Mysterious Creature: A Journey to Discover Who We Really Are

By Ralph White

Why do I try so hard and never get the results I expect?

This is a very common question we ask ourselves. Our protagonist asks himself the same thing whenever he tries something new. Is he useless? Is he incapable? Negative thoughts haunt him until he finds the answer he's been looking for. Maybe you will too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ralph White
• Release date: Oct 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781802278156

Ralph White

In 1973, Ralph White joined the Chase Manhattan Bank and worked as a business development officer in Thailand and Hong Kong; during his tenure in Thailand, he was temporarily assigned to Vietnam to close the bank’s Saigon branch as the city fell. Upon return to Chase’s New York headquarters in 1981, he worked in the International Strategic Planning Division and was a Vice President when he left. White subsequently worked as a business development officer with three foreign banks and earned an MBA at Columbia University. In 2009, he founded the Columbia Fiction Foundry, a writing workshop for alumni of Columbia University. Having served as the organization’s president for its first decade, White now serves as its Chairman. He lives in New York City and Litchfield, Connecticut.

Book preview

Preface

Blank mind, blind, defenceless. We don’t understand, but we don’t even realise we don’t understand. In fact, what does understanding mean right now? A part of nothing? We have no concerns nor worries; we are just here and now. What do we do? The ego would reply, Nothing!, but the true being would reply, Just living.

Yes, we are alive. That is what really matters. Do we need to justify it? Is there anything wrong with it?

We are just living, flowing through life.

Suddenly, a huge warm and wet mass passes throughout our bodies. What is that? We don’t know, but we don’t even ask ourselves. We don’t know we don’t know; we simply feel it as it is, and we fully accept it without questioning and without wondering what that is.

We cannot see, but we can smell, and somehow our instinct is bringing us to a place; we are advancing. We are going somewhere, but where exactly? We don’t know, and we ignore our ignorance, but we just keep going, without questioning anything. We just do.

The way seems tough for our little fragile bodies. But we are not even aware our bodies are little. The way seems pleasant, and intuitively we experience a feeling of warmth and protection when we are in touch with the way we are following.

Again, the warm and wet mass goes through our bodies, and it does repetitively again and again. I ask myself, what is it and why is it there?

Suddenly, we arrive at a big soft mass. We didn’t know where we’re going, but something tells us this is our destiny. We tend to suck from that mass, and we do. We simply do. We feel energised, and it feels good.

We hear a voice saying, How lovely and sweet are those babies.

But we don’t understand a single word, and we don’t even realise we are hearing a voice. We just hear, without knowing we are hearing.

Being a baby is an interesting thing, but you only realise that when you are not a baby anymore.

But wait… I don’t have the tendency to suck, and I don’t suck, and I don’t even realise. But something is grabbing me and bringing my mouth to that mysterious mass. Very soon, I realise my brothers suck naturally while I have to be forced to.

CHAPTER ONE

The Odd Brother

Since we opened our eyes, we noticed an energy in our bodies. We could move, and we felt a new strength. We enjoyed it, and we played.

I saw my brothers, and I could see the shape of their bodies and the black and orange of their fur. Very soon I was familiar with them.

I also saw the body of Mum, which was much bigger and stronger, and also faster. She gave us strong company and a great feeling of protection. Mum was our queen.

Dad was just roaming around setting boundaries. Very soon we were aware of what the rules were and what was considered odd.

I saw how my little brothers played: how they grabbed each other and how they bit each other. Soon, I saw we had claws. Yes, fighting was fun, and it created adrenaline. I joined in the game, but then, I noticed my brothers could beat me easily, and I couldn’t use my hands in the same way they did.

Look, you have no front legs as we do. Your ones are weird. Your front legs have no claws, and they are so weak, said one of my brothers.

Wow, this was true! I had no front legs. Actually, my front limbs were useless in a fight. I didn’t notice it before, but now I realised all my brothers had four legs with claws, and I only had two. What a strange feeling.

My brothers disrespected me and made fun of me because of that. And I felt ashamed of