I've never been a particularly gullible man. I've always tried to examine the world with a critical eye and look at all sides of an equation. I've even been called cynical from time to time. So when I hold firm to a belief, you must trust me when I say there's evidence to back up my claim.
With this in mind, let me tell you about an eye-opening experience I've had. In fact, it changed my entire world view. Go ahead, laugh at my sentimentality, but once you understand what I've come to accept as truth, you'll be standing right beside me on this issue.
Specifically, let me tell you about Ralucric. Ralucric is a planet in the galaxy of Gninosaer, many lightyears away from us, in a section of the galaxy still undiscovered by our technologies. You may question how I know of this place, and in time I will impart this knoweldge. What you must first know, before all else, is that Ralucric is a wonderful place. It has a topography not unlike our own, and its inhabitants are not dissimilar in appearance. By all initial accounts, one might believe that Earth and Ralucric were one in the same. But upon closer investigation, it becomes apparent that the Ralucric people live a much happier, more perfect, life. Suffering and dishonesty are absent from this world; death is not feared so much as embraced, though not morbidly so; there is no competition beyond that of friendly sport; education and progress reign supreme. I could continue with the goings on of this place, but I believe you already understand just how superior Ralucric is.
If this seems doubtful to you, as it once did to me, grant me one more incredulous detail before I prove my claims. Although this planet is unimaginably far from our own (I reiterate: it is empirically unknown to our best astronomers), it is not wholly absent from our lives. In fact, it is my understanding that nearly a third of our population visits this place on a daily basis. Our worlds are so closely connected in spirit (if I may use such an abstract term), that we are able to project ourselves there as we sleep. In short, a pleasant dream is likely the result of one's consciousness landing on the planet of Ralucric, and experiencing the pleasantries therein. It is, after all, a very similar planet to our own.
But enough of my fawning. I'm sure, at this point, you are simply itching for how I've come to know this place and my proof of its existence. In the interest of brevity, I will grant you just that.
Everything I've come to understand of Ralucric is explained in great detail within a book. This book was penned over many years by a collection of people who witnessed (in their sleep, of course) the interactions between humans and the Ralucric people. While I certainly cannot recount everything in this book, I will gladly cite its text as necessary to underscore my points. Before you object, please allow me to address the questions I also had at first, and frequently hear from skeptics:
How can you trust a book without knowing its authors?
How do we trust any book, or any source for that matter, without personal affiliation? When the evidence is sensible enough, we must trust that the author is not making blind claims. This book is one of the oldest texts in our history, and as such, must be treated as a historical document. It is not written as a novel or piece of fiction, and in the absence of any contradictory texts of similar origin, we are left to trust this book.
What actual proof is there of Ralucric?
It's impossible to physically prove something that is physically unobservable. But your body does not require proof. It is your consciousness that seeks "proof," and it is our consciousness that visits this place. If you needs to climb aboard a space vessel and step foot on Ralucric before accepting its existence, there are many celestial bodies you should start discounting.
Besides, the book answers our doubts in chapter 4, sentence 17: Believe in Ralucric, for it is written by those who know it best - those who have no doubts of their own.
So I should believe in Ralucric because the book says so, and I should believe the book because the book says so?
No. You should believe in Ralucric because the book explains it very clearly, and the book was written by people who understood Ralucric very well.
And what happens if I still don't believe?
You go on living your life as you have been: in the dark. But if you reject the book and the idea of Ralucric, you probably won't get to visit it at night. Therefore, you'll have nightmares as long as you live. The book explains this pretty obviously in chapter 6, sentence 225: If you do not believe in such a place as Ralucric, it shall be further from your heart and harder to visit in slumber. On the other hand, if you accept this place, you'll be able to go more often and have wonderful dreams.
So you only have good dreams, and now I will only have bad ones?
Not necessarily. It's a fact that humans have many more dreams than they remember each night. I will have more good dreams than bad, and vice versa for a nonbeliever, but what I remember may not accurately reflect this.
I guess that doesn't leave me much of an option. I should start believing in Ralucric.
Wonderful to have you aboard. If you'd like to join our nightly collective slumber, it's only a suggested donation of $20 per night.
