Head in The Clouds (Fiction)

There once was a random airplane flying over random clouds in a random order. This plane was standard as any other airplane; its wings were long, and not so elegant, and its body was rather big for an airplane. It shook with turbulence due to its position in the clouds, however, it seems the pilot enjoyed the view in the clouds quite a bit. Most pilots enjoy the clouds, as it is more fun than the boring plain blue sky. However, mundane this airplane is the conversation within is not so mundane. It is one of the most important questions one can ask! Who created the clouds?

This question has been talked about for centuries by billions of so-called philosophers. It is a question that is important to how people dictate their lives no matter how mundane a simple cloud is. Some people lay down five times a day pointing to a black rock in the worship of the cloud creator, while others do wacky dances in a theater in the glory of this cloud maker. However, some people (who are rather brave) reject the idea of a cloud creator entirely. They live their lives as if the clouds were just there, that the clouds were made by themselves, not by anybody. This viewpoint has become more popular in recent decades and within this plane sat not only a cloud maker denier but also a devout cloud creationist.

The cloud maker denier (or Atheist for short) name is Cato. She is a bit of a wild child with long colored hair and a pale white face. Her clothes are exotic with plenty of colors with a base layer of black. She had the misfortune of sitting next to a cloud creationist (or for short a Theist) who was rather the opposite of her. Our theist’s name is Jedidiah he is a fundamental Catholic who has been in the church for many years. He is bald with a long white beard; his skin is wrinkly and well-tanned due to his working a rather physical job outside. Though these two are opposites they manage to have a conversation that some say would outlive this rather long plane ride.

“Ah! I see you have the cross of St. Peter upon your shirt,” said Jedidiah who was not known for subtlety, “It is a nice cross isn’t it?”

Cato giggled at the old man’s comment, “Well, St. Peter would not be so happy about the reason I wear this shirt.”

“Why is that?” asked Jedidiah.

Cato made a devil’s horn hand gesture and said, “El Diablo!”

There was an awkward silence that could be felt from a mile away. Cato felt nervous about her rude hand gesture, and Jedidiah’s stupid question got him overthinking about it too. Cato broke the silence with a simple greeting.

“Sorry… Let’s start with our names…my name is Cato” she said.

“My name is Jedidiah.”

Jedidiah reaches out his hand towards Cato for a handshake which Cato hesitantly takes. Regardless of a weird greeting if someone reaches out their hand it is even more awkward to decline. The theist decided to ask a simple question that other cloud creationists have asked for thousands of years.

“So, are you an Atheist? Why don’t you believe in God?” asked Jedidiah.

This is a rather simple question, but an annoying one that atheists have been forced to answer once it became a normal thing to be an atheist. Cato put some thought into the question of what she did with all things and decided on a topic that was sure to leave an even more awkward aura in the room.

“Look at the clouds outside, Jedidiah.” She said, “Due to these clouds and thousands of storms around the world millions of people have died.”

Jedidiah stopped for a bit taking a moment to think about it then he sputtered out a response, “Rain also helps crops and saves more lives than it harms.”

Cato laughs at the response given to her by the theist, “Could God not create the perfect amount of rain and clear skies without terrible storms?”

You see this allegory is made for the problem of evil. There is sadly so much of it in this world, even in the beautiful sky we can see the horrors more than anyone. Theists have been trying to answer this question for years and yet both parties can agree that some evil is unanswerable.

“Well, that is a mystery that is known only to God,” Jedidiah retorted, “Imagine a chess player playing with a million chessboards, and every time he moves a piece all the boards move a random piece, and that how complicated God’s rule is.”

“It seems to me that God is just really shitty at making a universe!” laughed Cato.

Before Jedidiah could answer a lovely flight attendant drove by with her snack cart. She was a young woman with pitch-black hair and ebony skin. Her uniform was immaculately put together and her smile was sweeter than candy. She looked at our two characters and asked them a simple question, “would you like something to eat, maybe something to drink?”

The pleasantry of the young woman put Cato and Jedidiah in a calming mood. Cato gladly accepts her offer and takes a bag of peanuts and a cup of coke. Jedidiah asks for a rum and coke, to which the stewardess gladly complies. The atheist looked at the theist's drink choice and decided to speak up.

“Isn’t it a sin to drink like that?” Cato asks.

“What do you mean Cato?” questioned Jedidiah.

“Well, don’t usually Christians drink for spiritual reasons such as communion,” She said, “It seems to me drinking an alcoholic drink for pleasure is sinful.”

“I didn’t claim to be a saint!” Jedidiah laughed, “I would have a smoke if that was aloud here.”

Though Jedidiah was being coy with Cato it is a good question to talk about indulgence. The claim of balance regardless of believing in a creator or not is important for one's mental health. You see Jedidiah likes to indulge in little pleasures like drinking to pass the time. So, the question is whether it is a sin to seek pleasure for pleasure shake is wildly important to someone of religious faith. However, an atheist like Cato is often more worried about whether it is harming someone rather than if it offends the cloud maker or not.

“How do you determine your morality, Miss Cato?” Jedidiah questioned.

“If it is not harming someone, why would I care?” Cato replied, “Pleasure is good for the person, but if the pain outweighs the pleasure, then it is immoral.”

Jedidiah thinks to himself for a moment then answers the question, “Determining a morality without an objective moral standard than your morality is just some guy’s opinion; could not someone gain pleasure from harming others?”

“That is not what I meant!” Shouted Cato.

Pleasure vs. pain is the Epicurean idea of morality. This is commonly called hedonism which is a philosopher who bases all human action on these two categories. We may know this in the character of our story. Cato loves to eat spicy chips but refuses to eat pickles because they are gross. On the other hand, Jedidiah hates chips and prefers pickles. Despite these two different opinions, they are both based on which one gives pleasure and which one gives pain. Back to our characters, Cato scoffs at Jedidiah’s response.

“If it causes harm to someone else it is not to the benefit of society, Jedidiah.”

Jedidiah smiles and retorts, “What about murders? Don’t we punish them with death?”

“The punishment fits the crime, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth as they say.”

“I prefer to turn the other cheek!”

Cato rolls her eyes at the old man’s comment. How dare he say such a thing, she thought to herself: I wonder what she is thinking, thought Jedidiah. Our two characters were in a heated debate that could raise the temperature of the air-conditioned plane by 21 degrees. Arguments about this supposed cloud maker can get heated and emotional, this is not unique to this ordinary and plain plane. Luckily, it was not crowded with other passengers who would be frustrated with the volume which our two characters argued.

“Let’s change the subject,” Said Cato, “Maybe let’s talk about… freedom and liberty.”

“What about it?” asked Jedidiah.

“As a non-believer, I am allowed to do whatever I please within reason. For example, I can date who I want whenever I want. You are confined by your morals to not do anything to live a little.”

“I prefer to live for eternity than enjoy temporary pleasures.”

“Imagine how much of a waste your life would be if it turned out to be untrue. I implore you to live a little.”

Jedidiah took a minute to respond. What if his belief was false? What if everything he didn’t do with his life would haunt him in his grave? These questions are hard to consider for a theist who believes in any form of regulation. Some reject alcohol (not Jedidiah) and never experience the joys of a beer while watching the game or imagine meeting a beautiful girl and never making the first move because she is not as devout as you. These things are even more apparent with those dedicated to the religious life. Imagine being a Catholic monk and spending your entire life in prayer, just to die and nothing happens. This is a scary concept that the theist must overcome.

“Well, my faith is firmly in Christ.” Jedidiah declared, “I will be free of doubts and follow the one living God. This world is full of dead options! I must follow the one living option!”

“Jesus seems as dead to me as any other corpse,” smiled Cato, “He ignores the faithful as well as the unfaithful. I would not worship a dead being.”

“Knock and you will find him.” Answered Jedidiah.

“I already did!”

The two began arguing the same points repeatedly. The interesting parts of the conversation become dull and colorless, however, the fire in the heart of these two orators continues to glow red hot within this airplane. There are many other airplanes across the world with similar conversations or unique ideas. However, in our story we go over this airplane; what makes this airplane special? Well, it is not so much the ideas or lack of them; it is the idea that the airplane means more than an airplane, that the clouds are much more than clouds, and the blue sky is more than just a background. The poetry of the sky and its flyers can describe all of humanity without completely revealing its meaning.