The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 2

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The Marriage of Carl Baydala
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Part Two
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A Marriage made in Heaven and
sanctioned by the gods

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The Marriage of Carl Baydala
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 2

The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 3
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 4

The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 5
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 6
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 7
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 8

The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 9

Act Two: Scene One

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Setting: The Great Banquet Hall

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Characters: Ida, Matt, Fairy Chelsea,

Arthur Schopenhauer.

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Ida and Matt are arriving at the Great Banquet Hall in Heaven. Many goddesses and gods and philosophers are already there. Much noise and laughter can be heard as they enter the hall. They are greeted at the door by fairies who will act as escorts and servants.

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Fairy Chelsea: " Good evening Goddess Ida. May I take your coat for you? "

Ida: " Well, of course you can Chelsea. And, how are you tonight? "

Fairy Chelsea: " I am fine Goddess Ida, you look very pretty tonight. "

Ida: " Thank you, you are so sweet. "

Chelsea takes Ida's coat for her and passes it to another fairy who quickly whisks it away. She then picks up a tray from a nearby table that is loaded with glasses filled with wine. She offers Ida a drink and Ida graciously accepts.

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Meanwhile another fairy is taking Matt's coat for him and offering him a drink as well. Matt's coat is also taken away and now he has a drink in hand as well. Matt and Ida enter the hall and proceed to mingle with the crowd.

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Matt spots some bachelor philosophers seated at a table by the entrance to the hall and decides that he wants to chat with them awhile.

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Matt to Ida: " Honey why don't you go and mingle a bit I want to go and talk to some of those bachelor philosophers over there. Why look, there is David Hume, Frederich Nietzsche, Spinoza, Kant,....and why, it looks like they all made it. "

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Ida: " Do as you please then. I am sure I can occupy myself somehow. Have a good time....see you in a bit. "

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Matt: " Thanks Honey. I knew you would understand. "

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Matt heads for the table with the bachelor philosophers and Ida and Chelsea head toward the middle of the banquet hall. Only a couple of seconds after she leaves Matt she notices philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, drink in hand, his helpful fairy following, and both heading for the same table as Matt. She decides she wants to have a conversation with him and moves quickly in his direction.

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Ida: " Mr Schopenhauer what a pleasant surprise. "

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Arthur Schopenhauer (AS): " Goddess Ida how nice to see you."

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Ida: " And, how are you enjoying your stay with us up in the Heavens? "

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AS: " A most satisfying experience indeed. Well, beyond my expectations. "

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Ida: " And, how are you making out with the ladies..has anybody caught your eye yet? "

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AS: " Well, it is certainly a plentiful field as you well know. There are many charming and beautiful women here. But, surely Goddess, you are aware of my past and my views of women....generally, I mean?....I am not sure that I would be able to take advantage of such a position, all things considered. I trust you are able to determine just what it is that I am implying. "

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Ida: " Of course Arthur. We all have a past, and besides, I am a goddess after all. We do have some perceptions you know. And, besides, I am a goddess of ideas and understand the nature of things like love and beauty and so on and so forth as it concerns the sexes..as you do yourself. ...I feel that you were on the right track you know Arthur..with your philosophy, I mean. Just to change the subject a bit. "

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AS: " Thank you Goddess, I appreciate that and take it as a compliment; that you understand and appreciate my work."

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Ida: " And, that is what it was meant to be Arthur. You know, some people are calling you ' Grumpy ' were you aware of that? "

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AS laughing: " No, I wasn't, but I can certainly understand why. I guess it is just my pessimism that they are commenting upon. "

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Ida laughing along with him: " I thought you might think it a laughing matter as well. Have you ever considered the origins of your pessimism Arthur? "

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AS: " Well, it is really just a reflection of my understanding of the universe and of human behavior as it relates to man's condition. "

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Ida: " And, your ideas on man's condition Arthur can you re freshen my memory for me?"

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AS: " Of course Goddess Ida. Surely, you have noticed it yourself..that man is a never satisfied creature, I mean. He gains something and then he wants more. Once satisfied he becomes dissatisfied. He is constantly seeking and sometimes he fails. It is a constant struggle. And, then there is just the basic condition of man as well. He lives and then he dies. Nature is his enemy; it forever plotting against him. That is his fate. How can one be an optimist under these conditions.?"

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Ida: " I understand of course. "

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AS: " I knew you would. "

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Ida: " But, I know that you made valuable contributions to understanding. Your understanding is superb. Your ' Will and Representation ' was a very good effort Arthur.. You were very close Arthur. Very close indeed with your association of things. I know that you must have read the ancients to get some ideas. Our minds do not act in a vacuum as you may appreciate. Plato and Plotinus following him, led the way of course, with their idealism and the way they had the structure of the universe figured out, in their own ways of course. You know what I mean Arthur - the relation between ideas and matter and how they manifest themselves. How they parted in their ways and then the constant striving to come together again. Some have even suggested that is the reason for the great attraction of the sexes; that they are simply trying to come together as one again. "

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AS: " Of course Goddess. The ancients had brilliant ideas. Ideas that came from somewhere. Perhaps you visited them yourself Ida and deposited these notions upon them. "

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Ida chuckling: " Perhaps I did and perhaps I didn't... You know that I will be giving a little speech and presentation tonight Arthur. Just before Katy and Carl's wedding I mean..well, I will be talking about things that interest us both Arthur. And, I think I might be able to use your life as an example, so I hope you do not mind if I mention your name later on tonight. Would you like to know more Arthur? "

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AS: " Not at all Goddess, feel free to mention my name if that is your desire, and I am all ears as you might expect. So, please do continue on...."

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Ida: " I knew you would understand Arthur. You know, in your work you discussed the importance of music. This is really a fascinating area of study you know. Music is that thing that tingles the intellect and really gets us to the forms of beauty and ideas themselves. You know, the Platonic forms.. Do you recall your work Arthur? "

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AS: " Of course Goddess I think about these things constantly. "

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Ida: " Excellent. Let us proceed then. ..but, before I do that let me do this first. " She extends her hand out to Arthur so that he could touch it.

" Touch my hand and grasp it firmly. " she demanded.

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Arthur extends his hand and holds her hand firmly.

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Ida continues to talk:

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Ida: " Can you envision the young girl Arthur? "

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Quickly, an image appears in his mind. It is a beautiful seventeen year old girl. It is the girl who he was in love with when he was younger.

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AS: " Goddess. She is beautiful, it is her, the girl of my dreams. The young woman that I had fallen in love with. She is beauty herself I am sure of it. She is exquisite. "

He was feeling the physical emotion of love. He wanted her, to touch her and to crave her and to make love with her. He was feeling an intense desire.

Ida: " Do you want her Arthur? "

AS: " Yes, Goddess it would be my most earnest desire ."

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Ida: " Well, you cannot have her Arthur for she is not willing to partake of your physical love for her. And, how do you feel now?"

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AS: " Goddess is this some kind of trick, a cruel joke that you are imposing on me? "

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Ida: " Not at all Arthur. This is just life as it presents itself, over and over again. You are experiencing it now and you experienced it in the past. Surely, you can recall these things. "

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AS: " Of course Goddess. But, it is painful to love a woman who does not love you back..to desire someone or something that is not able to reciprocate. Surely, you are aware of these things Goddess. "

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Ida: " Is that not the physical lesson of life then Arthur..and in fact, is that not the purpose of matter itself..so that matter, the sensor, allows us to experience these things? Surely, you are aware that an idea, as powerful as it is, cannot gain full appreciation without some form of matter, something that it can latch onto and fulfill its destiny. I am even speaking of myself Arthur..I am revealing myself to you. For I too have wants and needs and desires. Arthur Schopenhauer there would be no consciousness without matter. Nothing would be known to exist, even it did. Matter is the thing that idea wraps itself around and its child is consciousness. Do you understand just what it is that I am talking about Arthur? "

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AS: " Did idea create matter then..for its own purposes, I mean. Like a looking glass so that it can examine itself; to know that it exists perhaps. Is that it Goddess? "

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Ida: " For now, this question must remain a mystery Arthur. What joy would there be in life Arthur if all was known? What would be the purpose of life then? Where would the magic come from? Surely, you learned yourself that man is never satisfied. He seeks. He finds. And, then he is unhappy again. Better to keep him the dark and keep him happy don't you think? The thing to understand is the relationship between ideas and matter Arthur, or the the fact that a relationship exists at all. That is the truly important fact; the mechanics between them. You have heard of the concept of the ' One ' Arthur I am sure.

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AS: " Of course Goddess. And, the Intellect, and the Soul. I know of this relationship and what it means. I have studied these things. Philosopher Plotinus gave us a great understanding. "

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Ida: " Good then. let us proceed. It is true then that earth is matter and all of the things contained within it. All life is matter. But, you know of course that matter had a beginning. And, that beginning was its ' Oneness ' with idea. They just got separated and in that separation matter became to be at risk. It became ruderless so to speak. It is here where evil and lust came to reside. These are opposites of the Good Arthur. They found a home there because it was like the soil of the earth where they were allowed to sprout and infect man. And, man had no defence. What could he do? Who could save him from lust and power and all manner of corruption of his soul? Yes Soul, the very essence of Man. Nothing could. Nothing could save man except his intellect and his ability to gain knowledge of ideas; things that could restrain his passions through understanding. Man desires happiness; that is his ultimate goal. But, man cannot attain happiness in a corrupted material world all alone. He needs idea to set him free - and to be happy. He needs a savior and that thing is Idea. "

Just at that moment Ida moved toward Arthur and put her arms around him. He could smell her hair and her perfume. She hugged him greatly and he responded. And as she continued to embrace him, Ida continued to talk and to provide images for him. Beautiful, detailed images that she provided danced in his brain. Music began to play in his head. His beloved seventeen year old was still there as an image, but then something else happened. An idea of her as the essence of beauty appeared, the physical lust that he experienced earlier faded away. Ida continued to talk and to reinforce these images and ideas. He saw in the young women something else besides having sex with her. He saw her as union and happiness, not just a mere object of sex. The music played and played and made his mind travel to places where he wanted to be and to places unknown to him as well; they took him to the intellectual part of his brain and introduced him to Beauty herself. He came to know Beauty and he came to know Happiness. This was a form of love that he had never experienced before. It was the 'oneness ', that sense of well being when matter and idea come together in perfect harmony.

Just when Arthur was at his happiest Ida pulled away from him. He did not want her to leave him in this mode, but he had no choice. All of the images in his brain disappeared. The Beauty and the Love and the sense of well-being. The pictures disappeared. But, he did not feel unhappy at all. The idea of Beauty lingered within him. He had experienced the great idea that Ida had wanted him to experience. The image was seered into his brain as an idea. It would now form part of his personality. And, then he came to realize what Ida had done for him. She had introduced to him to Beauty and to harmony; the Oneness; the goal of all thinking humanity.

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He continued to feel the bliss and the sense of well-being that Ida had described for him. He saw love as beauty and harmony and not pure lust. Love could be something else, he was sure of it now. He was satisfied that the Goddess Ida had introduced him to the very secret of life and want it meant to be happy.

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At that moment Matt appeared, along with his helpful fairy.

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Matt: " So, how are you two making out? "

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Ida: " Arthur and I were just having a little discussion Honey. Nothing of interest to you of course... Well, Arthur I suppose I should let you join your fellow philosophers at the table over there. I hope you do not mind me holding you up the way I did. "

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AS: " Not at all Goddess Ida. And, Goddess thank you for the beautiful discussion and, yes, I should join the fellows over there. I think they will be most interested in our discussion Goddess. " He smiled at Ida and she returned the smile. " ....I wonder what the chaps have on their minds. " he mumbled.

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He begins to walk in the direction of the bachelor philosophers, his fairy in tow. He was smiling a very broad smile indeed.

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Matt: So, what did you and Arthur talk about honey? "

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Ida: " Oh the birds and the bees and that kind of thing. "

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Matt laughing: " C'mon honey you know me better than that. I'm beginning to think that I am some kind of a lesser god or something, next to you. "

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Ida: " Not a chance honey. You are a man, all man and all matter. You are more important than you will ever know. Did you get a chance to discuss things with the men Honey? "

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Matt: " Yes, indeed we exchanged views on a number of topics, particularly as things relate to matter of course and what it means. Just basic stuff Honey that's all. Man to man matter talk. And, thanks for the ego booster too Babe. I needed that...did you make contact with Mr. Schopenhauer Honey, I mean physical contact. ?"

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Ida: " Yes indeed Honey. It turned out to be a very valuable experience for Mr. Schopenhauer. He certainly responded as I suspected he might. "

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Matt laughing: I am sure you were able to pass on some wonderful ideas to the man like you always do of course. You do have a way with men Ida. "

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Ida and Matt and their helpful fairies start walking toward the center of the hall. The place is abuzz with activity and everyone is in a merry mood indeed. There is music playing in the background and smiles are upon all of the faces. They walk past the long tables loaded with entrees and bottles of wine. Seated at one table is a group of theologically minded philosophers, St. Augustine, Aquinas, and many others among them. Their laughs are hearty and many were busily engaged in discussion. There is food and wine a plenty on the tables. Ida spots Bishop Berkeley, undoubtedly headed to join the group of religious men. She decides to make a comment to Matt.

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Ida: " I love that man Matt. He is a real idealist and a real die hard you know. He stood his ground, even in the midst of all the criticism. He gave idealism a good name Honey. Don't you think?"

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Matt: " Of course Honey. He is a good man. Not on my team, but a good man none the less. "

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Ida grabs Matt by the hand and leads him in the direction to a table not too far away.

Ida: " That looks like Jehovah over there. Let's head over that way and see what is happening Honey. "

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Ida and Matt and their fairies in tow head toward the table of the Lord God Jehovah...

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To be continued....

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The Marriage of Carl Baydala
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 2

The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 3
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 4

The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 5
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 6
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 7
The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 8

The Marriage of Carl Baydala - Part 9