Decree of the Watchers

Introduction: It has been said by those who have spent much of their lives studying such things that if one were to travel at the speed of light, or roughly 5.9 trillion miles per year, it would take about 93 Billion Earth-years to go from one edge of the observable universe to the other. During the course this 93-Billion-year journey one would go through an incredibly enormous expanse, infinitely greater than the natural human capacity can fathom, with hundreds of billions of galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars and other incomprehensible wonders. Outside the universe observable by humans is, what I call, the Great Beyond. What lies there has never been observed naturally by human eyes or detected by human instruments. Perhaps we all have wondered what significance the life of one individual person can have when viewed in the context of the vastness of our enormous universe and what may lie beyond it.   From the dawn of written human history, we've pondered this and related questions. In truth, all the philosophical musings regarding the purpose of life in all their nuances boil down to two questions each individual yearns, even if unaware of it, to have the answer to. Somewhere deep in our psyche, we all ask, "Is there any purpose to my life and my experiences? What is that purpose?” Every thinking person, at one or more points in life, ponders the meaning of his or her own personal experiences. But what about the suffering, even - no most especially, the incomprehensible suffering endured by many? Is there a specific purpose or destiny for every human life that has, or will, ever come into existence? Some have asserted that, indeed, a special destiny was specifically designed for certain individuals and that events in the universe have even been steered so as to facilitate these plans. Ancient writings from the Near East seem to reflect the belief that events in the universe are, at times, altered for the sake of certain individuals or groups of people.   One account tells about certain Watchers, powerful inorganic Beings who, from an unseen realm outside time and space, observe and, at times, even change the course of human history in accordance with particular destinies ordained for specific persons. The Watchers observed, in advance, the impending severe oppression and near annihilation of a certain group of innocent defenseless people, a horrendous period to take place at an undefined future time. They then convened, in a court-like proceeding of some sort. Mysteriously, in the Watchers' realm, a dimension not limited by boundaries of time and space, judgment is rendered in favor of the oppressed group to avert events that had not yet even begun to transpire. Following this judgment, a decree is issued and the previously potential future course of a history that had not as yet taken place was immediately and immutably altered. The people who, perhaps in an alternate reality, were marked for annihilation were spared from destruction but not from some measure of persecution and suffering. Could it be that similar judgments have been rendered and decrees made in this realm outside the space-time continuum on behalf of and affecting the lives of many other individuals throughout time? This is a story about how the unseen Watchers rendered judgment in favor of one person for whom a special destiny, one that transcended the limits of time, space and his own physical life, had been planned. The Watchers gave meaning to this person's otherwise meaningless suffering. The Watchers not only observed this individual, they monitored, guided and even altered events on Earth and elsewhere so as to enable him to fulfill the destiny designed specifically for him. This they did, without ever negating his freedom of choice. t is, in essence, a story about personal freedom. However, it is not about that which is often commonly referred to as "freedom" - that is, the liberty to do what one wants and go where one wants, the ability to pursue dreams and goals, the ability to express ideas and opinions without punishment. These are all valuable freedoms, provided one acts in accordance with just laws and does not infringe on someone else's rights and freedom. However, one can have these phenomenally valuable freedoms most of us cherish dearly, yet still not be truly "free" - at least, sufficiently free to have internal peace and fully enjoy and appreciate life. Hence the story is not an account about the right to the self-centered gratification some erroneously call "freedom". Rather, it is more about freedom from emotional and mental "chains" that can bind the human spirit even when a person is physically and politically "free"; chains of fear, hatred, compulsions, depression and despair. It is also about a particular freedom seldom recognized as such - that is, the ability and willingness to give up or restrain one's personal liberty for the sake of principles or persons or perhaps for a cause greater than the gratification of temporal wants and needs. The ability to experience internal peace and enduring satisfaction after having chosen, with intentional forethought, to purposely restrict one's personal liberty for the sake of others or a for great cause, is perhaps the greatest freedom of all. Chapter 1 The Dark Time Long ago, many humans believed they were alone in the vastness of the universe. Although many observed, studied and wondered at the marvels and the precision of the universe they were able to observe, they believed there was no Infinite Intelligence responsible for it or for what lies beyond it, the Great Beyond they had never seen or been able to detect with their instruments. However, they were not alone...