TheEgg

Youhavedied.
Youwereonyourwayhomewhenyoudied.
Itwasacaraccident,nothingparticularlyremarkable,butfatalnonetheless.Youleftbehindawifeandtwo
children.Itwasapainlessdeath.TheEMTstriedtheirbesttosaveyoubuttonoavail.Yourbodywasso
utterlyshatteredyouwerebetteroff,trustme.
Andthatswhenyoumetme.
What..Whathappened?Youasked.WhereamI?
YoudiedIsaid,matteroffactly.Nopointinmincingwords.
Therewasa..atruckanditwasskidding
Yup.Isaid.
I..Idied?
Yup,butdontfeelbadaboutit.Everyonedies.Isaid.
Youlookedaround.Therewasnothingness.Justyouandme.Whatisthisplace?Youasked.Isthisthe
afterlife?
Moreorless.Isaid.
AreyouGod?Youasked.
Yup.Ireplied.IamGod.
Mykids..mywife,Yousaid.
Whataboutthem?
Willtheybealright?
ThatswhatIliketosee,Isaid...youjustdiedandyourmainconcernisyourfamily.Thatsgoodstuff
rightthere.

Youlookedatmewithfascination.
ToyouIdidntlooklikeGod.Ijustlookedlikesomemanorpossiblyawoman.Somevagueauthority
figure,maybe.Moreofagrammarschoolteacherthanthealmighty.
Dontworry.Isaid.Theyllbefine.Yourkidswillrememberyouasperfectineveryway.Theydidnt
havetimetogrowcontemptforyou.Yourwifewillcryontheoutside,butbesecretlyrelieved.Tobefair,
yourmarriagewasfallingapart.Ifitsanyconsolation,shellfeelveryguiltyforfeelingrelieved.
Oh,Yousaid...sowhathappensnow?DoIgotoheavenorhellorsomething?
Neither.Isaid.Youllbereincarnated.
Ah,Yousaid...SotheHinduswereright.
Allreligionsarerightintheirownway,Isaid...walkwithme.

Youfollowedalongaswestrodethroughthevoid.
Wherearewegoing?
Nowhereinparticular,Isaid...Itsjustnicetowalkwhilewetalk.
Sowhatsthepoint,then?Youasked.WhenIgetreborn,Illjustbeablankslate,right?Ababy.Soall
myexperiencesandeverythingIdidinthislifewontmatter.
Notso!Isaid.Youhavewithinyoualltheknowledgeandexperiencesofallpastlives.Youjustdont
rememberthemrightnow.
Istoppedwalkingandtookyoubytheshoulders.
Yoursoulismoremagnificent,beautiful,andgiganticthanyoucanpossiblyimagine.Ahumanmindcan
onlycontainatinyfractionofwhatyouare.Itslikestickingyourfingerinaglassofwatertoseeifitshot
orcold.Youputatinypartofyourselfintothevessel,andwhenyoubringitbackout,youvegainedall
theexperiencesithad.
Youvebeeninahumanforthelast48years,soyouhaventstretchedoutyetandfelttherestofyour
immenseconsciousness.Ifwehungouthereforalongenough,youdstartrememberingeverything.But
theresnopointtodoingthatbetweeneachlife.
HowmanytimeshaveIbeenreincarnated,then?

Ohlots.Lotsandlots.Anintolotsofdifferentlives.Isaid.Thistimearound,youllbeaChinese
peasantgirlin540AD.
Wait,what?Youstammered.Youresendingmebackintime?
Well,Iguesstechnically.Time,asyouknowit,onlyexistsinyourUniverse.ThingsaredifferentwhereI
comefrom.
Whereyoucomefrom?Yousaid.
Ohsure,Iexplained...Icomefromsomewhere.Somewhereelse.Andthereareotherslikeme.Iknow
youllwanttoknowwhatitslikethere,buthonestlyyouwouldntunderstand.
Oh,yousaid,alittleletdown...butwait.IfIgetreincarnatedtootherplacesintime,Icouldhave
interactedwithmyselfatsomepoint.
Sure.Happensallthetime.Andwithbothlivesonlyawareoftheirownlifespanyoudontevenknowits
happening.
Sowhatsthepointofitall?
Seriously?Iasked.Seriously?Youareaskingmeforthemeaningoflife?Isntthatalittle
stereotypical?
Wellitsareasonablequestion,Youpersisted.

Ilookedyouintheeye.
Themeaningoflife,thereasonImadethisWholeUniverse,isforYOUtomature.
Youmeanmankind?Youwantustomature?
No,justYOU.ImadethisWholeUniverseforYOU.WitheachnewlifeYOUgrowandmatureand
becomealargerandgreaterintellect.
Justme?Whatabouteveryoneelse?
Thereisnooneelse,Isaid...inThisUniverse,theresjustYOUandME.
Youstaredblanklyatme.ButallthepeopleonEarth
Allyou.DifferentincarnationsofYOU.
Wait.Imeveryone!?
Nowyouregettingit,Isaid,withacongratulatoryslapontheback.
Imeveryhumanbeingwhoeverlived?
Orwhowilleverlive,yes.
ImAbrahamLincoln?
ImHitler?Yousaid,appalled.
Andyouarethemillionshekilled.
ImJesus?
Andyoureeveryonewhofollowedhim.
Youfellsilent.
Everytimeyouvictimizedsomeone,Isaid,..Youwerevictimizingyourself.Everyactofkindness
youvedone,youvedonetoyourself.Everyhappyandsadmomenteverexperiencedbyanyhumanwas,
orwillbe,experiencedbyYOU.

Youthoughtforalongtime.
Why?Youaskedme.Whydoallthis?
Becausesomeday,YOUwillbecomelikeme.Becausethatswhatyouare.Youreoneofmykind.
Youremychild.
Whoa,yousaid,incredulous.YoumeanImagod?
No.Notyet.Youreafetus.Yourestillgrowing.Onceyouvelivedeveryhumanlifethroughoutalltime,
youwillhavegrownenoughtobeborn.
SotheWholeUniverse,Yousaid,..itsjust
Anegg.Ianswered.Nowitstimeforyoutomoveontoyournextlife.
AndIsentyouonyourway.
By:AndyWeir

Conclusion

Thefeelingyoufeelrightnowlikeyouarelevitatingoveryourselfthatsyourmindbeingblown.Elevated.
YouveAscendedtoawholenewlevel.
Iwishyouhaveamirrorrightnowtoseeyourface
Andyes,itisinevitabletothinkaboutthiswhenyoumeetsomeoneelse.
YouwillstartquestioningyourselfCanmymother,ormybrother,mykid,mywife,mybestfriend,allbe
me?Youllthinkofthiswhenyoutalkwiththem
Youllstartquestioningevenmore,Canthissexywaitress,orLeonardoDiCaprio,orGhandi,allthose
terrorists,politicians,soldierswhodiedinwars,myboss..couldallofthembereallyME?
Butthatsok.
Question.Questioneverythingandeveryone.
StartseeingTheUniversethroughthisprism.StartseeingTheWorldandeveryoneinitwiththiseye.
Imagineifweallsaweachotherlikethis.Asone.
Sowhatifthisisjustastory,itsthestorywebelieveinthatmatters.Andmaybeitstimetochangethe
storyandacceptnewone.AstorywhichwillmakeTheWorldabetterplace.
Itsnotwhichstoryistrue.ALLOFTHEMARE.
ItswhichstorymakesYOUabetterperson.AGOD.
P.S.WhenIthinkaboutit,YOUwrotethistextforyourself.