlessly without any apparent purpose against a star-studded ebon cyclorama, like lichen on a mossy rock”.
“To put things into perspective, your planet is one of the trillions that circle as many parent suns. Your journey starts again on your death.” Smiling he added “Tamsin, I thought that would make you sit up”.
He continued. “The second question is a little harder to explain. The question starts off with your earthly assumption that in your finality you die. So you do, but on your death you revert back to the form you were before you arrived which was pure cosmic energy. Does that answer your question?”
I looked at Tamsin. It was the identical classic blank stare she exchanged with Phaedra.
“If you say so Mr Crisis”.
“Tamsin, I see you do not understand”.
Father stood up to replenish the drinks. Mother said “David dear, ring for Greaves. Tell him we are here in the Green Library and to come and attend to the fire. It appears to be dying somewhat”.
Mr Crisis turned and continued “I do not want to get into too much discussion about life after death if you don’t mind. It is similar to knowing the outcome of a novel or short story. Knowing the answer will greatly affect your general attitude to life here on earth. But what is of paramount importance is your soul does not die. It is indestructible. It lives on after your death. The number of souls in the universe is finite, or in understandable terms, the soul does not die but returns to the universe. It is continually being recycled, but on death, there is no recollection of a previous existence”.
“I can also tell you that you have been visited by other species of extreme intelligence for millions of years. They made who you are. However, what your species does possess which others do not, is emotion. Be it hate, hope, fear, love or greed. It is some of the more negative aspects like greed and hate that will stop you ever progressing to what I would call a ‘Class A’ Planet”.
“Going one further I would be surprised if this planet will even reach maturity when its inhabitants are killing and slaughtering each other. And as a sport, battering each other in an express attempt to knock each other into a state of unconsciousness, or killing wild animals purely for SPORT”.
“Visitors, try and discover why it is you possess emotion and why other species do not and what is emotion. I will say that although all species of intelligence may not necessarily possess emotion they do possess a soul. It is the soul that lives on after death. On death, your body will decay but your soul will leave the decaying body and join you on the next part of your journey. Your soul is not of substance. It does not think. It is awareness, consciousness, pure cosmic energy found throughout the universe. Your soul IS energy. It IS you’’.
There was a knock on the door. Father said “that will be Greaves. Come in Greaves old chap. See if you can do something with this fire”.
Tamsin was whispering with Phaedra, probably asking her to explain what Mr Crisis had just said. Perhaps they could share it with me.
As Greaves coaxed the fire back into life Mr Crisis turned to Tamsin and said “Look I appreciate your inquiring mind young lady but I suggest we should not delve too much into other futures. It gets very complicated. Do you not agree Lord Campbell?” Father agreed. I have to admit it was rare to see mother speechless for a change.
There was a hint of relief on Tamsin’s face. She was more of an earthly creature, a creature of her time, as were both Phaedra and I, I suppose. Nevertheless, a future after death sounds most intriguing.
When Tamsin asked me when we were going to have something to eat I realized life after death was not all that high on Tamsin’s list of priorities. I suspect Tamsin has worms.
