MENTAL ESSENCE
PAGE 11
    "Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  It's usually best to just not mention that stuff.  If a topic seems personal try to avoid it," Hiret said.
    "Scanning the link shows a tremendous amount of make-believe material," Trent said.
    "Make believe is great for the imagination.  It makes coming up with reality-oriented things a much easier process," Rye added.
    "Imagination makes adapting to changing circumstances easier, plus it improves the odds of a more beneficial outcome.  By playing out various scenarios in advance we feel more comfortable and confident in everyday life, and in things like your new body," said Hiret.
    "Speaking of which, the council is looking at an idea about using an energy conversion mechanism for individual cells.  If it works there will a revolution in technology," said Rye.
    "What revolutionary about it?" asked Mrs. Dennen.
    "Each cell would have its own energy conversion system, its own energy production system, and be coupled with some kind of protective shielding.  I guess it will be possible to make cells function independently, as part of the entire unit, and look just like organic cells.  I guess the cells can look like anything as far as that goes.  Which opens the door to some very interesting possibilities," replied Hiret.
    "Are you saying I could look like anything I want to?" asked Trent.
    "If it is possible to make cells like that, I guess so. I guess we could make organisms out of gravitirium that would look like anything we wanted them to, and they would live almost forever.  All we would have to do then is put our individual mental essences in our very own gravitirium shell," stated Hiret.
    "If we have mental essences," added Mrs. Dennen.
    "With Trent here, it's going to be hard to deny.  Unless of course Trent's not a mental essence.  Maybe he needs his own classification.  For the moment we need to work with what we got," added Rye.
    "Has there been any work done on this cell idea?" returned Mrs. Dennen.
    "Not that I'm aware of.  Marmat Bremter is the one who wrote the paper, but I don't think she is aware of Trent's arrival.  She must be on vacation in some remote location," said Rye.
    "At this moment I'll bet several billion beings just began looking for her," said Mrs. Dennen.
    "That would be some valuable knowledge.  From screwy idea to knowledge some beings would pay anything for.  Unfortunately, Trent, there are a lot of beings who would force her to hand over that kind of information," Rye said.
    "If I understand correctly, Mamat Bremter submitted a paper on such an idea, but no prototype?" Trent asked.
     "As I recall," said Rye.
    Several hours later Hiret got a message from the science department of the University of Emboria, "Is Mr. Bremter there?" 
    "This is Marmat Bremter.  I hear my idea might become a reality."   
    "Yes indeed.  How far along are you?" asked Rye.
    "Oh, just my paper, but I think it's a very feasible project," MB said.
    "How do you think we should proceed?" sked Hiret.
    "Well.  Let's form a panel of the gravimetrics engineers and show them exactly how the smallest biological components work.  Then, if it's actually possible to recreate those functions using parts made of gravitirium we can be confident that the larger parts will work well enough to complete an entire body.  On paper the process works.  I'm just not sure that parts made of gravitirium can be produced in fine enough detail at the molecular level," stated MB.
    "You can bet there's already a group of ten thousand fighting for a seat.  I'll call the gravitirium production facility to see if they have any good ideas," said Rye.
    "I've got several messages to respond to in regards to this very topic, so I'll get to it," said Hiret.
    " Up grading our technology is going to be more of a challenge then building Trents body.  Some of the things we'll be needing haven't even been thought about before," said Rye.
    "Nothing we can't do.  Frankly I can't wait to have the ability to make a body of gravitirium and put a mental essence in it.  I can have my own gravitirium body with my mind in it and basically live forever.  Ha!" said Hiret.
    "Ha?" Rye said.
    "Mental essence!  Trent is somebody's mental essence!" stated Hiret.
    "Now that you mention it, you're probably right.  Why didn't I think of that?  Are you listening Trent?" asked Rye.
    "Yes.  I must have had a body.  I focused on Trent rather quickly.  It would still have been a long time ago," said Trent.
    " Existing as a mental essence.  I wonder if we all have a mental essence?  Maybe there are races of beings that exist just as mental essences," said Mrs. Dennen.
    "Every light on the board just lit up," said Rye.
    "Yap.  Here we go.  Every crazy out there is going to feel justified in every screwy idea that's ever been dreamed up," Hiret said.
    "I thought the Ree were beyond such things," said Trent.
    "You don't think I'm going say anything do you?" said Hiret.
    "New topic.  Quickly," said Rye with a chuckle.
    "Please.  Quickly," said Hiret, also with a chuckle.
    "What do the Ree think about gods, ghosts, and goblins?" asked Trent.
    "Why do you ask?" Asked Hiret.
    "Because there are endless references to such things," said Trent.
    "That's because beings of all sorts keep inventing new ones.  Most don't believe in such things in any fashion," said Hiret. 
    "What's a goblin?" asked Mrs. Dennen.
    "I don't know.  I just thought of it.  It must have come from my past because it's not in the link," said Trent.   
    "Probably a good idea if we stop broadcasting over the link," said Hiret.
    "There's enough controversy as is, and there is bound to be more," said Rye.
    "Do all beings think independently?  It just dawned on me that the link is not a common source of thought.  It's confusing," said Trent.
    "It's a bit hard to explain, but some beings are easily manipulated.  Sometimes beings think as they are told to because they have a need to belong to a group.  Sort of a herd mentality," said Mrs. Dennen.
    "Sometimes because their stupid," Hiret added.
    "Mostly it's because they just lack sufficient common sense to be able think for themselves," Rye laughed.
    "With the availability of diversity it seems as though it would be difficult to be closed minded, or at the leased think independently," said Trent.
    "The Ree have minds that cannot be manipulated?" asked Trent.
    "The Ree have the advantage of practical observation.  In billions of years and hundreds of thousands of civilizations no one has ever documented anything supernatural.  No gods, no angles, no devils, no hereafters, and nobody has ever returned from the dead," Mrs. Dennen replied with an unusual tone to her voice.
    "Thinking for yourself is a commonality of all organics.  It's just that some give greater consideration to the topic their thinking about," Hiret said.
    "Why?" asked Trent.
    "There's an eternity of conversation in that question.  I'll pass.  Trent, you'll find that most beings get really agitated when you start talking as if there is, or even might be, supernatural anything's," stated Mrs. Dennen.
    "Is this important to consider when interacting with organics?" Trent asked.