Silence: Part III - ...And So, the Children of Earth Became Know-it-all Teenagers
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But, as the centuries passed, The Children of Earth grew up, Both in sheer numbers and in understanding. It seemed, though, like the more they came to know, The more fearful they became of all things unknown and unknowable. Instead of being awestruck by the mystery of existence, They became filled with terror at the idea That they existed in an unfathomable cosmos Straddling the edge of an unfathomable nothingness— A cosmos that was created and saved from that deep, dark abyss Under circumstances that defy all reason— (circumstances that might just as well be called, “miraculous”). And so, to occupy their minds and fend off this lingering and terrifying realization, They decided to devote themselves more and more feverishly To the things they could fathom In order to put off the uncomfortable and incomprehensible reality Directly in front of them. [ Why else would so many read the story of the Genesis of all things, Miss the mystery entirely, skip passed the paradox, and instead Obsess over the politics, timetables, and hard numbers? When confronted by the anomaly of being And the seed of wonder in the universe, Who in their right mind would rather fuss over the logistics!? From nothing— everything. From the One— the nations. Past peoples saw this and asked one another, “Who is this, the Uncreated One, who first Breathed the power of animation into the clay And called us out of oblivion to see this day?” But today we run and cling to what we know For fear of what we cannot possibly understand… ] To be fair, though, the Children of Earth Had become quite keen and crafty since ancient times. Through the ages and with much labor, They had gained some mastery over elemental forces That would have been incomprehensible (seemingly, “miraculous” even) to their ancient ancestors, And they used these newfound skills magnificently for the betterment of humankind. But with their newfound ability and confidence, They (not unpredictably) came to think all-the-more highly of themselves And, like pompous teenagers, equally less of their parents— Shrugging off their Fathers wisdom (along with the wisdom of history's greatest fathers), Abusing their Mothers generosity (along with the generous spirit of history’s greatest mothers), And denying with eyes closed and ears plugged Anything that might shine a light on their remaining helplessness Or shake their belief in their own supreme self-sufficiency. And so all things mysterious and unknowable Were mocked and thrown out as “irrational”— Banished out of the public mind to defend the people Against reckoning with their ever persistent ignorance. But still, the obvious question remained The same as it always had: What is our origin if not mystical? Yes, and it was precisely this immortal question That continued to echo in the conscience of the Children of Earth Until, finally, they went and consulted with the brightest wisemen among them And begged them for a new creation myth— Something that would satisfy their souls unnerving curiosity Into the mysterious origins of both themselves and their cosmos. And so it was that a new, "spiritless” origin story was produced And many were relieved to put their faith in it. As for this new myth, it proclaimed that: beginning in a time before time— Poof! A huge explosion of energy burst forth haphazardly from nothing And set into motion what would become us and everything. According to this legend, too, the explosion was so great that, Out of that enormous fiery blast, the first thought erupted into existence. And so, the birth of the first mind and the advent of consciousness Was said to have been brought about by sheer firepower alone! [ It was also taken as a given that this Uncreated Energy, Although it, too, was an effect without a cause, Was absolutely unmiraculous— Far less miraculous, at least, than any Uncreated Being… ]
Silence: Part III - ...And So, the Children of Earth Became Know-it-all Teenagers
Silence: Part III - ...And So, the Children…
Silence: Part III - ...And So, the Children of Earth Became Know-it-all Teenagers
But, as the centuries passed, The Children of Earth grew up, Both in sheer numbers and in understanding. It seemed, though, like the more they came to know, The more fearful they became of all things unknown and unknowable. Instead of being awestruck by the mystery of existence, They became filled with terror at the idea That they existed in an unfathomable cosmos Straddling the edge of an unfathomable nothingness— A cosmos that was created and saved from that deep, dark abyss Under circumstances that defy all reason— (circumstances that might just as well be called, “miraculous”). And so, to occupy their minds and fend off this lingering and terrifying realization, They decided to devote themselves more and more feverishly To the things they could fathom In order to put off the uncomfortable and incomprehensible reality Directly in front of them. [ Why else would so many read the story of the Genesis of all things, Miss the mystery entirely, skip passed the paradox, and instead Obsess over the politics, timetables, and hard numbers? When confronted by the anomaly of being And the seed of wonder in the universe, Who in their right mind would rather fuss over the logistics!? From nothing— everything. From the One— the nations. Past peoples saw this and asked one another, “Who is this, the Uncreated One, who first Breathed the power of animation into the clay And called us out of oblivion to see this day?” But today we run and cling to what we know For fear of what we cannot possibly understand… ] To be fair, though, the Children of Earth Had become quite keen and crafty since ancient times. Through the ages and with much labor, They had gained some mastery over elemental forces That would have been incomprehensible (seemingly, “miraculous” even) to their ancient ancestors, And they used these newfound skills magnificently for the betterment of humankind. But with their newfound ability and confidence, They (not unpredictably) came to think all-the-more highly of themselves And, like pompous teenagers, equally less of their parents— Shrugging off their Fathers wisdom (along with the wisdom of history's greatest fathers), Abusing their Mothers generosity (along with the generous spirit of history’s greatest mothers), And denying with eyes closed and ears plugged Anything that might shine a light on their remaining helplessness Or shake their belief in their own supreme self-sufficiency. And so all things mysterious and unknowable Were mocked and thrown out as “irrational”— Banished out of the public mind to defend the people Against reckoning with their ever persistent ignorance. But still, the obvious question remained The same as it always had: What is our origin if not mystical? Yes, and it was precisely this immortal question That continued to echo in the conscience of the Children of Earth Until, finally, they went and consulted with the brightest wisemen among them And begged them for a new creation myth— Something that would satisfy their souls unnerving curiosity Into the mysterious origins of both themselves and their cosmos. And so it was that a new, "spiritless” origin story was produced And many were relieved to put their faith in it. As for this new myth, it proclaimed that: beginning in a time before time— Poof! A huge explosion of energy burst forth haphazardly from nothing And set into motion what would become us and everything. According to this legend, too, the explosion was so great that, Out of that enormous fiery blast, the first thought erupted into existence. And so, the birth of the first mind and the advent of consciousness Was said to have been brought about by sheer firepower alone! [ It was also taken as a given that this Uncreated Energy, Although it, too, was an effect without a cause, Was absolutely unmiraculous— Far less miraculous, at least, than any Uncreated Being… ]