Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars

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Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars Page 17

by Matthew Opdyke


  They could hardly speak, they were so choked up. In horror Eliza and Yesha witnessed the towers fall as if in two piles of dust and rubble. There were no phone calls from Charles or Eugene, the nation was shocked, and their spirits were crushed. With the terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, this was a day that they would never forget. This was an attack on love, on freedom, on innovation, on respect and dignity. This was an attack on humanity itself. The horrors of hate and its actions brought only misery to the lives of so many treasured and beloved souls. It was evident to Eliza and Yesha, the profound effect this had on them as well.

  Eliza tried to get up from the couch; she needed to get something, so she could drink some water, but found herself stumbling instead, so she turned to Yesha. With tears gushing down her face, they embraced a while longer and fell to their knees. “This was supposed to be a wonderful day, Charles’ and Eugene’s big day to begin bringing about their dreams, and now this.”

  After settling down, and still in shock, several hours had passed by. Eliza then gathered herself and asked, “How is it, that people can engage in such inhumanity, and bring about unspeakable horrors to such peaceful, kind, innovative, and loving people, the likes of whom they do not know? Apparently, this is an act of terrorism against our nation, by people who are from countries who have received an overall increase in prosperity, because of US industry, yet instead of sharing the wealth, the cronies absorbing the wealth indoctrinate those who struggle at their hands and blame the US for the disparity in their well-being. Now, they’ve taken out their misguided rage on so many wonderful people who actually do care. Here we are in a nation that is a superpower. While we should each take pride in our roots, and while we know as a whole our nation is not perfect, this tragic act of the most demonic aspects of humanity was grotesque and malicious beyond justification. This nation has given more to those suffering from famine, disease, meager resources, and greed than any other superpower nation in the history of mankind, yet despite all, today we have received a day of sadness and of loss from the hands of those who have become insanely wealthy, courtesy of the US and its allies, who instead of sharing, peppered their cronies and reviled their struggling while blaming the US and its allies for all of their woes. The gratitude for the sacrifices of many throughout our nation, both for and in their behalf, has been hit with such a striking and undeserved blow by those who, had they been properly educated and not malevolently indoctrinated, would have thrown thank you parties, replete with music, smiles, and hugs instead. Perhaps I am venting, and although vindication and mistrust is a form of social justice in cases like these, it may well be we have yet to learn the truth of it all, and we may never know anything unless someone is honest, and someone who would do this would never come clean of it anyway. We need to heal minds and remove societal toxicity.”

  Life was slow for a while. Days passed in silence, TVs were turned off, and studies were all of a sudden difficult to make sense of.

  For three weeks Eliza and Yesha stopped their studies, and they slept, wept, hugged, and drank tea. Their professors gave all of their students extra time and an extra break to gather themselves after these shocking events. Psychologists were on hand to provide counseling, and together, Eliza and Yesha went in to receive therapy themselves.

  It took a while to overcome the loss of Charles and Eugene. Eliza and Yesha knew they had lost them since their place of work had been on the floor that had been impacted by the very first jet, they’d received a confirmed presence in the building that day, and no other detail could be confirmed due to all of the rubble. As painful as this all was, for Eliza and Yesha, there was a certain amount of closure in knowing where they had been and lingering sadness knowing they would never return.

  Eliza, several days later at home with Yesha, told her, “I will never forget his demeanor, his attention to our dreams and whims, or how he wished me well before going in that day. I will never forget the horror when looking at the TV as we knew Charles and Eugene were in their work center, with no opportunity for escape. They were beginning their new careers, they wanted to help us reach our dreams, and now our future with them has been blown to smithereens.”

  She paused, “No matter the tragedy, no matter the pain, we have had our mourning, we have shed our tears, and the day has come for us to pick ourselves up and move forward. We cannot let the actions of a depraved element in society, dripping with the blood of innocence and systematic inhumanity, slow us down. We have to do more than we have ever thought we could do before. We cannot tolerate this sort of injustice any longer. I realize that these were the actions of neurologically imbalanced and misguided individuals who were given the appropriate title of “terrorist” wreaking terror upon the beautiful people of a great nation, however, this cannot, nor will we ever let these types of acts slow us down.

  “Yesha, I have analyzed and have worked out our trust, and we have plenty of funds to allow for the future we had shared and planned with Charles and Eugene. I also have chosen to enroll in additional majors. I will not only be majoring in neuroscience, physics, and biotechnology, but I will also be enrolled in mathematics, sociology, psychology, and law.

  “There is a lot that can be done to mend the minds that are too far gone for the technologies we have with us today. However, we can work—both of us, to create advanced systems that will heal those minds, and in the process reduce the suffering, the diseases, and the pains of those who suffer for no consequence of their own making. We can work together to bring longevity to the masses, reduce debt, increase health and well-being, and have the power to stop this type of action caused by the type of environment that unleashes an unhealthy mind.

  “We can do this, we will, and if we as a civilization can realize our goals, we will, each and every last breathing one of us, win. There are few other choices, aside from mediocrity and a lost will, suggesting we have lost. I haven’t lost my will, and I will not lose my mind. We have got a lot to do, so let’s stop groveling, crying, giving up, and being sad. It’s time to be happy, to burn with fire within, fill these husks of sorrow with the flame of will and drive to share the clarity of a better day with the world.”

  After saying this to Yesha, Yesha amidst tears gathered herself together and then hugged Eliza. After thinking about what Eliza had said, she was finally able to speak, “Wow, young lady. You should write a book once we’re done with our studies. You have inspired me, and I have no doubt you can inspire the world. So, thank you. Thank you, Eliza, for sharing these moments and these powerful ideas. Thank you for sharing this time with me, whether bitter or sweet, whether good or bad, you have given me the will to go on. Thank you, my dear friend and my forever sister in spirit, my kindred spirit.”

  Over the next five years, Eliza and Yesha dedicated themselves toward balance in their lives, with a heightened emphasis on their studies. Helping each other along the way, they finished their additional Master's degrees and PhDs by late 2005. Following which, they continued on as full-time professors at Harvard for two years. Eliza began writing legislative papers and reports for the congressional and senatorial representatives of her state, and with Yesha, their many achievements seemed minor and under the radar, but they were in truth, huge.

  Chapter 08: Eliza Williams, Section 5

  Eliza and Yesha completed post-doctoral studies in the late part of 2005. When they did, they graduated with academic achievements at the level of Summa Cum Laude, wherein Eliza received honors for seven PhDs, and Yesha received honors for three.

  In February of 2006, Doctors Eliza Williams and Yesha Alevtina worked as Professors at Harvard University, full time, and part-time at MIT, until late December of 2007.

  Early on while teaching at Harvard and MIT, after having spent a lot of time in the labs at both schools with unique permissions and accesses requiring high levels of trust, aside from fulfilling their duties as professors, Eliza and Yesha conducted the kind of research together that led to the development of s
ome remarkable advancements.

  Eliza and Yesha were incredible professors and often lauded by their students who admired their clarity. They were in a short period of time renown for the way they brought understanding to the minds of those they taught, and the residual motivation multiplied within their students toward their learning. They had inspired their peers and superiors alike through their diligence and dedication. Not only were they exceptionally brilliant professors, but they were also phenomenal researchers, innovators, and developers in the laboratory. Eliza had led the way, working with Yesha, as they helped Harvard and MIT produce numerous patents. They also took time to go over ideas and thoughts with each other, with some projects of their own, and all with the interest of attaining even higher goals.

  Eliza had been doing some private research and had come upon a significant breakthrough for physiological and neurological health, which subsequently caused her to contemplate beginning a new limited liability company, as planned with Yesha, Charles, and Eugene, in the interest of research, development, and worldwide distribution to raise the bar for humanity. In the spirit of transparency and getting the goods out, so to speak, this would be done so lives could be saved, and toxicity of every sort reduced. She wanted to introduce her new inventions to Harvard and MIT first, but in wisdom, Eliza decided she would confide with Yesha before doing so.

  It was early one summery Saturday, in 2006, when she came to Yesha to share her ideas. “Teaching is one of my many passions, you know that. However, the things that seem to pull at us, even more, are the creation of technologies that can preserve life, raise the quality of life for everyone interested, all the while realizing the well-being of others as well as ourselves.

  “You know that I sense the ability to create a legacy worthy of preserving for the long-haul is essential and in large part there already through the many heroes, historians, artists, romantics, scientists, and even some of our politicians, each of whom have graced the stage of Earth at many different times throughout many millennia. I believe, however, that we can compound upon these discoveries and augment our innovations with a kind and caring way of thinking, and we can create an environment that will allow goals for longevity in life, rather than lust for death, to flourish. Once that happens, I believe we will be even more moved with promise, because then hope and meaningful purpose will be imbued into what we do and teach.” Eliza paused for a bit.

  Yesha sipped her tea and put it down. She was with Eliza, one-hundred percent of the way, and as she sipped her tea, she thought about what Eliza had said as it lingered in the air. However, wanting to talk about it at length, she asked her if she would like to chat while going on a walk. She suggested that they could do so while going on a seven-hour round-trip jaunt from their estate in Cambridge to a small park along the ocean by Grover’s Cliff and back. Eliza agreed with the idea. There was a lot to discuss. So, they packed their bags with plenty of water and nutritious snacks and began their journey.

  “I totally get you, Eliza. We aren’t interested in a mediocre existence, living to barely get by until we die, and stranding society as it goes down the same road, where many who have fought against the true heroes of this world have gone. I mean, the true heroes are those who brought change in a good way to reduce misery, suffering, toxicity in the way one person treated another, and many of those true heroes, unfortunately, lost their lives while doing so. Every person who has ever worked in the past, and continues now, to end slavery, murder, rape, disease, hunger, thirst, and so much more are all-too-often forgotten, and in too many instances, many wonderful people from the past are judged harshly by the standards of today, due to the fact that they rose from their past and redeemed themselves through forward-moving and healthy pursuits, yet when society solely focuses on the misdeeds of their past, many extraordinarily wonderful icons seem more horrible than they were, given their times. Many wonderful people are the result of their environment, and in many circumstances, they are amazing despite it, or their teachings, and in so many ways personal choice is a beautiful reflection of each of those things. It is nice that there are those who have fought through the years, or even transcended their childhood for the rights of everyone to have a provision of a higher quality of education or a higher quality of life, imbuing motivation toward innovation into them, and these heroes have pushed many members of society in a manner that allows many more to increase our knowledge of humanity and of every detail of our Universe, so we can work toward a more lovely and promising future. Yes Eliza, we certainly have to and can do more.”

  Eliza thought about what Yesha had said, and she was right. She knew Yesha had more to say, so she listened. As they talked, they took in the sights and the sounds of the buzzing city and the parks nearby, some of the industry, and some of the shops, and were appreciative of so much.

  Yesha continued, “For far too long people have lived for merely one shared goal, due to the daunting nature that life seems to bring. That goal may be a noble one, but it comes short of progression in and of itself and does not recognize the complexity of life and all of its nuances. This goal is survival through natural evolution. To merely survive, no matter the means, as noble as it may seem at first, will actually lead to the end of life and the end of humanity, whether through natural events or mankind’s apparent affinity toward death. It’s as if far too many worship the almighty ‘mixed’ result rather than what logic, study, innovation, and common sense can bring resulting in the desired result. Finding cures for disease, both physiological and neurological, and innovating technologies as well as a pathway for humanity to quicken their pace for developing them will lead to preserving our Earth, our solar system, each individual, and humanity itself as we travel to and push the limits of the Universe and its sustainability.”

  “Exactly,” Eliza turned to Yesha and smiled. They both understood each other, and were already pretty much of one mind, but with two different angles that enriched their shared ideas.

  As they passed by a small university to their right, they saw a coffee shop and stopped there for a little break. While sipping their coffee, Eliza expounded on what was on her mind.

  Yesha listened intently. “We are both whole-heartedly dedicated toward creating mechanisms for physical and mental, or better said physiological and neurological well-being. Humanity has unfortunately suffered way too much from erred judgment and myopic thinking, or even bureaucracies that were perhaps well-intended at one time but have become mired in inefficiency and red tape and for far too long. To mend the decay of human injustice and to bring hope requires healing rather than harming. The evidence is obvious of the results of brutality, no matter their source of delivery, and nothing gained through misery-sourced means will bring everlasting joy or peace within, nor will it secure an indeterminate existence. The fundamental sciences and technologies are already there to cure illness, disease, and reduce suffering in so many ways, yet there is a gargantuan amount of negligence toward significant progress in large part due to the build-up of entrenched bureaucracies. Don’t get me wrong, they were perhaps once intended for good, but iron-clad virtues, ethics, and a moral code lies in shared well-being.

  “However, I believe that as a result and for no principally specific or horrible intent of any particular individual, true progress has been stymied. Too many, including myself, feel as though we are wrapped up in such a convoluted set of conundrums that lead to nowhere. I mean, the results have benefitted and profited far too few, and good for them, right? But, the well-being of others has actually and unfortunately become a burden beyond the abilities of anyone in power to visualize how to do anything about it, much less to have the clarity to take the appropriate steps toward getting us there. I write legislation for our state representative, and due to their expectations of the wordy and drawn out script for the law, it gets ignored all-too-often. The leaders, they have been too entrenched within the bureaucracies or have been indoctrinated so deeply in a negative sense that it is near impossible to be
ar witness to or even account for well-being. I mean if you read blogs, see the news, talk to the students, and even experience life, it’s obvious that what is actually and indeed the most important is actually and unfortunately considered laughable. We need a change.”

  After sipping their coffee and taking care of personal hygiene, they continued their walk down the avenue toward their destination. Eliza’s and Yesha’s conversations continued as well.

  Eliza went on further, “It seems clear to me that we both know how much humanity needs a nudge to have the vision necessary to find what will lead to the understanding of, the advancement of, and the preservation of Earth, as well as of civilization, and life itself.” They walked on, listening to the cars pass by.

  Yesha agreed. As they passed by a cross-fit building, they looked toward it and were pleased. Yesha then expounded on Eliza’s sentiments. “Instead of giving up on humanity or feeling at a loss, we need to take whatever privilege we have been blessed with and use the knowledge we’ve gained through our high-quality upbringing and education to change the game of life positively. Your parents were amazing, and I am grateful for what they did for myself and my Mom. We went through a lot of loss when we lost your parents, but they did a lot to make sure that their efforts were not in vain. I mean, look at you. You’re intelligent, you are very capable, you are healthy, and you actually care about others as well as yourself.”

  Yesha let her words hang in the air for a bit, and then Eliza responded, “Wise counsel, my friend. And, look at you. You are a fantastic person too, due in part to your efforts, as well as the efforts of both your Mom and my parents. You have been a wonderful friend throughout so many experiences, and I couldn’t ask for better. We’ve been through a lot, we’ve experienced life in such a way that our compassion has been tempered with strength, yet we understand that there are many who have been through so much worse without the proper environment or the necessary support to allow for healthy cognitive frame-working, and as a result they are at a loss as to what priorities indeed will increase the quality of life, with the meaning and purpose that suggests doing what is necessary for preserving life and the legacy of humanity.

 

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