Cheers to Fractals (A Short Story)
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“What on Earth are you talking about, man?”
Richard chuckled, side-eyeing his friend.
They sat at the restaurant bar, coated in the calm, warm ambiance of a Tuesday summer evening.
“Think about it,” Jeondre whispered, like he was telling a secret. “Everything contains everything else.”
Richard played with his glass, trying to ignore the rabbit hole. Part of him liked it though. That’s why he stayed in touch with Jeondre. It was a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else who only talked about the weather, the Yankees, or the current thing the news said to be afraid of.
“I thought we were just gonna grab a beer and have a few laughs,” Richard muttered. “But here you go again.”
“Entertain me for a second, Rich. This is profound.” Jeondre looked around the restaurant like it was Plato’s Cave.
“Okay. This better have some logic to it,” Richard snickered. “You know what I think of all that woo-woo stuff.”
Jeondre shrugged, then leaned in to continue.
“You know how the planets are named after gods?”
“Of course,” Richard said. “So…”
“So, what if the planets actually ARE the gods? Or at least the part of the gods that poke into our reality.”
Richard scrunched his eyebrows. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t see Jupiter looking like Zeus, big beard, hurling lightning bolts and all that.”
“Exactly,” Jeondre said. Richard’s head tilted, surprised by Jeondre’s agreement with him. He leaned in as Jeondre spoke again.
“We assume that beings of higher consciousness would be just like us — like humans. Isn’t that a bit naïve and anthropomorphic?”
“True,” Richard admitted, curiosity raising the pitch of his voice.
Jeondre was lit up now, waving his hands as he talked. “What if highly advanced beings don’t run around like giant humans with superpowers, fighting and flying? Maybe they hold space for lots of other beings to have experiences? They just act as silent guardians of balance and harmony.”
“Hmm…” Richard never thought about it that way before.
“I mean,” Jeondre continued. “People have always said the Earth and the sun were living beings, right?”
“Yeah,” Richard conceded. “But wasn’t it supposed to be metaphorical?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Jeondre said. “Or maybe we’ve become so blinded by our own sense of superiority that we don’t notice more advanced beings when we see them.”
“Okay you’re scaring me, man. That’s too deep.” Richard took a gulp of beer to console himself.
Letting out a sigh, Richard asked, “If they’re so advanced, then why don’t they communicate with us?”
Jeondre smiled. “Rich! They are communicating with us, always! What if weather is communication? What about the behavior of animals? What about plants? What about the mathematical ratios and geometry we find everywhere? That’s communication! But just because the Earth doesn’t yell ‘Hi’ doesn’t mean it's not sentient!”
Richard slowly turned his head. His eyes met Jeondre’s. Then both burst out laughing.
Richard clapped his friend on the back. “Touché, sir. You are one unique anchovy.”
“You get it now, Rich? Everything contains everything else. Everything that exists in all dimensions has some kind of foothold in our reality. Fractals, bro... Fractals…”
“I’m gonna have to process this for a couple days, or decades, then get back to ya.”
The two sat in silence, watching the other people go about their business.
After a few seconds, Richard held his glass up to Jeondre. “Cheers to fractals.”
“Cheers to fractals,” Jeondre replied.