Meditations at the summit

Occam had scaled the very tallest peak of the mountains in his search for DeFi enlightenment, and smiled wistfully at the sight before him…

Ancient mountains topped with snow, soaring from the bedrock of the earth like jagged teeth, and splitting the very clouds with their immensity. In his mind, the great peaks of DeFi kept an ever-watchful presence over the natural flow of life in the valleys and rivers at their feet — ensuring balance, and strong flows of liquidity to the world beyond.

“Yes. This place is perfect for my meditations, I can feel the very essence of DeFi here… No controls, and no boundaries — just freedom and the natural course of the world toward a better future.”

It was here then, atop DeFi’s greatest peak — that Occam the Monk took a sitting stance and closed his eyes; taking this last sight of the natural majesty before him into his meditative trance, and allowing himself to drift into a higher plane of mental clarity.

Nature, however — can be both beautiful and cruel, and Occam had not considered that he may not be alone in this remote, rocky wilderness…

Ferocity and hunger, the beast approaches!

It lurched forwards with each step, almost lazy in its movements; each footfall of its massive paws dislodging loose rock from the mountainside; it had been on the move for months, and its inexorable progress had already devoured countless souls that were unfortunate enough to lie within its path. The beast moved with a slowness that belied its impossible strength — a force of nature that consumed the weak and desperate within this realm of ultimate DeFi.

The great bear was ancient; its thick hide was a mess of scar tissue and punctures from countless battles with what must have been an equally impressive creature, and oddly, numerous small, deep cuts that could not have been made by any animal. These old wounds were fully healed however, and the great bear was in ascendancy, its might unchallenged in the realm of DeFi and beyond — crushing all before it in a red tide.

Passing beyond the last rocky outcrop at the top of the peak, the great bear noticed a strange creature before it on the highest plateau; another weak DeFi user to consume… The hairless creature was sitting with his eyes closed, and a look of utter serenity upon his light-touched features; completely unaware of the danger he now faced.

Mirror images

Occam’s meditations were morphing before him — something he had never experienced before — his mastery of mind being so finely tuned, that distraction had become an impossibility long ago. New images he had never seen before were flashing before him; here and there he saw… himself?

At first, Occam saw himself dressed in strange clothing and wielding a deadly-sharp blade, a warrior in combat against a massive, terrifying beast. Then, as quickly as the first, a new image appeared; a tribal savage that looked to be another twin — raising his hands to the heavens in fealty towards the open sky. More variants of himself, all wildly different in aspect appeared in quick succession, and finally himself; exactly as he looked today, but in the state of perfect DeFi enlightenment he had been searching for all this time.

Each mental image was fading more quickly than the last; slowly at first and then with increasing rapidity the images were taking on a red hue, beginning to… “Oh no…”

The severance of spirit

He awoke still sitting, but feeling an overwhelming pressure that seemed to steal the air around him, compressing his chest as though trapped in a vice. With great difficulty, he craned his head upward to meet the eyes of the great bear standing over him — its mere presence overwhelming his body and senses.

The great bear was not one to toy with his prey, feeling neither pride nor pleasure — it simply performed its ancient, instinctual task of consuming the weak and ignorant in this place: It opened its massive jaws, releasing a hot breath that made the frigid air taste of iron, and lurched toward Occam intent on a quick meal…

Faster than thought, and almost as strong as the bear; a razor-sharp blade met the massive jaws of the beast before it could reach the prone monk — forcing it to reel back as several of its teeth shattered.

Whilst the bear was dazed, Occam looked to his right to discover a spectral image he recognized from his vision; a warrior the spitting image of himself, smirking at him with a knowing smile. This was no mere copy though; the newcomer sported an orange robe, and a large flame-wreathed sword. The warrior’s image was gaining solidity and color with every passing moment, and it was then that Occam realized what he had done.

“He’s me… I’ve somehow managed to draw to this place of power an ancient version of myself from the depths of my consciousness. From another life and another time, but clearly me… and a fierce warrior at that!”

With the great bear recovering and no more time for thought, Occam the Monk stood; raising his iconic staff to the sky and coating himself in white lightning, as he witnessed his spectral ally become real before his eyes. For his part, Occam’s warrior aspect could feel himself gaining his full strength in the presence of his strange new twin, and instinctively knew him to be a friend. Thus with the great bear now facing them once again, the lightning-wreathed monk and the deadly warrior took fighting stances against the approaching beast.

Occam’s many aspects

The battle was hard-fought, but in the end, the great bear had no choice but to retreat in the face of these two powerful DeFi users — their teamwork and joint strikes of lightning and swordsmanship, allowing them to overcome this indomitable force of nature and force it back down the mountain.

So it was, with a rush of victory and immense exhaustion — both aspects of Occam collapsed against the rocks — alive to admire the same majestic view that had so impressed Occam when he had first set foot here.

After some time, they each got to their feet; “What are you going to do now? I do not know how to return you to where you came from” said the Monk.

With an abruptness that startled his counterpart, Occam’s warrior aspect winked at his bald twin and simply stated, “No need to try. This is a fine turn of events, and I sense great challenges here — I will forge my own path… brother”.

“Thank you for the help with the beast, I have fought it before… you were impressive!” — the fighter then cast his eyes down the mountain, and a gleeful smile appeared on his face.

“It has slowed; no doubt weak from battle… may your journey treat you well monk”. With this, Occam’s warrior aspect turned and began to jog down the winding goat path leading to the base of the mountain. He smiled back to the monk shouting his intent: “I’m going to need some way of getting around this place… and I think our whipped, ursine friend down there might be convinced to give me a ride!”.

Occam the Monk — already feeling a brotherly bond with this brazen aspect of himself — simply whispered under his breath — “Good luck friend”. Watching his Warrior counterpart lope down the mountainside, he paused for a moment in thought; “If I can draw out this aspect of myself; perhaps I can do the same for the others I witnessed…”

Afterword

This short story sets the stage for our amazing new Occam Governance NFTs, and commemorates the beginning of the Temple Path, a series of fundamental changes and improvements to the Occam DAO passed via governance in July of 2022.

Through the Temple Path, DAO members are gaining vastly improved governance features, a brand new rewards token for $OCC stakers, a new tier structure, and the full implementation of our Ambassador program. Make no mistake, the Temple Path will alter how we all interact with the DAO for the better, and strengthen your individual voice in its direction and governance.

There are glimmers of hope to be seen in the market, but as we have stated before, it is in these comparatively peaceful moments of building, that the very best teams such as Occam thrive. Initiatives such as the Temple Path ensure that when the markets inevitably improve, and times are busy — the Occam DAO will be in the strongest possible position to serve its members.

It is time to walk the Temple Path!