Burning Ones

I was there the day he set himself on fire.

It was a clear day. The clouds were fluffy but few.

I nodded to him when he saw me at a distance, as he started walking from the little street he was waiting in, where he was probably composing himself.

He smiled at me. I didn’t smile back.

He seemed calm, happy even, a stark contrast to how all these people milling about in front of the courthouse would react a few moments later.

Inside, a very powerful man and his team of lawyers were preparing for a trial. They say he rigged the elections. He said his promise to make the country “great again” is enough.

No one was supposed to become rich from the labor and dependency of others like this man did. Every species, race and creation in this Universe was supposed to only take what it needs to survive. Anything else beyond that purpose is a violation of the order by which the Universe was intended to operate, according to the master plan created by the Source.

But somehow, humans, with their beautifully crafted brains, were able to find loopholes. They bent and broke the rules until they no longer applied to them.

That’s why we volunteered to be here.

Some say we are the bravest souls because our mission here is to kill ourselves in a shocking manner, in public, to nudge humanity to take action or to become aware of certain truths. Collectively, we chose to die by fire because it represents light, danger and, above all, violent cleansing.

In that other Realm, where all souls come from, we are called The Burning Ones. We jokingly refer to ourselves as The Burn Unit.

There are only very few of us who volunteered. We left the other Realm with the instruction not to execute our mission until we are fully grown individuals and only when we have completed our awakening.

It helps when you are spiritually awake. You can’t feel pain as the fire eats you up because your consciousness is no longer intertwined with your physical body. Your perception of this physical realm is completely changed that even self-immolation can’t hurt you.

You’ve seen that before.

Remember Thích Quảng Đức? That monk didn’t even flinch as the fire slowly turned him to coal and ashes. The people of Vietnam and the persecutors of Buddhists didn’t expect that.

He was one of us. The other monks who followed his example and died by self-immolation were ours, too. Burning Ones.

Aaron Bushnell was also one of us. I felt him decide to finally complete his mission after he picked the Israel embassy in Washington, DC as the site for his sacrifice.

Aaron was a kind and sensitive soul who can no longer stand the pain and suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza. He wanted a ceasefire and for the genocide to end.

And now it’s Maxwell’s turn.

Later, the police will tell the media that they don’t believe Maxwell Azzarello was targeting anyone. They’re right about that. His sacrifice wasn’t even about that man inside the courthouse.

I watched as he entered Collect Pond Park.

The New York police report would say later that he shuffled around his clothes, opened a backpack and took out and threw numerous pamphlets on the ground before doing what he came to do.

Right there, while people were enjoying the afternoon sun on their way to wherever they should be, he pulled out a canister, poured a liquid accelerant on his face and lit himself on fire.

Screams erupted from the horrified onlookers, but none of the voices belonged to the man who was dying before everyone’s eyes.

He stood there while the flames lick his clothes and skin. He swayed a bit then fell. He tried sitting back up again as a police officer approached with a fire extinguisher.

Some people fought off their shock and used their coats to try and save Max from the blaze. It took a while, but they managed to rescue him, or whatever life remains in him.

You know how this ended. Max died while receiving treatment. Max completed his mission.

Now, people all over the world know him as a “conspiracy theorist” who died for his delusions and paranoia. His manifesto will be read, debated over and endlessly discussed for a few days on social media.

Max described himself as an “investigative researcher” and he fully believed that “The Simpsons” were mafia propaganda.

He had a lot of conspiracy theories but only some of them have potential. You see? That’s the downside of awakening – if the mind you were born with was not strong enough to interpret and comprehend the downloads you get from the Source, you’ll break.

Max broke, but only a little.

You should all be cautious about cryptocurrency. There’s an economic collapse in your future that you won’t be able to recover from.

I turned my back from the scene and walked away from the park, putting distance between myself and the commotion.

Soon it will be my turn, too.

I haven’t yet picked the place, the altar, for my sacrifice but I already know what I would be doing it for.

There’s a storm brewing in Southeast Asia.

When China moves to invade the Philippines, thousands will die.

I will burn myself then.