How the Sphere Encouraged Me in a Vision

Although I had less than a minute for reflection, I felt, by a kind of instinct, that I must conceal my experiences from my Wife. Not that I apprehended, at the moment, any danger from her divulging my secret, but I knew that to any Woman in Flatland the narrative of my adventures must needs be unintelligible. So I endeavoured to reassure her by some story, invented for the occasion, that I had accidentally fallen through the trap-door of the cellar, and had there lain stunned.

Although I had less than a minute to think, I instinctively felt I must hide my experiences from my Wife. At that moment, I was not afraid she would reveal my secret. But I knew that no Woman in Flatland could understand the story of my adventures. So I tried to reassure her with a story I made up on the spot. I said I had accidentally fallen through the cellar trapdoor and had lain there stunned.

The Southward attraction in our country is so slight that even to a Woman my tale necessarily appeared extraordinary and well-nigh incredible; but my Wife, whose good sense far exceeds that of the average of her Sex, and who perceived that I was unusually excited, did not argue with me on the subject, but insisted that I was ill and required repose. I was glad of an excuse for retiring to my chamber to think quietly over what had happened. When I was at last by myself, a drowsy sensation fell on me; but before my eyes closed I endeavoured to reproduce the Third Dimension, and especially the process by which a Cube is constructed through the motion of a Square. It was not so clear as I could have wished; but I remembered that it must be "Upward, and yet not Northward", and I determined steadfastly to retain these words as the clue which, if firmly grasped, could not fail to guide me to the solution. So mechanically repeating, like a charm, the words, "Upward, yet not Northward", I fell into a sound refreshing sleep.

The Southward pull in our country is so slight that even to a Woman my story inevitably seemed extraordinary and almost unbelievable. But my Wife has far more good sense than the average member of her Sex. She noticed that I was unusually excited and did not argue with me about my story. Instead, she insisted that I was ill and needed rest. I welcomed the excuse to go to my room and think quietly about what had happened. Once I was finally alone, I grew drowsy. But before my eyes closed, I tried to picture the Third Dimension again. In particular, I tried to picture how a Cube is formed by moving a Square. The picture was not as clear as I wished. But I remembered that the movement must be "Upward, and yet not Northward". I firmly resolved to remember these words as my clue. If I held firmly to that clue, it could not fail to lead me to the solution. So, mechanically repeating the words "Upward, yet not Northward" like a charm, I fell into a deep, refreshing sleep.

During my slumber I had a dream. I thought I was once more by the side of the Sphere, whose lustrous hue betokened that he had exchanged his wrath against me for perfect placability. We were moving together towards a bright but infinitesimally small Point, to which my Master directed my attention. As we approached, methought there issued from it a slight humming noise as from one of your Spaceland bluebottles, only less resonant by far, so slight indeed that even in the perfect stillness of the Vacuum through which we soared, the sound reached not our ears till we checked our flight at a distance from it of something under twenty human diagonals.

While I slept, I dreamed that I was once more beside the Sphere. His shining color showed that his anger toward me had given way to complete calm. We were moving together toward a bright but infinitesimally small Point. My Master drew my attention to the Point. As we approached, I thought I heard a faint humming coming from it. The sound was like one of your Spaceland bluebottle flies, but far less resonant. The humming was so faint that we could not hear it even in the perfect stillness of the Vacuum. Only when we slowed our flight to a stop did the sound reach our ears. We were then a little less than twenty human diagonals from the Point.

"Look yonder," said my Guide, "in Flatland thou hast lived; of Lineland thou hast received a vision; thou hast soared with me to the heights of Spaceland; now, in order to complete the range of thy experience, I conduct thee downward to the lowest depth of existence, even to the realm of Pointland, the Abyss of No dimensions.

"Look over there," said my Guide. "You have lived in Flatland. You have seen a vision of Lineland. You have soared with me to the heights of Spaceland. Now, to complete your experience, I will lead you down to the lowest depth of existence. We will enter the realm of Pointland, the Abyss of No dimensions.

"Behold yon miserable creature. That Point is a Being like ourselves, but confined to the non-dimensional Gulf. He is himself his own World, his own Universe; of any other than himself he can form no conception; he knows not Length, nor Breadth, nor Height, for he has had no experience of them; he has no cognizance even of the number Two; nor has he a thought of Plurality; for he is himself his One and All, being really Nothing. Yet mark his perfect self-contentment, and hence learn this lesson, that to be self-contented is to be vile and ignorant, and that to aspire is better than to be blindly and impotently happy. Now listen."

"Look at that miserable creature. That Point is a being like us, but confined to the non-dimensional Gulf. He is his own World, his own Universe. He cannot imagine anything other than himself. He knows nothing of Length, Breadth, or Height, because he has never experienced them. He does not even know the number Two, nor can he imagine more than one thing. For he is his own One and All, though he is really Nothing. Yet notice how completely satisfied he is with himself, and learn this lesson from his contentment. To be satisfied with yourself is to be vile and ignorant. It is better to strive for more than to be blindly and helplessly happy. Now listen."

He ceased; and there arose from the little buzzing creature a tiny, low, monotonous, but distinct tinkling, as from one of your Spaceland phonographs, from which I caught these words, "Infinite beatitude of existence! It is; and there is none else beside It."

He stopped speaking. The little buzzing creature made a faint, low, monotonous but clear tinkling sound, like one of your Spaceland phonographs. I made out these words: "The infinite bliss of existence! It exists, and nothing else exists beside it."

"What," said I, "does the puny creature mean by 'it'?" "He means himself," said the Sphere: "have you not noticed before now, that babies and babyish people who cannot distinguish themselves from the world, speak of themselves in the Third Person? But hush!"

"What," I said, "does the puny creature mean by 'it'?" "He means himself," said the Sphere. "Haven't you noticed how babies and childish people speak of themselves in the third person? They do this because they cannot distinguish themselves from the world. But hush!"

"It fills all Space," continued the little soliloquizing Creature, "and what It fills, It is. What It thinks, that It utters; and what It utters, that It hears; and It itself is Thinker, Utterer, Hearer, Thought, Word, Audition; it is the One, and yet the All in All. Ah, the happiness ah, the happiness of Being!"

"It fills all Space," continued the little Creature, talking to itself. "And it is everything it fills. It says whatever it thinks, and hears whatever it says. It is itself the thinker, speaker, listener, thought, word, and hearing. It is the One, and yet the All in All. Ah, the happiness, ah, the happiness of being!"

"Can you not startle the little thing out of its complacency?" said I. "Tell it what it really is, as you told me; reveal to it the narrow limitations of Pointland, and lead it up to something higher." "That is no easy task," said my Master; "try you."

"Can't you shock the little thing out of its self-satisfaction?" I said. "Tell it what it really is, as you told me. Show it the narrow limits of Pointland, and guide it toward something higher." "That's no easy task," said my Master. "You try."

Hereon, raising my voice to the uttermost, I addressed the Point as follows:

Then, raising my voice as loud as I could, I spoke to the Point as follows:

"Silence, silence, contemptible Creature. You call yourself the All in All, but you are the Nothing: your so-called Universe is a mere speck in a Line, and a Line is a mere shadow as compared with—" "Hush, hush, you have said enough," interrupted the Sphere, "now listen, and mark the effect of your harangue on the King of Pointland."

"Silence, silence, you contemptible Creature. You call yourself the All in All, but you are Nothing. Your so-called Universe is just a speck in a Line. And a Line is only a shadow compared with..." "Hush, hush, you have said enough," interrupted the Sphere. "Now listen, and notice how your angry speech affects the King of Pointland."

The lustre of the Monarch, who beamed more brightly than ever upon hearing my words, shewed clearly that he retained his complacency; and I had hardly ceased when he took up his strain again. "Ah, the joy, ah, the joy of Thought! What can It not achieve by thinking! Its own Thought coming to Itself, suggestive of Its disparagement, thereby to enhance Its happiness! Sweet rebellion stirred up to result in triumph! Ah, the divine creative power of the All in One! Ah, the joy, the joy of Being!"

The Monarch glowed even more brightly when he heard my words. His glow clearly showed that he remained pleased with himself. I had hardly finished speaking when he returned to his theme. "Ah, the joy, ah, the joy of Thought! What can it not achieve by thinking! Its own Thought comes to it, suggesting criticism of itself, only to increase its happiness! Sweet rebellion stirred up so that it can end in triumph! Ah, the divine creative power of the All in One! Ah, the joy, the joy of Being!"

"You see," said my Teacher, "how little your words have done. So far as the Monarch understands them at all, he accepts them as his own—for he cannot conceive of any other except himself—and plumes himself upon the variety of 'Its Thought' as an instance of creative Power. Let us leave this God of Pointland to the ignorant fruition of his omnipresence and omniscience: nothing that you or I can do can rescue him from his self-satisfaction."

"You see," said my Teacher, "how little your words have achieved. As far as the Monarch understands your words at all, he takes them for his own thoughts. He cannot imagine anyone existing except himself. So he prides himself on the variety of 'Its Thought' as proof of his creative power. Let us leave this God of Pointland to his ignorant enjoyment of being everywhere and knowing everything. Nothing you or I can do can save him from his self-satisfaction."

After this, as we floated gently back to Flatland, I could hear the mild voice of my Companion pointing the moral of my vision, and stimulating me to aspire, and to teach others to aspire. He had been angered at first—he confessed—by my ambition to soar to Dimensions above the Third; but, since then, he had received fresh insight, and he was not too proud to acknowledge his error to a Pupil. Then he proceeded to initiate me into mysteries yet higher than those I had witnessed, shewing me how to construct Extra-Solids by the motion of Solids, and Double Extra-Solids by the motion of Extra-Solids, and all "strictly according to Analogy", all by methods so simple, so easy, as to be patent even to the Female Sex.

After this, as we floated gently back to Flatland, I heard my Companion’s gentle voice explaining my vision’s lesson. He encouraged me to aim higher and teach others to do the same. He admitted that my ambition to rise to Dimensions above the Third had angered him at first. But since then, he had gained new insight and was not too proud to admit his mistake to a Pupil. Then he began teaching me mysteries even greater than those I had witnessed. He showed me how to construct Extra-Solids by moving Solids, and Double Extra-Solids by moving Extra-Solids. All this was "strictly according to Analogy", using methods so simple and easy that even the Female Sex could understand them.