Mirage of the Fallen: The Mind Users, #2

Never allow yourself to become so strongly attached to someone that you cannot let them go

Part 1

—

The sun was just about to rise when the first students entered the classroom in a modest stone house located at the edge of a green field. Most of the children appeared to be between 7 and 10 years of age, although some were clearly older.

They did not have to wait long before the door opened and Teacher stepped inside.

Good morning, children, he greeted. Are you ready to begin the lesson?

Yes, Sir, the children responded.

We shall begin with an introduction to a well-known psychological experiment.

He turned to his laptop and clicked on the thumbnail of a video clip. An image of a dozen or so young men dressed in sports shorts and either white or blue T-shirts appeared on the big screen behind the desk. One of the men held two basketballs.

Do you see those balls? When the game begins, the players will start passing the balls. Your task is to count the number of passes made by the players in the white team.

Teacher pressed enter and the clip began. The players started passing the balls. The children leaned forward, looks of deep concentration on their faces.

A minute later, Teacher paused the clip.

How many times were the balls passed from one white team member to another?

Several hands rose.

Yes, Tim?

Twenty-seven times.

Correct. Now ... what about the man dressed up as a gorilla? How many times did he walk across the court?

The boy’s proud smile faded and he appeared puzzled.

Sir ... what gorilla are you talking about?

The man dressed in the gorilla suit that crossed the court during the game. How many times did that happen?

I didn’t see any gorilla.

The boy looked suspicious now. It was not unheard of for Teacher to use inaccurate claims as tools in his lessons.

Teacher looked at the rest of the class.

Did anyone see the gorilla?

The children looked at each other.

No, Sir, one of the boys in the front row said.

We didn’t see a gorilla, the girl behind him confirmed.

There was no gorilla, the boy in the back row stated.

Teacher smiled.

Are you absolutely certain about that?

The children looked at each other again and then nodded in unison.

How can you be so sure? Teacher asked.

One of the girls in the back row raised her hand.

Yes, Mina?

I didn’t see any gorilla. It’s possible that it was there and I missed it, but since no one else saw it either, it’s more likely that it wasn’t there.

Excellent reasoning, Teacher said approvingly. "It is wise to question one’s senses, just as it is wise to use the observations of others as indicators of the true nature of affairs. Most people draw conclusions for such matters based on statistical facts, such as how many people observed a given phenomenon; if most people observed it, it is quite likely that it is real. If, on the other hand, only a few people observed it, it is still possible that the phenomenon is real, even though the likelihood has decreased significantly. And if no one observes anything ... well, in such a case it is quite likely that there is nothing there. However, it is only likely, it is still not a fact."

He turned back to his laptop.

Now, regarding the gorilla ... let us see if there was one. This time you do not need to count the passing of the balls, just concentrate on observing whether you see a gorilla or not.

He pressed enter and the clip started again from the beginning. The children stared at the screen. The men started to pass the two balls. For about thirty seconds nothing abnormal happened. Then a man in a gorilla suit appeared to the left side of the court.

The children gasped in surprise. The man walked across the court to the other side, turned around and walked back. He did this a couple of times and then disappeared from the screen a few seconds before the clip ended.

Teacher turned to look at the children.

Well? How is it possible that you did not see him earlier? Kevin?

The boy with brown hair and grey eyes frowned.

I don’t understand it. He was so big, and he walked right across the centre of the court. I should have seen him the first time, but I didn’t. None of us did.

He looked suspicious, as if he still could not believe the man had been there.

I can guess what is going through your mind, Teacher said. You are wondering whether this was the same clip that you saw a moment ago. I assure you, there is no trickery here. This is the original clip.

He turned to his laptop again and uploaded another clip.

This is a recording of several test subjects who participated in this experiment.

The children saw a group of people watching what appeared to be the same clip they had just seen. After a while the gorilla again walked across the court. When the clip finished, the experimenter asked the viewers if they had seen the gorilla. Most people shook their head, clearly as puzzled as the children had been a moment earlier.

Teacher paused the clip and turned to the class.

What you just saw is a rather well-known experiment, introduced to each new student of psychology. As amazing as it might sound, most people do not notice the gorilla when they view the clip for the first time, or even the second or third time, unless the experimenter specifically points out it is there. Would somebody like to explain how this is possible?

One of the boys in the front row raised his hand.

Yes, Michael?

The viewers are so focused on counting the passing of the balls that they don’t pay attention to anything else.

Correct, Teacher said. They are so focused on performing the task that it is occupying all their attentional resources, leaving none available for more general observation of their surroundings.  

He pressed a button and the screen behind him went blank.

The purpose of this particular lesson is to teach you to pay attention to what most people do not see, and to be open to possibilities that others have abandoned as certain untruths. Most importantly, you will learn to distract people so that they are unable to observe the matters you do not want them to see.

He looked at the attentive faces around him.

The ultimate goal of your education is to learn to control your own behaviour as well as that of others around you; in terms of this goal, the example of selective attention that you just saw is of great importance. If one is aware of the subtle rules that govern human behaviour, it is easy to manipulate others to act according to one’s will, utilising tools such as the attentional blindness that you just witnessed. By the time you graduate from this School, you will be thoroughly educated in this sort of real-life wizardry, to the point that you can bend the will of untrained people according to your wishes.

He paused for a moment.

This kind of power does not come without responsibility. The skills you acquire in this School are not to be used lightly, but are meant to allow you to pursue greater goals that will ultimately benefit the whole planet.

The children nodded obediently.

Now, let us get back to today’s topic, an induced attentional blindness. How would you use the knowledge you have just obtained if you had to prevent someone from observing something that is quite obvious?

The boy in the front row raised his hand again.

Yes, Michael?

I would ask the person I wanted to distract to do something for me; something very easy, so that it wouldn’t appear suspicious.

Could you give an example of such a task?

Well ... for example, I could ask them, ‘What will the date be on Monday next week?’, or something like that, so that they would have to perform a mental calculation. It would only take a moment, but they will be distracted and not be observing their surroundings as effectively as they normally would.

Precisely. Asking Target to perform some sort of simple arithmetic is a very effective form of distraction. In order to perform mental calculations, even simple ones, one must use a significant amount of brain resources, leaving less available for observing one’s surroundings. An excellent choice for a distracting task.

The boy beamed. Teacher nodded to him approvingly before turning to his laptop to upload another clip that would continue the lesson’s theme.

*

Two days later, Teacher returned home after running some errands in the nearby town. He parked his car, took the groceries from the boot and placed them on the porch. It was a beautiful sunny day, one that almost made him forget about the sad duty he had to take care of that afternoon. He stood still and allowed the fresh air to fill his lungs, before turning to open the garage door.

He was just about to get back inside the car when he noticed Michael sitting on a rock close by, stroking an old dog that lay lazily next to him. The boy nodded to him, but lowered his eyes quickly, looking slightly distressed.

How are you doing, Michael?

I don’t want him to die.

Teacher sat down next to him. When he had found Michael roaming the streets a couple of years earlier and taken him as his student, he had insisted on bringing along his four-legged friend. The stray dog, almost the same size as the boy when he first met him, had served as a companion and source of comfort during his lonely childhood.

The dog had been in good health all these years, but recently its energy level had reduced and a couple of weeks ago it had been diagnosed as having a lymphoma. Had it been Teacher’s choice, he would have put the animal to sleep that day to spare it from further suffering, but the boy had not been ready for this, so he had allowed him to keep his companion a while longer, hoping the long goodbyes would help him to adjust.

You have provided him with everything that a dog could wish for. You have given him companionship, you have fed him well, and, most importantly, you have loved him. Now he has reached the end of his life and it is his time to leave. You should not force him to remain here, old and feeble, just because you cannot let go of him.

The boy shook his head, as if trying to get rid of annoying mosquitos.

All creatures meet their end one day, Teacher continued. Meanwhile, we must enjoy the time we have been given. It would be such a shame to spend our lives merely anticipating death, would you not agree?

It is not fair.

The dog was panting heavily, even though it was not a particularly hot day. Teacher felt sorry for keeping the animal alive so long just for the boy’s sake, but he did not know how Michael would have reacted had he been forced to give up on his friend immediately after the sad diagnosis. Anxiety, even fear, regarding the finality of death was something most people experienced at some point in their lives. But for Michael, it was different; after the dog’s diagnosis his interest in the biological basis of death had started to resemble obsession rather than healthy scientific curiosity.

Are you sure you are not more worried about losing something than about the fact that the dog must die? Teacher asked gently.

The boy did not respond.

In this life we must learn to lose things, Michael. That is the only way to survive and grow.

I don’t want to learn such a skill.

His eyes were suddenly filled with feverish anxiety.

I know it is possible to defeat death, and you know it too. It is only a matter of a couple of generations. It’s not fair that I should die so close to the cure being discovered.

He looked at the dog.

"I don’t care about losing him, it’s just ... it’s not right that he should die."

Death is not a sickness that should be cured, it is a natural thing, a closure of life, something we all must experience, and it is often a relief to the one who is passing. You should not refer to the goal of defying death as finding a cure to some devastating disease.

But that’s what death is, the child insisted. An evolutionary plague. The only reason we die is because nature doesn’t care what happens to creatures after they have passed on genetic information. Evolution has no reason to keep on investing in them once their job is done, so they deteriorate and die. But it shouldn’t be that way. I don’t want to disappear like a piece of useless organic garbage.

He pulled the dog closer.

"And I don’t want him to disappear."

Once again, Teacher found himself admiring the child’s mind; he was too smart to be calmed down by futile words of comfort.

From very early on, he had been aware of Michael’s exceptional intelligence; he was constantly hungry for knowledge and had an amazing ability to understand matters that usually took several years of dedicated college-level studies to fully comprehend. He had encouraged the boy in his studies, but recently he had started to question whether his patient approach was appropriate for this particular child.

Michael seemed to be unaffected by situations that usually triggered emotional reactions in children of his age; in the beginning, Teacher had thought this was all conscious behaviour, but as time passed, he started to suspect it was a reflection of the unusual emotional context of the boy’s internal world. Despite his concerns, he had decided to refrain from interfering for the time being and instead observe how things evolved. Perhaps this was just a phase that the child would eventually outgrow.

Michael got along well with the other students, even though he had not formed any close friendships. While he was extremely skilled in reading people, others had a hard time reading him; the other children sensed he was not like them, and this made them feel uneasy in his presence. The lack of close relationships with his fellow students did not seem to bother the boy, who clearly felt more comfortable spending time by himself.

Now, on this sunny afternoon that was going to be the last of the old retriever–husky cross, the distant look in Michael’s eyes made Teacher wonder what he would be like as an adult. Then he forced the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on the moment at hand.

For this dog, you are all that matters in the world. He has relied on you for everything; he has counted on you to feed him and provide him with a proper shelter, and now he is counting on you to be there for him during the most important moment of his life.

"I am here for him," Michael said, almost defensively.

He put his arms protectively around the animal.

Teacher extended his arm and gently stroked the dog’s neck. It looked up at him with its big trusting eyes, then licked his hand and laid its head down again.

While you age only a few years, the dog lives through his entire lifespan, he said. His youth and adulthood, his senior years ... he spends every season of his life with his human companion, and in his eyes his human friend practically does not age at all. From the point of view of the dog, a human being is an eternal being, an immortal...

He paused as he realised where the conversation was heading.

This is the way you should see him, he then continued, as someone who has spent his life with you, and now that he is old and weak he needs you to be there for him, to see him off to the other side. You cannot abandon him now just because it is hard for you to let go.

The boy did not respond and just held the dog tight, pressing his face against the soft grey fur. For some time they sat without talking. The warm breeze wafted the leaves in the bushes, and birds were singing happily in the nearby trees, mixing with the other bright, carefree sounds of nature.

Michael... Teacher said gently. It is time.

He got up, walked to the back door and opened it. Then he turned around and waited.

The boy hesitated, then got up and walked over to him, his hand placed gently on the neck of the old dog that walked next to him. Teacher moved aside, letting the pair enter first. Then he stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

They descended in silence to the basement level, which included a room filled with all sorts of medical supplies. Teacher always made sure they had a fully equipped emergency room available whenever they resided in remote locations like this modest countryside villa; most of the time he chose to remain close to the main cities, preferably near areas where the majority of the students lived, but from time to time he moved the School to a new location in order to expose the children to various different environments.

Teacher walked over to the wooden table located next to the wall. Michael halted in the middle of the room, unable to look at the equipment on the table.

I... His voice that had been firm before was now trembling. I can’t.

He sat down on the floor and pulled the dog tight against his chest. Under the healthy outdoor-life tan, his face had turned pale.

Teacher hid his surprise. He had never seen the boy so emotionally moved before; he now appeared like any child of his age would who was about to lose a beloved pet. Now, as he looked at the miserable young face, Teacher started to feel increasingly confident that Michael’s apparent emotional coldness was just a phase after all that would eventually pass.

He silenced his thoughts and concentrated on dealing with the present. The boy needed his support.

Do you remember our discussion when I allowed you to keep him? he said gently. You agreed to be strong and let him go when the time came. You knew he did not have many years left.

I know ... but I still cannot do it.

Letting go is the price of love between animal and human. We can hold on to our love only for a limited time; the moment you make a commitment to take an animal as your companion, you also make a commitment to allow it to die gracefully. Anything else is cruel. Your friend has trusted you to take care of him, and you have done so. Why would you quit now when he needs you the most?

Michael remained quiet.

You need to make up your mind, Teacher said, kindly yet firmly. This cannot be prolonged indefinitely. Are you going to do this or shall I?

I will do it.

The boy stood up. Gently he led the old dog to the blanket that had been placed on the floor next to the table. He watched quietly as Teacher inserted the IV needle into the dog’s right front paw. Then the man handed him a small switch that was attached to the plastic tube connected to the IV.

Michael took the switch. His hand shook only a little as he turned it to the open position. Slowly a colourless liquid started to flow into the tube and towards the dog’s paw. The animal looked at him, its eyes warm and trusting, as the poison dissolved into its system.

Michael sat down and pulled the dog onto his lap. He stroked the grey fur, unable to hold back the tears as his oldest companion relaxed in his arms.

He sat there for a long time, holding the dead dog against his chest, unable to let go of the still-warm body. Teacher stood next to him, not too close to interfere with the child’s silent goodbyes, yet close enough to provide comfort with his presence.

What you have done is the most loving thing one can do for a beloved creature, he said finally as the tears seemed to slow down momentarily. The best place to leave this world is in the arms of someone one loves. Only a few of us are lucky enough to be afforded this luxury.

Michael looked up at him. Tears were glistening in his eyes.

"I don’t want you to die," he whispered, almost inaudibly.

You will survive that day, just as you will survive today. Teacher smiled. But let us not think of such grim matters now. I am not planning to leave you before you are ready.

He opened his arms. The boy got up and wrapped his thin arms around him as a new wave of tears emerged. Teacher stroked his soft hair gently, whispering comforting words into his ear as the young mind struggled to adjust to the realities of the world.

*

Four weeks after the dog’s passing, Teacher and Michael were walking along the narrow path on steep cliff top close to the house. Although it was still warm, there was already a trace of coolness in the wind – a promise of the autumn that would soon arrive.

You seem thoughtful, Teacher said. What is on your mind?

I was thinking of our discussion the other day. About why the cells in our body die.

I see.

He had hoped the child would have forgotten about that topic by now.

You said that the cells have a certain lifespan, after which they die. And that cancer cells are essentially normal cells that have been mutated, and as a result of that mutation they just keep dividing instead of dying when they should.

Correct.

So, I was wondering ... you said that scientists are trying to find ways to keep normal cells alive longer by taking advantage of those particular mutations that allow cancer cells to continue dividing. What exactly are they doing to the cells?

If you are interested in such matters, I would recommend you look for the original experiments on scientific databases.

Where can I find such databases?

Teacher mentioned a couple of Web pages. He felt the familiar sting of worry as he saw the enthusiasm in the boy’s eyes.

Naturally, I expect you not to spend an excessive amount of time pondering such things, and to focus on your studies instead.

I’m doing fine, aren’t I?

Teacher could not help but smile; the boy knew very well that he was at the top of his class. After all, for a child as smart as Michael, it was only natural to wonder about the laws of life and play with the ideas of bending rules. He suppressed his concern as they started heading back towards the house.

*

Weeks passed and the boy did not mention the topic again, but Teacher knew he was reading intensely in his room when the others had gone to bed.

One day he was doing some paperwork in his study when there was a knock on the door.

Yes? he said, slightly annoyed by the unexpected interruption.

He was not surprised to see Michael enter; no one else would have knocked on his door in such a demanding manner. The boy’s apparent lack of respect, which he knew deep down was more attachment and enthusiasm, was becoming increasingly evident as he grew older. He would have to do something about it before long; he could not risk the other students being affected by such disrespectful behaviour, as it could weaken his authority in their eyes.

I have a request, Sir.

The boy’s voice was calm, but he could not hide his excitement.

Yes, Michael?

I came up with a new idea that might prevent the spreading of cancer cells within an organism. Can I explain it to you?

Of course. Go ahead.

Over the next half an hour Michael described his research plan, hardly able to contain himself. Teacher’s uncomfortable feeling grew in proportion to the excitement in the boy’s voice. He was not able to follow his reasoning completely, but those parts that he could understand he found logical and believable. He had known Michael was very smart, but none of the other child prodigies he had met in his life had sounded so convincing, so knowledgeable and, above all, so intensely enthusiastic.

He was not entirely sure why that observation made him nervous instead of feeling pride for such an accomplished student. Perhaps it had something to do with the growing concern he had regarding Michael’s emotional abilities, especially when it came to empathy. There was something about the boy that he could not quite put his finger on, as if there were layers in his personality that he kept hidden. Michael knew how he should behave so that he would not be perceived as abnormal, and recently, Teacher had started to wonder how much of what he saw was due to the boy’s ability to predict what people expected of him, and how much was the real Michael.

But right now, there was no doubt that the excited child standing in front of him was the real Michael. His eyes were shining bright, his cheeks slightly rosy due to his excitement, and the enthusiasm in his voice was unmistakeable. And that was what worried Teacher; excitement over such matters could result in great discoveries that would benefit the whole of mankind, but it could also be dangerous if combined with certain behavioural traits, and at the moment, he was not certain which of those traits Michael possessed.

It appeared the boy had finally finished his lecture.

So, what do you think?

I must say, I am quite impressed, Teacher said. "I had not realised you were making such excellent progress. You have an exceptional ability to absorb and collate