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There are those who claim to know it all, and then there are those who know nothing, but I am one of the few who realize that nothing is worth knowing. Now, I'm not saying that stupidity is the way to go; I'm merely saying that true wisdon can only be obtained when one has known true nothingness. Throughout history there have been those who have achieved oneness, but very few have sought after a state of nothingness. But how does one go about attaining nothingness? Well, the truths may be against everything you know, but if you wish to descend into the darkness with me, then I shall be your guide. Come, and let us delve once again into the depths of what others, out of ignorance, call "insanity" so that we alone may, in the darkness, be enlightened.

Life is a very queer thing. Every being on this planet experiences it, yet even the greatest minds do not fully understand it. There are those who ponder where we come from and why we are here, and even those that try to find a purpose to this precious, yet insignificantly small term we call "life." Even Science, the single thing that seperates man from beast, cannot accurately describe this phenomenon. Although it alone has prescribed a series of parameters that life must meet, even those parameters are inadequate. As we progress backwards along the evolutionary staircase, we find creatures becoming simpler and simpler. We descend from mammals, to reptiles, to amphibians, to fish, to mollusks, and all the way down to bacteria All of these things can be defined as living by our parameter, but then the line grows fuzzy; viruses are just slightly beneath bacteria and can be considered semi-living. But, since we decide not to draw the line there, when does something stop being a living thing? Where does life end? The answer: life ends when nothingness is reached. But science works in the stody of things, not nothing. Our dear friend science cannot help us this time.

Death is just as great of a mystery as life, yet just as life does, death surrounds us. Our homes are both constructed and heated by dead matter. Whether we are carniverous, herbivorous, or omnivorous, we must kill to eat. Those insects and pests that we deem beneath us are killed indiscriminately. Yet, despite how common death is, when one whom we have regular interactions with, such as a family member or a pet, succumbs to this inevitable end to life, it grieves us dearly. Death is constantly being inflicted, yet there are instances in which certain inflictions of death are considered wrong. Even if those we have never had an interaction with die -- a stranger being hit by your car -- we often grieve and regret this action. It is quite the paradox, until the attainment of nothingness is observed.

Why do we live, why do we die, and why are these terms so difficult to understand despite their omnipresence? The answers to all these questions spiral towards true nothingness. At this time, all those minds who are unable to break free from the shackles of science must be left behind, for science has no answers. The purpose of life is to cause death; the purpose of death, is to join the dead in nothingness. This is the single truth that can be observed in our world. Even those creatures that live purely off of the sun's energy make it possible for this cycle of chaos to continue. There is no harmony in the universe as every living thing is different. The only way these differences can be settled harmony can be achieved is for all these living things to reach nothingness, and nothingness can only be achieved through death. This alone does not answer everything, however. If, ultimately, all things must die, then why are they born, and why do there seem to be rulese regarding death imbeded into our nature? The true answer is the Staircase.

Ironically, in this world centered on death, every creature is born so that it can survive, or so the scientists say. The truth is not that creatures need to survive, but that they must make life as hard as possible for those around them. But why are things born in the first place? Would not putting an end to birth remove an essential gear in this infinite cycle? No. This would not end the cycle, after all, life did have a beginning and even without birth that beginning would surely reoccur. And that beginning was so grueling for those poor organisms desperately trying to find harmony in nothingness. But with birth, the process is made swifter. Creatures are constantly becoming more effecient in killing one another. That is why there is birth: to swiften the descent into harmony and nothingness.

But this is only part of the picture. This entire process of life and death can be illustrated by the Staircase. At the top of the staircase lies birth, and at the bottom there is an abyss leading to nothingness. As long as creatures are being born, there is a force which pushes those on the stair below it down to the next level and so on. This creates a perpetual flow from life to death, which is why we find death unavoidable. The Staircase flows swiftly, delivering all the eager creatures into nothingness as quickly and efficiently as possible...until there is a disturbance.

The Staircase gives us the answer to our final question: why do we grieve when one who is close to us is killed? Insects, fish, and other lowly creatures seem incapable of grief. Occasionally, an animal with "higher intelligence" will show grief, but most always people show grief. There is a very simple explanation for this: when a creature is killed, it is rapidly hurled down the staircase. Depending on the significance of this creature, it will cause either a minor disturbance or a great tumult. Humans, being the most advanced of all earthly creatures, make the largest disturbances as the tumble down the staircase, and they leave the biggest spaces. These spaces are promptly filled by creatures on the upper step, and those that were close to that space can feel the change surging around them. This feeling is known as grief.

So, how can one attain nothingness? By leaning back and letting the flow of the staircase carry you away. Those who worry about every little thing are making a forlorn ascent up a down escalator. Death is not it be feared, nor can it be hastened, as it is controlled by birth. One can only sit back, relax, enjoy the time they have, and do nothing.