Jewels of the Ego
by Benjamin A. Galitz
A dark, dirty alley is not the sort of place you would expect to see a wealthy businessman.
Yet Jack did not spend one second thinking about this. He rather focused obsessively on the jewelry on the man’s hand. All other feelings were suppressed in favor of a desire to possess these jewels.
Many people had been stripped of their possessions or more in this alley. Jack was known for his obsessive craving for any loot that entered his perceived “territory.” These jewels would prove no different. Jack’s vision narrowed; all except the jewels themselves became an insignificant detail. The businessman kept walking through the alley; Jack did not notice his nervous looks and shaky walk. Instead, he spent his time sneaking through the shadows, setting up an ambush and fantasizing about the moment he would finally fulfill this craving. Like with everything he stole, Jack believed these gems to be what he needed to feel complete. But like with everything he stole, Jack was wrong.
When he was about to jump out at the man, he was himself grabbed from the shadows. The person who had captured him was stronger than anyone Jack had ever met. The insurmountable force exerted upon him felt inhuman, as did the person’s skin and lack of breathing. But Jack’s determination was equally inhuman. As the man was walking by and slowly out of sight, this confrontation would test an unstoppable force against unrelenting determination. Yet, while Jack's determination and perhaps, arguably, Jack himself would prove inhuman, only this strange person’s strength proved superhuman. Upon realizing--while not admitting—the futility of his struggle, Jack turned his head to find that he could not comprehend this person’s appearance. The person appeared in a blurred, unclear way in seemingly constant flux. In lieu of another representation, which was understandable for the mind, it represented the person’s face as that of a mannequin: cold, unfeeling, yet a template for anything imaginable.
After remaining in this futile struggle for a few moments more, this person simply vanished. When the person vanished, the jewels regained the dominant position in Jack's mind. The world again faded and blurred, providing only a backdrop to these jewels, which were now far out of sight along with the man whose hands they were attached to. Jack sprinted after the way the man took and, surprisingly, eventually found him. He came closer and closer, but when he was just a few steps away, this strange person reappeared, dressed in a police uniform and struck Jack’s knees with a baton. As he fell, the businessman appeared totally oblivious to the fact he was about to be robbed and a man was beaten but a few steps behind him. When Jack looked up from the ground, he saw the person again, now dressed in a clergyman’s robe, speaking clearly and loudly in a heartless way while attempting to present a shallow helping and kind tone:
“Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Jack tried to stand up. He had already brought his back against a wall when he saw the person again, this time in regular street clothes, saying,
“You are everything that is wrong with the world.” When Jack finally stood up completely, he again saw the person in the robes of a judge. “May God have mercy upon your soul,” the person said. When Jack tried to run for the man with the gems again, the strange person grabbed him again. The person now stood before him without any disguise, simply in its unfathomable natural state.
“You think I want to subjugate you, but I can emancipate you. Emancipate you from the need to chase fortune at every opportunity. You fear me, but in truth, you need me. You cannot live without me,” said the person.
“Who are you?” Jack screamed.
“But a figment of your imagination, and yet more real than anything,” the person responded. “Destroy me if you will. I will still liberate your mind.”
Jack simply stood in front of the person for a few moments until the thought of the jewels reemerged. Jack struck the head of the person, not to follow his advice but to remove a threat to his theft of the jewels.
The person’s hard exterior shattered, and where there used to be an incomprehensible face, there was now a hole revealing a mirror. When Jack saw his face in the mirror, a sense of shame filled his mind. He had never seen himself before, and he did not like it. He now saw all the harm he caused, not just to others but even himself, in his pursuit of his animalistic instincts. The destruction of the strange person changed Jack more than the strange person himself. Instead of the jewels, he now thought of his guilt and shame. Strangely, this made him relate to other people more. He was a slave to the conscience instead of a slave of his impulse and longing. He traded animalistic instincts for shame and anxiety. He traded one chain for another. And like all others, he remains oblivious.
Yet Jack did not spend one second thinking about this. He rather focused obsessively on the jewelry on the man’s hand. All other feelings were suppressed in favor of a desire to possess these jewels.
Many people had been stripped of their possessions or more in this alley. Jack was known for his obsessive craving for any loot that entered his perceived “territory.” These jewels would prove no different. Jack’s vision narrowed; all except the jewels themselves became an insignificant detail. The businessman kept walking through the alley; Jack did not notice his nervous looks and shaky walk. Instead, he spent his time sneaking through the shadows, setting up an ambush and fantasizing about the moment he would finally fulfill this craving. Like with everything he stole, Jack believed these gems to be what he needed to feel complete. But like with everything he stole, Jack was wrong.
When he was about to jump out at the man, he was himself grabbed from the shadows. The person who had captured him was stronger than anyone Jack had ever met. The insurmountable force exerted upon him felt inhuman, as did the person’s skin and lack of breathing. But Jack’s determination was equally inhuman. As the man was walking by and slowly out of sight, this confrontation would test an unstoppable force against unrelenting determination. Yet, while Jack's determination and perhaps, arguably, Jack himself would prove inhuman, only this strange person’s strength proved superhuman. Upon realizing--while not admitting—the futility of his struggle, Jack turned his head to find that he could not comprehend this person’s appearance. The person appeared in a blurred, unclear way in seemingly constant flux. In lieu of another representation, which was understandable for the mind, it represented the person’s face as that of a mannequin: cold, unfeeling, yet a template for anything imaginable.
After remaining in this futile struggle for a few moments more, this person simply vanished. When the person vanished, the jewels regained the dominant position in Jack's mind. The world again faded and blurred, providing only a backdrop to these jewels, which were now far out of sight along with the man whose hands they were attached to. Jack sprinted after the way the man took and, surprisingly, eventually found him. He came closer and closer, but when he was just a few steps away, this strange person reappeared, dressed in a police uniform and struck Jack’s knees with a baton. As he fell, the businessman appeared totally oblivious to the fact he was about to be robbed and a man was beaten but a few steps behind him. When Jack looked up from the ground, he saw the person again, now dressed in a clergyman’s robe, speaking clearly and loudly in a heartless way while attempting to present a shallow helping and kind tone:
“Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Jack tried to stand up. He had already brought his back against a wall when he saw the person again, this time in regular street clothes, saying,
“You are everything that is wrong with the world.” When Jack finally stood up completely, he again saw the person in the robes of a judge. “May God have mercy upon your soul,” the person said. When Jack tried to run for the man with the gems again, the strange person grabbed him again. The person now stood before him without any disguise, simply in its unfathomable natural state.
“You think I want to subjugate you, but I can emancipate you. Emancipate you from the need to chase fortune at every opportunity. You fear me, but in truth, you need me. You cannot live without me,” said the person.
“Who are you?” Jack screamed.
“But a figment of your imagination, and yet more real than anything,” the person responded. “Destroy me if you will. I will still liberate your mind.”
Jack simply stood in front of the person for a few moments until the thought of the jewels reemerged. Jack struck the head of the person, not to follow his advice but to remove a threat to his theft of the jewels.
The person’s hard exterior shattered, and where there used to be an incomprehensible face, there was now a hole revealing a mirror. When Jack saw his face in the mirror, a sense of shame filled his mind. He had never seen himself before, and he did not like it. He now saw all the harm he caused, not just to others but even himself, in his pursuit of his animalistic instincts. The destruction of the strange person changed Jack more than the strange person himself. Instead of the jewels, he now thought of his guilt and shame. Strangely, this made him relate to other people more. He was a slave to the conscience instead of a slave of his impulse and longing. He traded animalistic instincts for shame and anxiety. He traded one chain for another. And like all others, he remains oblivious.
Benjamin A. Galitz is a hobbyist writer and student in Koblenz, Germany. An interest in philosophy, sociology, and psychology, along with experiences of living abroad, inspire his stories.