“And Conformity asks but one question,” he continued, as if to himself, “All she cares to ask you is ‘Are you with us?’, and if yes, you get into the blissful heaven of warm and safe conformity, but if you dare to utter a “No”, then you’re a disbeliever: you doubt that society and conformity, like your mother before them, has all the answers, you disbelieved the heaven of conformity, then you should be kicked out to the desolate uncharted lands and islands of Truth-seeking, and Belief only in what’s beyond human society and ignorant conformity. Do you like the desert, or island life, Xeper?” He caught me by surprise again. I smiled, as I asked myself whether there would be broadband in such a desert, then laughed. I got his point.
“But why don’t we take everybody from Conformity to the islands of Truth-seeking?” I asked him. He gave me an amused smile and looked at me like the naive person I often feel I am and said “you simply can’t. Then the islands would become a New Conformity. And any Conformity sooner or later gets in conflict with Truth-seekers.” I didn’t look convinced, so he continued: “Take yourself, you live on the borderline, and you visit my island often. But you go home on the mainland, don’t you? And you believe I seek Truth and hence you listen to me, so you feel you can stay in Alberraao forever. But how could you, if even I cannot stay here forever and have to go to Conformity from time to time? Anyway, there comes to you from time to time, an idea I say that you don’t really understand or believe in. Yes I know it happens, I see it in your eyes. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are both seekers of Truth. If I demand you believe all that I say and follow me blindly, one of two things will happen; you will either start to follow me instead of following Truth, since you follow though you do not believe all I say, or you would leave me, calling me New Conformity. Right? You now know why I do not force my ideas on you. I want to remain a Truth-Seeker, inviting you and other Truth-Seekers to an adventure to chase Truth, where each may find Her the way he wants.
“Stay with me as long as you wish, you are the pleasure of my heart. But in time, you will want to build your own island, maybe beside mine. You would have graduated me. It is natural. It is the only proof I was a true seeker. Just remember then to drop by from time to time. Real Truth-seekers can always learn something from an old man, you know.” He smiled, trying to keep it light, but was totally serious as he finished: “But I would never try to force you to stay here. I do not want to become ugly New Conformity.”
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