Emptiness and Language – The Silence of Creation and the Declaration of “Let There Be”

Soyo (逍遙) Existence Ethics / SPE-20848

Biblical

Preface

This essay employs religious language and biblical imagery, yet it is not confined to a mere confession of faith. Rather, it is a philosophical inquiry into the foundation of human existence, and above all, a testament to the human condition of living while carrying death within.

Our world is overwhelmed with countless murders, crimes, violence, and wars. Humanity can never escape the shadow of death, and in fact, we carry it like an avatar within our very being. This fear has been the most primal experience throughout human history. Yet this essay does not regard death as emptiness, annihilation, or the end. Instead, death is not a prison of existence but the very threshold through which humanity encounters eternity. Emptiness is not destruction but the womb of creation, and death is not despair but the beginning of everlasting life.

Thus, this writing speaks of the dignity of human existence. Humanity continues life and must eventually pass through death, but that passage is nothing less than the inevitable process through which existence transcends its own limits and encounters the eternal light. This is the very dignity of human existence, and the truth of life that cannot be extinguished, even through death itself.

Emptiness Is Not Non-Being, but the State of Pre-Language

People often misunderstand emptiness as simple nothingness. Yet, in the first chapter of Genesis, emptiness is not presented as mere lack, but as the state that precedes the Word of God's arrival. “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. Here, emptiness already serves as the stage of creation. It is not the absence of all things but the possibility of existence that has not yet been spoken. The emptiness and longing that humans feel, along with the inexplicable thirst for meaning, are not mere psychological states, but the spiritual memory of waiting to be called into being again.

The Only Word That Pierces Emptiness – “Let There Be”

God addressed the silence of emptiness with a single word: “Let there be light. This declaration was the first sound of the universe. Philosophy and poetry have wrestled with language for thousands of years, but none can surpass this single utterance. For it is the Word before all words, the Meaning before all meaning.“Let there be” is not a mere command but the absolute Word that calls existence itself into being. It is God’s confession breaking through silence, the original declaration that opened existence itself.

Humanity Was Created Together with Emptiness

Humanity can never be separated from emptiness. No matter how much we attempt to fill it with knowledge, relationships, or achievements, emptiness always returns. The reason is that humans were originally created together with emptiness. Emptiness is not lack but the waiting place for God’s Word to resound again. The unease, loneliness, and yearning we experience are not mere emotions but the fundamental striving of created beings to return to their Source.

Only Those Who Endure Emptiness Encounter the Light

Those who flee from emptiness conceal it with speed and emotion. But in the end, the way to encounter the light lies in enduring emptiness. Only those who remain in silence without collapsing, who stand firm where language ceases, come to know: The light is not knowledge but the fullness of existence itself. Thus, Scripture calls such people “the people of God.” They shine not with persuasive speech but with the silence of one who has passed through emptiness.

Emptiness Is Not the End but the Embrace of God

Emptiness is not destruction but the womb of creation. Not despair, but the preparation for a new birth. Not abandonment but the silent pause in which God’s Word waits to resound again. Therefore, humanity is not to live as beasts howling in despair within emptiness, but as beings who wait for the promise of light hidden within it. “Let there be.” This declaration was not confined to the beginning of creation. Even now, it resounds within the depths of our being, calling forth existence anew.

The Language of Eternity Beyond Death and Emptiness

This essay does not regard death and emptiness, which humanity fears, as annihilation. Death is not the end of existence but the gateway to eternity, and emptiness is the womb of creation. Therefore, humanity should not fear death but wait within it for the language of light and eternity. The declaration “Let there be” is still being spoken to us today, opening new existence for all who pass through death.

Soyo (逍遙) – Founder of Soyo Existence Ethics. Author of The Silence of Existence, The Flame of Truth

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