Humans' ultimate desires

Chasing the end of human desires

The Lord held in his hands a pile of dust and formed from it a creature in his image. The Lord thence breathes life into the creature and saith to him, "thy name shalt be Atamai. I, the Lord, has given thee my image, my powers, and my blessings.” The creatures stands erected as a statue, looking upon the Lord with inanimate eyes. Seeing so, the Lord remembers to endow upon the creature his wisdom and soul. But before he was able to do so, the Lord passed away out of exhaustion and dissipated amongst the stars.

Thus was the beginning of Atamai, the first demigod, accounted truthfully as above.

“My stomach boils with hunger and my throat burns with thirst,” saith Atamai, “I shalt plenish myself with sustenance.” He does as he hath said, and satisfied himself of his desires.

“My body shivers in the icy coldness and my feet throbs on the prickling surface of this land,” saith Atamai, “I shalt clothe my body in comforting cat-fur and make a pair of wooden sandals to shield my feet.” He does as he hath said, and satisfied himself of his desires.

“My face suffers in the gnarling wind, and my legs tire of supporting my torso,“ saith Atamai, “I shalt build myself a wooden dwelling and furnish it with chairs and beds.” He does as he hath said and satisfied himself of his desires.

“Many years have thus passed. I' have satisfied my stomach with delicacies of the merriland. I have tasted ambrosias produced from westland and wines made in the eastland, and forth on. I have made myself clothes with the most comforting velvets and chairs from the most delicate furs. Yet, my heart is not content. An emptiness swells within, “ saith Atamai to the Sage.

The Sage saith, “thou desires the company of others.”

And Atamai saith, “To expel my solitude, I shalt create for myself a companion in my image. I shalt rib a bone from my body and form from it a companion with whom I can rejoice in the interchange of words, intimacy, and intercourse.” He does as he hath said and satisfied himself of his desires.

Seeing that his companion is great, Atamai saith “I see now that my companion is great. I shalt create a multitude of them, of different appearances, voices, and minds, with whom I can thus rejoice in the interchange of words, intimacy, and intercourse.” He does as he hath said, and made myriads of companions, made in roughly his image, with varied appearances, voices, and minds.

“Now I hath created myriads of companions, with whom I can rejoice in the interchange of words, intimacy, and intercourse, but many of my creatures have gone off by themselves, and no longer hold me with esteem,” saith Atamai, “I alone shalt be the fairest, wisest, and mightiest. I shalt clothe myself in gold and diamonds and command by force that all my creatures kneel before me and call me the Lord. I alone, shalt be the most esteemed.” He does as he hath said and satisfied himself of his desires.

“Many years have thus passed. I was satisfied and happy in my Princely life. I have tasted the most exquisite of ambrosia, worn the most comforting silk, and adorned myself with gleaming diamonds. I have rejoiced in the interchange of words with the most congenial minds and intimacy with the most appealing bodies. I have made all creatures of the merriland bow to me and hold me with the highest esteem as the sole prince of the land. Yet my heart yet aches with a sense of emptiness, a sense of purposeless dread,” saith Atamai to the Sage.

“I am Atamai the Lord, with the upmost talents and the almighty power to move mountains with my palm, build castles with a tap of my finger, turn metal to gold, dwarf crowds with my colossal might, create the most wondrous arts and music with a flick of my finger, unwind the laws of the cosmo with a casual wave of my hand, how it is so that I cannot satiate my heart?”

“You hath said the reasons yourself,” saith the Sage.