Chapter 2: Jack

                As was stated before even this line of research had turned out to be futile. This in fact was part of the epiphany we spoke of earlier. The other part of the epiphany was this, he would talk to Jack. He decided to talk to Jack because Leo knew that in spite of the diagnosis by countless doctors, psychiatrist, and family members, Jack, did not have depression, or anti personality disorder , or any other serious impairment.  What Jack had was perspective. Specifically he suffered from acute and chronic perspective. It was precisely for this reason; Leo looked to Jack for guidance, because to Leo, Perspective equaled Truth. Of course Jack would usually be the first to point out that this was not necessarily the case. He would say truth and perspective were two separate, and usually altogether different things. But Jack wouldn’t say this, at least not to Leo.

 The Reason Jack wouldn’t say this to Leo was because Jack had learned some time ago that it was better to let people think whatever they wanted. Jack had learned this due to the fact that  he had acute, and unfortunately chronic perspective, and while this did not make him suicidal (after all what would be the point, when he would die eventually anyway) it did often put his immediate circle of family and friends on a bit of a downer. This had caused Jack to decide, more often than not, that it was better to keep his perspectives to himself.

This meant that Jack would only share his perspective with those silly enough to ask for it.  While most people had learned not to ask for it, usually after the first serious attempt, Leo was daft enough to come back to Jack time and time again, even though he never really understood what Jack was saying any way.   After all there are two ways in which people tend to deal with the world around them.  The first way is by embracing and acknowledging all the world’s cynical nastiness, assuming the worst and becoming, cynical and nasty themselves. The second is by ignoring it almost completely and pretending that people are inherently good and life in essence is beautiful. The thing that most people found disconcerting about Jack was that he seemed to be able to do both almost simultaneously. While Jack did acknowledge all the cynical nastiness around him, see its merit, and attempt to embrace it in his life he also tended to believe that life was beautiful and everything (in the long run) would be all right. The reason for this, simply put, was pie.

 

                Jack liked pie. Jack liked quite a few things actually, such as, walking in the woods, talking with friends, taking naps, Duran Duran, and of course more pie. Jack also had things he didn’t like, genocide, racism, war, being “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. Yes Jack knew about the horrifically evil things people did to each other and the planet, he also knew about the wonderfully kind things people did to each other and the planet. And as far as Jack was concerned, neither could really cancel the other out. Bad things existed. Pie existed. So though pie, by no means made the problems of the world right, or anything silly like that, Jack had decided that if he was going to exist he may as well enjoy it, and since to Jack enjoying life meant doing what he enjoyed, he decided to do precisely that. And since Jack really enjoyed eating pie that is what he did. After all just because mean and nasty things existed that didn’t mean you had to be around them. This is not to say Jack avoided things he didn’t like, the way a cat avoids a bath.

He just existed and if something happened he didn‘t like, he just let it happen and would go on to something he enjoyed. No he didn’t avoid bad things; he just didn’t put himself in situations where he knew he might find them. Simply put, Jack existed, and because of things like pie, he rather enjoyed existing. It was this Jack that Leo had decided to ask about his dilemma. And in the end it was this Jack who agreed to meet with Leo at a local diner.

 

                So while sitting over coffee, Jack patiently listened to Leo’s problems, only interrupting once or twice in order to clarify some of what he thought may be key points. Finally Leo finished. After a long and thoughtful pause Jack  told Leo that he would need to think at length about his questions and would return with an answer when it came (after all, he did not suffer, thankfully from instant perspective) and at the moment would like to order some pie. This did not upset Leo for he had been friends with Jack a long time and knew how he worked. So they finished their coffee, and ordered some pie.

 

                Two weeks later the answer arrived, and Jack knowing  that Leo wouldn’t be able to handle his answer, went to the appropriate government agencies, filed the appropriate paper work and within the seven to ten business days had established a website, written several papers (all under assumed names), established an appropriate organization, and started, in effect, a new religion.  All of which, coincidentally corresponded, complimented and over all agreed with each other. And so Jack having established his evidence, and in effect creating a safety net in which he was confident could catch and cradle Leopold’s fragile psyche, called Leo and invited him to pie.

 

                The conversation went something like this:

 

“So you thought about it?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And you have an answer”

 

“Yeah.”

 

There was a long pause.

 

“Well what is it?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The answer?”

 

“Let’s order first.”

 

               

 

                Leo was getting restless. Jack had already finished his first slice of pie and had started eating his second. Leo knew Jack was stalling. He had waited close to 3 weeks for the answer, and while he appreciated Jack’s company, he was pretty sure there were more constructive things he could be doing with his time than watching Jack eat pie. When Leo made a comment to this effect Jack had simply coughed and recommended that Leo order some pie himself. They had already been sitting in the restaurant for half an hour and Leo was starting to get impatient.

 

“So are you going to tell me or not?”

 

Jack remained silent

 

“So are you going to tell me or not?” Leo repeated

 

“Honestly” Jack said “I haven’t quit decided yet”

 

“Well can you make up your mind? I have other things I would like to do today”

 

“Oh”

 

Leo waited. Finally Jack answered.

 

“I think you have an  un-healthy obsession with reality.”

 

“Huh”

 

“Well” Jack looked down at his empty plate “it seems to me that reality exist whether you prove it or not.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So there is no real point in proving or disproving any of it. I mean if it exist and you exist, than why not

just let it be?”

 

“How can I do that?”

 

“Easy, don’t think. Just be”

 

“That’s your advice? Your great insight? Just be”

 

“Yep.”

 

“But how will I know what to do?”

 

“You won’t.”

 

“So what should I be doing?”  Leo at this point seemed very upset

 

“Whatever you think you should be doing.”

 

“But that’s the point. I don’t know what to think.”

 

“Then don’t worry about it.”

 

This perplexed Leo more than anything Jack had ever said. So like always Leo did whatever he did whenever he was greatly perplexed he just sat there with a strange look on his face. Jack decided to interrupt before Leo thought himself into a coma.

 

“You seem to be taking this rather seriously.”

 

“How else am I supposed to take it?”

 

Jack shrugged.

 

Leo’s head was spinning. Just be. Just “be“. But how would he know how to “be“. What process, what steps he would need to take to do that. Where could he go to learn this? The answer was clear. He would check the ultimate source of information, the internet. Though it was true that Leo had given up on the internet as a source of ultimate knowledge, it still had proved quiet useful as a tool for research.  He stood up suddenly. That was what he would do. He would Google “being“.  Jack watched silently as Leo grabbed his coat and ran for the door. Jack knew what Leo was going to do. In fact he had planned on this. Jack smiled and asked for the check.

 

                That night at his computer Leo had found what he was looking for. What Leo had found was this: Several philosophy papers, a world organization and something that was in effect a religion. (Leo also found some rather disreputable sites which had featured the scantily clad sorority girls which had not been involved in Leo rescue). To Leos amazement not only did each explain how to be, but better yet none of the resources he had found contradicted the others. Leo was ecstatic. He decided to call Jack immediately. 

 

                Jack could barely understand Leo, he was talking much too fast. All he understood was something about coffee. Jack was not sure that coffee would be a good idea. It was kind of late and Leopold had been speaking in short ecstatic bursts already. Jack was afraid what might happen if Leo was caffeinated. His minded drifted to an experiment he had done as a child. Jack had given his Aunts Jack Russell terrier, some Mountain Dew. As he recalled the dog did not return home for a week. Yes Jack was uncomfortable with the thought of giving Leo more caffeine. Finally Jack decided on a response.

 

“Maybe Tomorrow.”

Author's Note

Need help with punctuation. Grammar and style are intentional.