The below is fiction. It’s not real. But it’s true. Life is but a dream. May it be of benefit! Contribute your fiction here: elephantjournal.com/post

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Imagine a world where there are two approaches to making sense and seeking the truth. This is a divided world, where vast oceans separate both tribes.

One of the tribes, the Yogin, search for truth within themselves, their eyes closed. What could they possibly see— nothing at all or everything they need to know?

The Guardian tribe fashioned telescopes, microscopes, and thousands of other instruments. These extend their senses onto vast distances and even across time. Their instruments pierce into the heart of “atoms” and beyond. They then use their discoveries to discern the truths of their world.

The Yogin tribe trains their children in three foundations of morality—actions, words, and thoughts. Students learn the four foundations of mindfulness—body, feelings, mind, and mind-objects. They learn many other subjects which help them map their inner territories. Five aggregates of which they are composed, hindrances and strengths that will arise throughout their life. Four qualities of a pure mind, the mental perfections. They spend many years learning the basics of the Yogic sciences.

The Guardian tribe writes and publishes books of their discoveries. The youth are gathered, in small groups, to read these books and memorize all the knowledge. Generation after generation they are taught this knowledge. They spend many years in schools with their friends learning the Guardian sciences. They need to learn math, which helps understand the sciences, and books on history are memorized. Other subjects include writing and reading their language. To learn about themselves, they take a health class.

Guardian and Yogin children both love creative arts,  running, and playing. These things are encouraged and honored by both tribes.

All Yogin youth learn discipline from their elders and are meticulous in their studies. They are encouraged to look within to find the truth. Spending time with friends and family they extend their insights by practicing their knowledge in real-life experiences. The foundation of their tribe is a connection to all tribespeople. To all animals, insects, even invisible beings. Above all, they value the gifts of their planet—air, water, and food.

Many of the youth of the Guardian tribe do not like spending years memorizing knowledge from decades and centuries past. They learn tricks to placate their elders and turn to entertain themselves. The elders tolerate this and even respect the youth for it. They rebelled from learning the same lessons from similar books. And their lives have turned out okay.

The Yogin tribes children, upon reaching their teens, learn to experience the four types of happiness. With their eyes closed, they practice meticulously to develop a deep level of perception. With effort, they access levels of inner happiness they have long heard existed. 

The first type of happiness, happiness from sense contacts, the Guardian kids know well. They didn’t learn this from their books but from exploring their world. Their perceptions are not sharp enough to experience other types of happiness. Knowledge invisible to Guardian instruments is not in their textbooks.

The Guardian kids mature in a dizzying world. The elders had splits amongst themselves, forming subtribes. Their societies devoted many resources to creating weapons. They have attack helicopters, bomb-proof tanks and a lot of different munitions. But within their small circles, the kids enjoy wonderful entertainments such as driving around in cars, playing and socializing using computers and watching programs on television. They do their best to ignore what the elders are up to.

Yogin teens spend a lot of time on their art whether that is dance, music, visual, or performance arts. They are encouraged to explore and collaborate with the whole of society. Guardian teens can elect to explore the arts if they are keeping up with their science studies. These creatives may form small groups within their study groups, but they prefer to stay alone as they feel different.

The Yogin tribes’ youth matures to complete their advanced education by exploring the 

 samadhi states (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samadhi), jhanas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhy%C4%81na_in_Buddhism), nanas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnana#In_Buddhism), and finally, their first nirvana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnana#In_Buddhism) called stream-entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_enlightenment).

Stream entry propels them into adulthood. Realizing their true calling, Yogin society is such that any call is supported equally by all of society.

The Guardian tribe sends some of their pre-adult kids onto reading and memorizing more books. So they can go into several different callings that society has available to them. The teenagers that do not memorize more books are left on their own to pick from other callings available to them within their society. Certain callings are highly supported by Guardian society, many others are frowned upon. However, even those allow for income they will need to pay for shelter and food if they band together.

These two worlds collided that fateful day when two highly creative Guardian kids stole the jet fighter warcraft and flew into the sunset. Their entire tribe thought they crashed into the forbidden great ocean. But these kids crash-landed on a shoreline in the outer reaches of the Yogin tribes lands.