A slender, wide-eyed being looked down at the Earth. Tears pricked at its eyes, like sharp, dewy needles in the soft issue of the iris.

“They are doing it wrong,” it said sullenly.

A Buddhist monk gazed over from his crisscrossed position. “They really are.”

The Earth was filled with people, all sorts of wonderful people. Yet, somehow, they ended up… attending a brainwashing elementary from the young age of six until twelve, when they moved on to secondary school. What the hell was _that_? Conditioning. And then, at the tender age of eighteen, you were deemed an adult. That implied either getting a higher education or a full-time job: you could be an insurance agent, a dentist, doctor or lawyer, you could even be an accountant or a cashier. Then, you work ‘till you get to be 65, and, after marriage, maybe a kid or two, maybe a few grandkids as well, then you will retire and live with a dog and a cat and your sickly spouse, doing puzzles and sudokus ‘till you pass away from old age or disease. Hopefully, you will have some money to pass along to your kids! You’d better hope so, yeah, ‘cause they need to buy a house but- _gasp_- in this economy?!

Showering, working, grocery shopping, consuming, scrolling mindlessly, showering again and eating some “chicken,” working again, ah, shit, rent is due again! Honey, can you wash the dishes?

Chris Cornell looked over to the being, his arms held out in his Jesus Christ pose. “What’s wrong?”

“They are doing it all wrong…” It murmured, with its heart deflating and leaking out green blood. “It’s so sad.”

“It really is,” agreed the monk, slightly nodding as he took a deep breath. “Don’t they know it’s not how they’re meant to do it? Why don’t they just…”

“I know!” Chris Cornell sighed, his arms still held out as if on a cross.

Down on Earth, there was a woman sat outside beneath a tree, smoking grass, music playing gently in her ears. A book, _The Zahir _by Paulo Coelho, sat on her lap, coffee-stained pages reflecting thoughts of her youth.

“Thank God I’m not like them,” she thought as she gazed over the city, highways crammed with people already weary as Monday mornings began across the globe. Insurance offices opened, car salesmen slapped the tops of cars in hopes for commission, dentists sighed and pulled on their blue gloves.

The Woman watched over the city, pupils dilated with mushroom eyesight. It was just her, her grass, her music, and _The Zahir_ against the world. “The next tribe is coming,” she said aloud, “to overtake us. We just aren’t doing it right, so they will redo it from year zero.”

“Wait! Look!” Cried the being, black insect eyes aglow. “She’s got it, she’s got it!”

“She really does,” the monk smiled sadly, “but no one will ever believe her…”

“It’s even more sad- she’s so alone…” Chris added, sighing once more. “And yet they haven’t broken her.”

“I wish _we_ could tell them,” said the being. It stared over at The Sun, indestructible eyes beginning to bleed with salt water, solar system tears.

“You’re too emotional,” noted the monk calmly, but inside, in the backs of his eyes, he felt the steady inward trickle of very sad tears.

“They are so doomed… Why can’t even stop them, and yet we lament…” Even Chris Cornell, in his Jesus Christ pose, could feel that heavy weight in his eyes. A tear fell down his face.

But all they could do was cry.

**[note: please someone get the SoundGarden reference… i used Chris Cornell as a kind of representative for the Christian Jesus because I felt uncomfortable using Jesus himself as a character in my story, mostly because I’m not Christian myself. The “Jesus christ pose” is a reference to one of his songs. I also used a Buddhist monk in place of Buddha because I’m not Buddhist (I was at one point). This was just something I was thinking about at, you know, two in the morning on a Thursday. So here is 600 words (exactly 600) of philosophy for you :) btw, I intend no disrespect to anybody via this writing! (Religious or otherwise) **

**Lastly, book recommendation is The Zahir by Paulo Coelho, I recommend 14+ but I first read it at 12, it’s very interesting, explores Love (not romance/spice), philosophy, middle eastern ideas, French literature, and more. Please lmk if you read it, I highly recommend especially for young people (teens/young adults) anyway sorry for the loooong writing but THANK YOU SM IF YOU READ THIS ALL]**