thus at the core of today's discu- sion we find four fundamental doc- trines. first, that the world of matter and individual consciousness are both manifestations of one divine reality.
even you, mr. palmer, are part of it, as amazing as that may seem.
second, human beings are capable not only of kowledge about this divine re- ality by inference but can realize its existence by direct intuition, superior even to reason.
third, man possesses a double nature, an ego and an eternal self, what we call "spirit" or "soul."
fourth, and most important, man's life on earth has only one end and purpose, to learn to let go of the separate ego and to identify with the divine spark within.
almost impossible to believe, isn't it mr. palmer, that somewhere in that unconscious head of yours lies the source of all consciousness?
well now, having reached this apotheosis there seems little, if anything, left to say. so rather than try, you are dismissed.
my oh my. doctor singer. isn't this a happy surprise?
are you in the service?
ah. neither snow nor sleet, nor dark of night .  i always admired that.
likewise.
and how is your wife? sarah, no?
ah!
hmm. i don't suppose there are too many philosophers in the post office?
last i heard you were offered a posi- tion in the west somewhere. tuscon was it?
jacob, if it was any other brain but yours, i might agree. tell me, does your lady friend know what a brilliant thinker, what a sub- lime intellect she's living with?
well, try not to get burned. you have a great mind, jacob. don't let anyone tempt you away from it.
demons, jacob? why demons? are you writing .  ?
see them? what do you mean? physically?
i know very little about demons, ja- cob, fleshy ones anyway. i know them as literary figures, biblical ones .  dante, milton .  but jacob, this is the 20th century. we don't see demons now.
have you considered a doctor? a psy- chiatrist?
i don't know what to say.
demons? i don't know what to tell you. it sounds like a spiritual mat- ter to me. the problem, jacob, is that you have no context for it. you're a renegade existentialist suf- fering demons a hundred years after freud. how the hell am i supposed to make it fit?
jacob, i don't believe in demons, not in the empirical sense. i don't be- lieve in devils fighting for our souls. i don't believe in enternal damnation. i don't believe in other- worldly creatures tormenting us. we don't need them. we do a good enough job on ourselves.
look. i don't pretend to know what's going on inside your head. for all i know it's pathological and they should be pumping valium into your veins by the quart. but if you're not willing to accept the help of sci- ence; and believe me, i admire you for that: then you'll have to do bat- tle on your own. what can i say? it's a lonely pilgrimage through our times even for the strongest souls. but to be pursued by .  demons no less .  there are no guides, jacob. you wanna know what i'd do if i sud- denly started seeing demons? i'd hail the first taxi that came along, shoot over to bellvue and beg them for shock treatment. i'm no saint.
i'venever understood you, you know that? you were by far the best pupil i've ever had, bar none. intellectu- ally, you were the most original, the most imaginative. who knows, maybe you've been "elected" to see demons. maybe you're in touch with .  some- thing. nothing would surprise me about you jacob. nothing.