Ishmael: A Novel
Transcript of Ishmael: A Novel
FORRENNIE
ONE
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ThefirsttimeIreadthead,Ichokedandcursedandspatandthrewthepapertothefloor.Sinceeventhisdidnâtseemtobequiteenough, I snatched itup,marched into thekitchen,and shoved it intothe trash.While Iwas there, Imademyself a littlebreakfast andgavemyselfsometimetocooldown.Iateandthoughtaboutsomethingelseentirely.Thatâsright.ThenIdugthepaperoutofthetrashandturnedbacktothePersonalssection,justtoseeifthedamnthingwasstillthereandjustthewayIrememberedit.Itwas.
TEACHER seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply inperson.
Anearnestdesiretosavetheworld!Oh,Ilikedthat.Thatwasrichindeed.An earnest desire to save theworldâyes, thatwas splendid. By noon,two hundred mooncalfs, softheads, boobies, ninnyhammers,noodleheads,gawkies,andassortedoafsandthickwitswoulddoubtlessbelinedupattheaddressgiven,readytoturnoveralltheirworldliesforthe rareprivilegeof sittingat the feetof somegurupregnantwith thenewsthatallwillbewellifeveryonewilljustturnaroundandgivehisneighborabighug.Youwillwonder:Whyis thismanso indignant?Sobitter? Itâsa fair
question.Infact,itâsaquestionIwasaskingmyself.Theanswergoesbacktoatime,acoupledecadesago,whenIâdhad
thesillynotionthatthethingImostwantedtodointheworldwasâŠtofind a teacher. Thatâs right. I imagined I wanted a teacherâneeded ateacher.ToshowmehowonegoesaboutdoingsomethingthatmightbecalledâŠsavingtheworld.Stupid, no? Childish. NaĂŻve. Simple. Callow. Or just fundamentally
dumb.Inonesomanifestlynormalinotherrespects,itneedsexplaining.Itcameaboutinthisway.Duringthechildrenâsrevoltofthesixtiesandseventies,Iwasjustold
enoughtounderstandwhatthesekidshadinmindâtheymeanttoturn
theworld upside downâand just young enough to believe theymightactually succeed. Itâs true. Every morning when I opened my eyes, Iexpectedtoseethatthenewerahadbegun,thattheskywasabrighterblueandthegrassabrightergreen.Iexpectedtohearlaughterintheairandtoseepeopledancinginthestreets,andnotjustkidsâeveryone!IwonâtapologizeformynaĂŻvetĂ©;youonlyhavetolistentothesongstoknowthatIwasnâtalone.ThenonedaywhenIwasinmymid-teensIwokeupandrealizedthatthenewerawasnevergoingtobegin.Therevolthadnâtbeenputdown,ithadjustdwindledawayintoafashionstatement.CanIhavebeentheonlypersonintheworldwhowasdisillusionedbythis?Bewilderedbythis?Itseemedso.Everyoneelseseemedtobeabletopassitoffwithacynicalgrinthatsaid,âWell,whatdidyoureallyexpect?Thereâsneverbeenanymorethanthisandneverwillbeanymorethanthis.Nobodyâsout to save theworld, becausenobodygives adamnabout theworld,that was just a bunch of goofy kids talking. Get a job, make somemoney,worktillyouâresixty,thenmovetoFloridaanddie.âIcouldnâtshrugitawaylikethis,andinmyinnocenceIthoughttherehadtobesomeoneouttherewithanunknownwisdomwhocoulddispelmydisillusionmentandbewilderment:ateacher.Well,ofcoursetherewasnât.Ididnâtwantaguruorakungfumasteroraspiritualdirector.Ididnâtwant to become a sorcerer or learn the zen of archery ormeditate oralignmy chakras or uncover past incarnations. Arts and disciplines ofthat kind are fundamentally selfish; theyâre all designed to benefit thepupilânottheworld.Iwasaftersomethingelseentirely,butitwasnâtintheYellowPagesoranywhereelsethatIcoulddiscover.InHermannHesseâsThe Journey to the East,wenever findoutwhatLeoâsawesomewisdomconsistsof.ThisisbecauseHessecouldnâttelluswhathehimselfdidnâtknow.HewaslikemeâhejustyearnedfortheretobesomeoneintheworldlikeLeo,someonewithasecretknowledgeand a wisdom beyond his own. In fact, of course, there is no secretknowledge;nooneknowsanythingthatcanâtbefoundonashelfinthepubliclibrary.ButIdidnâtknowthatthen.So I looked. Silly as it sounds now, I looked. By comparison, going
after theGrailwouldhavemademore sense. Iwonât talkabout it, itâstooembarrassing.I lookeduntil Iwisedup.Istoppedmakingafoolofmyself,butsomethingdiedinsideofmeâsomethingthatIâdalwayssortof likedandadmired. In itsplacegrewascarâatoughspotbutalsoasorespot.Andnow,yearsafterIâdgivenupthesearch,herewassomecharlatanadvertising inthenewspaper for theverysameyoungdreamerthat Iâdbeenfifteenyearsago.Butthisstilldoesnâtexplainmyoutrage,doesit?Try this: Youâve been in lovewith someone for a decadeâsomeonewhobarelyknowsyouârealive.Youâvedoneeverything,triedeverythingtomake this person see that youâre a valuable, estimable person, andthatyourloveisworthsomething.Thenonedayyouopenupthepaperandglanceat thePersonalscolumn,andthereyousee thatyour lovedone has placed an ad⊠seeking someone worthwhile to love and belovedby.Oh,Iknowitâsnotexactlythesame.WhyshouldIhaveexpectedthisunknown teacher to have contacted me instead of advertising for apupil?Contrariwise, if this teacherwasacharlatan,as Iassumed,whywouldIhavewantedhimtocontactme?Letitgo.Iwasbeingirrational.Ithappens,itâsallowed.
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Ihadtogodownthere,ofcourseâhadtosatisfymyselfthatitwasjustanotherscam.Youunderstand.Thirtysecondswoulddoit, a single look, ten words out of his mouth. Then Iâd know. Then Icouldgohomeandforgetaboutit.WhenIgotthere,Iwassurprisedtofinditwasaveryordinarysortof
officebuilding,fullofsecond-rateflacks,lawyers,dentists,travelagents,achiropractor,andaprivateinvestigatorortwo.Iâdexpectedsomethinga little more atmosphericâa brown-stone with paneled walls, highceilings,andshutteredwindows,perhaps. Iwas lookingforRoom105,and I found it in theback,whereawindowwouldoverlook thealley.Thedoorwasuninformative.Ipusheditopenandsteppedintoalarge,emptyroom.Thisuncommonspacehadbeencreatedbyknockingdowninterior partitions, themarks ofwhich could still be seen on the barehardwoodfloor.That wasmy first impression: emptiness. The second was olfactory;
the place reeked of the circusâno, not the circus, the menagerie:unmistakable but not unpleasant. I looked around. The roomwas notentirely empty. Against the wall at the left stood a small bookcasecontaining thirty or forty volumes, mainly on history, prehistory, andanthropology.Aloneoverstuffedchairstoodinthemiddle,facingaway,towardthewallattheright,andlookinglikesomethingthemovershadleftbehind.Doubtlessthiswasreservedforthemaster;hispupilswouldkneelorcrouchonmatsarrangedinasemicircleathisknee.Andwherewere thesepupils,who Ihadpredictedwouldbepresent
by the hundreds?Had they perhaps come and been led away like thechildren of Hamelin? A film of dust lay undisturbed on the floor todisprovethisfancy.Therewassomethingoddabouttheroom,butittookmeanotherlook
roundtofigureoutwhatitwas.Inthewalloppositethedoorstoodtwotallcasementwindowsadmittingafeeblelightfromthealley;thewalltotheleft,commonwiththeofficenextdoor,wasblank.Thewalltotheright was pierced by a very large plate-glass window, but this was
plainlynotawindowtotheoutsideworld,foritadmittednolightatall;it was a window into an adjacent room, even dimmer than the one Ioccupied. Iwonderedwhat object of pietywas displayed there, safelybeyond the touch of inquisitive hands.Was it some embalmedYeti orBigfoot, made of cat fur and papier-mĂąchĂ©? Was it the body of aUFOnautcutdownbyaNationalGuardsmanbeforehecoulddeliverhissublimemessagefromthestars(âWearebrothers.Benice.â)?Becauseitwasbackedbydarkness,theglassinthiswindowwasblackâopaque, reflective. I made no attempt to see beyond it as Iapproached; I was the spectacle under observation. On arrival, Icontinuedtogazeintomyowneyesforamoment,thenrolledthefocusforwardbeyondtheglassâandfoundmyselflookingintoanotherpairofeyes.Ifellback,startled.Then,recognizingwhatIâdseen,Ifellbackagain,nowalittlefrightened.Thecreatureontheothersideoftheglasswasafull-growngorilla.Full-grown says nothing, of course. He was terrifyingly enormous, aboulder,asarsenofStonehenge.Hissheermasswasalarming in itself,eventhoughhewasnâtusing it inanymenacingway.Onthecontrary,hewashalf-sitting,half-recliningmostplacidly,nibblingdelicatelyonaslenderbranchhecarriedinhislefthandlikeawand.Ididnotknowwhattosay.YouwillbeabletojudgehowunnervedIwas by this fact: that it seemed tome I should speakâexcusemyself,explainmypresence, justifymy intrusion, beg the creatureâs pardon, Ifeltitwasanaffronttogazeintohiseyes,butIwasparalyzed,helpless.Icouldlookatnothingelseintheworldbuthisface,morehideousthananyotherintheanimalkingdombecauseofitssimilaritytoourown,yetinitswaymorenoblethananyGreekidealofperfection.Therewas in fact no obstacle between us. The pane of glass wouldhaveparted likea tissuehadhe touched it.Buthe seemed tohavenoideaoftouchingit.Hesatandgazedintomyeyesandnibbledtheendofhis branch andwaited.No, hewasnâtwaiting; hewasmerely there,hadbeentherebeforeIarrivedandwouldbetherewhenIâdleft.IhadthefeelingIwasofnomoresignificancetohimthanapassingcloudistoashepherdrestingonahillside.
Asmyfearbegantoebb,consciousnessofmysituationreturned.Isaidto myself that the teacher was plainly not on hand, that there wasnothing to keepme there, that I should go home. But I didnât like toleave with the feeling that Iâd accomplished nothing at all. I lookedaround,thinkingIâd leaveanote, if Icouldfindsomethingtowriteon(andwith), but there was nothing. Nevertheless, this search, with thethought of written communication in mind, brought to my attentionsomethingIâdoverlookedintheroomthatlaybeyondtheglass;itwasasignorposterhangingonthewallbehindthegorilla.Itread:
WITHMANGONE,WILLTHEREBEHOPE
FORGORILLA?
This sign stoppedmeâor rather, this text stoppedme.Words aremyprofession; I seized these and demanded that they explain themselves,that theycease tobeambiguous.Did they imply thathope forgorillaslay in the extinction of the human race or in its survival? It could bereadeitherway.Itwas, of course, a koanâmeant tobe inexplicable. It disgustedmefor that reason, and for another reason: because it appeared that thismagnificentcreaturebeyondtheglasswasbeingheldincaptivityfornootherreasonthantoserveasasortofanimateillustrationforthiskoan.Youreallyoughttodosomethingaboutthis,Itoldmyselfangrily.ThenIadded:Itwouldhebestifyousatdownandwerestill.I listened to the echo of this strange admonishment as if it were afragment of music I couldnât quite identify. I looked at the chair andwondered:Woulditbebesttositdownandbestill?Andifso,why?Theanswer came readily enough: Because, if you are still, then you will hebetterabletohear.Yes,Ithought,thatisundeniablyso.For no conscious reason, I lifted my eyes to those of my beastlycompanioninthenextroom.Aseveryoneknows,eyesspeak.Apairofstrangerscaneffortlesslyrevealtheirmutualinterestandattractioninasingleglance.Hiseyesspoke,andIunderstood.Mylegsturnedtojelly,andIbarelymanagedtoreachthechairwithoutcollapsing.
âButhow?âIsaid,notdaringtospeakthewordsaloud.âWhat does it matter?â he replied as silently. âItâs so, and nothing
moreneedstobesaid.ââButyouââIsputtered.âYouareâŠâIfoundthat,havingcometotheword,andwithnootherwordtoput
initsplace,Icouldnotspeakit.Afteramomenthenodded,asifinacknowledgmentofmydifficulty.
âIamtheteacher.âForatime,wegazedintoeachotherâseyes,andmyheadfeltasempty
asaderelictbarn.Thenhesaid:âDoyouneedtimetocollectyourself?ââYes!âIcried,speakingaloudforthefirsttime.Heturnedhismassiveheadtoonesidetopeeratmecuriously.âWill
ithelpyoutolistentomystory?ââIndeed it will,â I said. âBut firstâif you willâplease tell me your
name.âHestaredatmeforawhilewithoutreplyingand(asfarasIcouldtell
atthattime)withoutexpression.ThenheproceededasifIhadnâtspokenatall.âIwas born somewhere in the forests of equatorialWestAfrica,â he
said.âIâvenevermadeanyeffort tofindoutexactlywhere,andseenoreason to do so now. Do you happen to know anything about animalcollectingforzoosandcircuses?âIlookedup,startled.âIknownothingatallaboutanimalcollecting.ââAt one time, or at least during the thirties, themethod commonly
usedwith gorillaswas this:On finding a band, collectorswould shootthefemalesandpickupalltheinfantsinsight.ââHowterrible,âIsaid,withoutthinking.The creature repliedwith a shrug. âI have no actualmemory of the
eventâthough I havememories of still earlier times. In any case, theJohnsonssoldmetoazooinsomesmallnortheasterncityâIcanâtsaywhich, for Ihadnoawarenessof such thingsasyet.There I livedandgrewforseveralyears.â
Hepausedandnibbledabsentmindedlyonhisbranchforawhile,asifgatheringhisthoughts.
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In such places (he went on at last), where animals aresimply penned up, they are almost alwaysmore thoughtful than theircousins in thewild. This is because even the dimmest of them cannothelp but sense that something is very wrongwith this style of living.When I say that they aremore thoughtful, I donâtmean to imply thattheyacquirepowersofratiocination.Butthetigeryouseemadlypacingitscageisneverthelesspreoccupiedwithsomethingthatahumanwouldcertainly recognizeas a thought.And this thought is aquestion:Why?âWhy,why,why,why,why,why?âthetigerasksitselfhourafterhour,day after day, year after year, as it treads its endless path behind thebarsofitscage.Itcannotanalyzethequestionorelaborateonit.Ifyouweresomehowabletoaskthecreature,âWhywhat?âitwouldbeunableto answer you. Nevertheless this question burns like an unquenchableflamein itsmind, inflictingasearingpainthatdoesnotdiminishuntilthecreaturelapsesintoafinallethargythatzookeepersrecognizeasanirreversiblerejectionoflife.Andofcoursethisquestioningissomethingthatnotigerdoesinitsnormalhabitat.BeforelongItoobegantoaskmyselfwhy.Beingneurologicallyfarin
advance of the tiger, I was able to examine what I meant by thequestion,atleastinarudimentaryway.Irememberedadifferentsortoflife, which was, for those who lived it, interesting and pleasant. Bycontrast, this lifewas agonizingly boring and never pleasant. Thus, inaskingwhy,Iwastryingtopuzzleoutwhylifeshouldbedividedinthisway, half of it interesting and pleasant and half of it boring andunpleasant.Ihadnoconceptofmyselfasacaptive;itdidnâtoccurtomethatanyonewaspreventingmefromhavinganinterestingandpleasantlife. When no answer to my question was forthcoming, I began toconsider the differences between the two life-styles. The mostfundamentaldifferencewasthatinAfricaIwasamemberofafamilyâof a sort of family that the people of your culture havenât known forthousandsofyears. Ifgorillaswerecapableofsuchanexpression,theywould tell you that their family is like a hand, ofwhich they are the
fingers.Theyarefullyawareofbeingafamilybutareverylittleawareofbeingindividuals.Hereinthezootherewereothergorillasâbuttherewasnofamily.Fiveseveredfingersdonotmakeahand.I considered thematter of our feeding. Human children dream of alandwhere themountainsare icecreamand the treesaregingerbreadand the stones are bonbons. For a gorilla, Africa is just such a land.Wherever one turns, there is something wonderful to eat. One neverthinks,âOh,Iâdbetterlookforsomefood.âFoodiseverywhere,andonepicksitupalmostabsent-mindedly,asonetakesabreathofair.Infact,onedoesnotthinkoffeedingasadistinctactivityatall.Rather,itâslikea delicious music that plays in the background of all activitiesthroughouttheday. Infact, feedingbecamefeedingformeonlyat thezoo,wheretwicedailygreatmassesoftastelessfodderwerepitchedintoourcages.Itwasinpuzzlingoutsuchsmallmattersasthesethatmyinteriorlifebeganâquiteunnoticed.Although naturally I knew nothing of it, the Great Depression wastaking its toll on all aspects of American life. Zoos everywhere werebeing forced to economize, reducing the number of animals to bemaintained and thereby reducing expenses of all kinds. A greatmanyanimalsweresimplyputdown,Ibelieve,fortherewasnomarketintheprivate sector for animals that were neither easy to keep nor verycolorfulordramatic.Theexceptionswere,ofcourse,thebigcatsandtheprimates.Tomake a long story short, I was sold to the owner of a travelingmenagerie with an empty wagon to fill. I was a large and impressiveadolescentanddoubtlessrepresentedasensiblelong-terminvestment.Youmightimaginethatlifeinonecageislikelifeinanyothercage,but this is not at all the case. Take thematter of human contact, forexample.Atthezoo,all thegorillaswereawareofourhumanvisitors.Theywereacuriosity forus,worthwatching, in theway thatbirdsorsquirrelsaroundahousemightseemworthwatchingtoahumanfamily.Itwasclearthatthesestrangecreaturesweretherelookingatus,butitnevercrossedourmindsthattheyhadcomeforthatexpresspurpose.Atthemenagerie,however,Iquicklycametoatrueunderstandingofthis
phenomenon.Indeed,myeducationinthisregardbeganfromthemomentIwasfirstputondisplay.Asmallgroupofvisitorsapproachedmywagonandafteramomentbeganspeakingtome.Iwasastounded.Atthezoo,visitorshadtalkedtooneanotherânevertous.âPerhapsthesepeopleareconfused,âI said tomyself. âPerhaps theyâvemistakenme foroneof themselves.âMywondermentandperplexitygrewas,oneafteranother,everygroupthatvisitedmywagonbehaved in thesameway. I simplydidnâtknowwhattomakeofit.Thatnight,withoutthinkingofitassuch,Imademyfirstrealattempttomarshalmythoughtstosolveaproblem.Wasitpossible,Iwondered,thatchangingmylocationhadsomehowchangedme?Ididnâtfeelintheleastchanged,andcertainlynothing inmyappearanceseemedtohavechanged. Perhaps, I thought, the people who visited me that daybelongedtoadifferentspeciesfromthosewhohadcometothezoo.Thisreasoning did not impressme; the two groupswere identical in everyway but this: that one group talked among themselves and the othertalkedtome.Eventhesoundofthetalkingwasthesame.Ithadtobesomethingelse.The following night I attacked the problem again, reasoning in thisway: If nothing has changed inme and nothing has changed in them,thensomethingelsemusthavechanged.Iamthesameandtheyarethesame, therefore something else is not the same. Looking at thematterthis way, I could see only one answer: At the zoo there were manygorillas; here therewasonlyone. I felt the forceof this but couldnotimaginewhy visitors would behave oneway in the presence ofmanygorillasandadifferentwayinthepresenceofonegorilla.Thenextday I tried topaymoreattention towhatmyvisitorsweresaying. I soonnoticed that, although every speechwasdifferent, therewas one sound that occurred over and over, and it seemed to beintended to attract my attention. Of course I was unable to hazard aguess as to its meaning; I possessed nothing that would serve as aRosettaStone.Thewagontotherightofminewasoccupiedbyafemalechimpanzeewithaninfant,andIhadalreadyobservedthatvisitorsspoketoherin
thesamewaytheyspoketome.NowInoticedthatvisitorsemployedadifferentrecurrentsoundtoattractherattention.Atherwagon,visitorscalled out, âZsa-Zsa! Zsa-Zsa! Zsa-Zsa!â Atmywagon, they called out,âGoliath!Goliath!Goliath!âBy small steps suchas these, I soonunderstood that these sounds in
somemysteriousway attached directly to the two of usas individuals.You,whohavehadanamefrombirthandwhoprobablythinkthatevenapetdogisawareofhavinganame(whichisuntrue),cannotimaginewhata revolution inperception theacquisitionofanameproduced inme. It would be no exaggeration to say that I was truly born in thatmomentâbornasaperson.From the realization that I had a name to the realization that
everything has a namewas not a great leap. Youmight think a cagedanimalwouldhavelittleopportunitytolearnthelanguageofitsvisitors,butthisisnotso.Menageriesattractfamilies,andIsoondiscoveredthatparentsare incessantlyschoolingtheirchildrenintheartsof language:âLook, Johnny, thereâs a duck! Can you say duck? D-u-u-c-k! Do youknowwhataducksays?Aducksaysquackquack!âWithin a couple of years I was able to follow most conversations
within earshot, but I found that puzzlement kept pace withcomprehension.IknewbynowthatIwasagorillaandthatZsa-Zsawasachimpanzee. I alsoknew thatall the inhabitantsof thewagonswereanimals. But I couldnot quitemakeout the constitution of an animal;our human visitors clearly distinguished between themselves andanimals,butIwasunabletofigureoutwhy.IfIunderstoodwhatmadeusanimals(andIthoughtIdid),Icouldnâtunderstandwhatmadethemnotanimals.Thenatureofourcaptivitywasnolongeramystery,forIhadheardit
explainedtohundredsofchildren.Alltheanimalsofthemenageriehadoriginally lived in somethingcalledTheWild,whichextendedallovertheworld(whateveraâworldâmightbe).WehadbeentakenfromTheWild and brought together in one place, because, for some strangereason,peoplefoundus interesting.Wewerekept incagesbecausewewere âwildâ and âdangerousââterms that baffled me, because theyevidentlyreferredtoqualitiesIepitomizedinmyself.Imeanthatwhenparentswantedtoshowtheirchildrenaparticularlywildanddangerous
creature,theywouldpointatme.Itâstruethattheywouldalsopointatthebigcats,butsinceIâdneverseenabigcatoutsideacage, thiswasnotenlightening.Onthewhole, lifeatthemenageriewasanimprovementoverlifeatthezoo,becauseitwasnotsooppressivelyboring.Itdidnâtoccurtometo be resentful of my keepers. Although they had a greater range ofmovement,theyseemedasmuchboundtothemenagerieastherestofus,andIhadnoinklingthattheylivedanentirelydifferentsortoflifeontheoutside.ItwouldhavebeenasplausibleforBoyleâs lawtohavepoppedintomyheadasthenotionthatIhadbeenunjustlydeprivedofsomeinbornright,suchastherighttoliveasIpleased.Perhapsthreeorfouryearspassed.Thenonerainyday,whenthelotwasdeserted,Ireceivedapeculiarvisitor:aloneman,wholookedtobeancient and shriveled to me, but who I later learned was only in hisearlyforties.Evenhisapproachwasdistinctive.Hestoodattheentrancetothemenagerie,glancedmethodicallyateachwagoninturn,andthenheaded straight for mine. He paused at the rope slung some five feetaway,plantedthetipofhiswalkingstick in themudjustaheadofhisshoes,andpeeredintentlyintomyeyes.Ihaveneverbeendisconcertedbyahumangaze,soIplacidlyreturnedhisstare.Isatandhestoodforseveral minutes without moving. I remember feeling an unusualadmiration for this man, so stoically enduring the drizzle that wasstreamingdownhisfaceandsoakinghisclothes.Atlasthestraightenedupandgavemeanod,asifheâdcometosomecarefullyconsideredconclusion.âYouarenotGoliath,âhesaid.At that, he turned andmarchedback thewayheâd come,without alooktorightorleft.
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I was thunderstruck, as you may well imagine. NotGoliath?WhatcoulditpossiblymeantobenotGoliath?Itdidnâtoccurtometosay,âWell,ifIâmnotGoliath,thenwhoamI?â
A human would ask this question, because he would know that,whateverhisname,heisassuredlysomeone.Ididnot.Onthecontrary,itseemedtomethatifIwasnotGoliath,thenImustbenooneatall.Though this stranger had never laid eyes on me before that day, I
didnât doubt for a moment that he spoke with an unquestionableauthority. A thousand others had calledme by the name of Goliathâeventhosewho,liketheworkersatthemenagerie,knewmewellâbutthatwasclearlynotthepoint,countedfornothing.Thestrangerhadnâtsaid, âYour name is not Goliath.â He had said, âYou are not Goliath.âTherewas aworld of difference. As I felt it (though I could not haveexpressed it thiswayat the time),myawarenessof selfhoodhadbeenpronouncedadelusion.Idriftedintoasortoffuguestate,neitherawarenorunconscious.An
attendant came round with food, but I ignored him. Night fell, but Ididnât sleep. The rain stopped and the sun rose without my noticing.Soon there were the usual crowds of visitors calling out, âGoliath!Goliath!Goliath!âbutIpaidnoattention.Severaldayspassedinthisway.Thenoneeveningafterthemenagerie
hadclosedfortheday,Itookalongdrinkfrommybowlandsoonfellasleepâa powerful sedative had been added to my water. At dawn Iawoke in an unfamiliar cage. At first, because it was so large and sostrangely shaped, I didnât even recognize it as a cage. In fact, it wascircular,andopentotheaironallsides;asIlaterunderstood,agazebohadbeenmodifiedtoservethepurpose.Exceptforalargewhitehousenearby,itstoodaloneinthemidstofanattractiveparkthatIimaginedmustextendtotheendsoftheearth.It was not long before Iâd conceived an explanation for this strange
translocation: The peoplewho visited themenagerie came, at least in
part,with theexpectationof seeingagorillanamedGoliath;howtheycame to have this expectation I could not guess, but they certainlyseemedtohaveit;andwhentheownerofthemenagerielearnedthatIwas in factnotGoliath,hecouldscarcelygoonexhibitingmeassuch,andsohadnorealchoicebuttosendmeaway.Ididnâtknowwhethertobe sorry about this or not;my new homewas farmore pleasant thananythingIâdseensinceleavingAfrica,butwithoutthedailystimulationof the crowds, itwould soon become evenmore excruciatingly boringthanthezoo,whereatleastIâdhadthecompanyofothergorillas.Iwasstillponderingthesematterswhen,aroundmidmorning,Ilookedupandsaw that I was not alone. A man was standing just beyond the bars,blacklysilhouettedagainstthesunlithouseinthedistance.Iapproachedcautiouslyandwasastonishedtorecognizehim.Asifreenactingourformerencounter,wegazedintoeachotherâseyesforseveralminutes,Isittingonthefloorofmycage,heleaningonhiswalkingstick.Isawthat,dryandfreshlydressed,hewasnottheelderlypersonIâdfirsttakenhimfor.Hisfacewaslonganddarkandbony,hiseyes burnedwith a strange intensity, and hismouth seemed set in anexpressionofbittermirth.Atlasthenodded,exactlyasbefore,andsaid:âYes,Iwasright.YouarenotGoliath.YouareIshmael.âOnceagain,asifeverythingthatmatteredwasnowfinallysettled,heturnedandwalkedaway.And once again I was thunderstruckâbut this time by a feeling ofprofoundrelief,forIhadbeenredeemedfromoblivion.More,theerrorthatcausedmetoliveasanunwittingimpostorforsomanyyearshadbeen corrected at last. I hadbeenmadewhole as a personânot againbutfortheveryfirsttime.I was consumed with curiosity about my savior. I didnât think toassociate him with my removal from the menagerie to this charmingbelvedere, for I was as yet incapable of even that most primitive offallacies:posthoc,ergopropterhoc.Hewastomeasupernalbeing.Toamind ready formythology, hewas the beginning ofwhat ismeant bygodlike. He had twicemade a brief appearance inmy lifeâand twice,with a single utterance, had transformedme. I tried to search for theunderlyingmeaningoftheseappearances,butfoundonlyquestions.Had
thismancometothemenagerieinsearchofGoliathorinsearchofme?HadhecomebecausehehopedIwasGoliathorbecausehesuspectedIwasnotGoliath?Howhadhesopromptlyfoundmeinmynewlocation?Ihadnomeasureoftheextentofhumaninformation;ifitwascommonknowledgethatIcouldbefoundatthemenagerie(asithadseemedtobe), was it also common knowledge that I could now be found here?Despite all these unanswerable questions, the overwhelming factremainedthatthisuncannycreaturehadtwicesoughtmeoutinordertoaddressme in anunprecedentedwayâas a person. Iwas certain that,having finally settled thematterofmy identity,hewouldvanish frommylifeforever;whatmorewasthereforhimtodo?
Doubtlessyouwillhavesurmisedthatallthesebreathlessapperceptionswere justsomuchmoonshine.Nonetheless thetruth(as I later learnedit)wasnotmuchlessfantastic.MybenefactorwasawealthyJewishmerchantofthiscity,amanbythe name of Walter Sokolow. On the day he discovered me at themenagerie,heâdbeenoutwalkingintherain,inakindofsuicidalgloomthat had descended on him a few months before, when he learnedbeyondanydoubt thathisentire familyhadbeenswallowedup in theNaziholocaust.Hiswanderingsledhimtoacarnivalsetupattheedgeoftown,andhewentinwithnothinginparticularonhismind.Becauseof the rain,most of the booths and rides were shut down, giving theplaceanairofabandonmentthataccordedwellwithhismelancholy.Atlasthecameto themenagerie,whosechiefattractionswereadvertisedin a series of lurid paintings. One of these, more lurid than the rest,depicted thegorillaGoliathbrandishing thebrokenbodyofanAfricannativeas if itwereaweapon.WalterSokolow,perhapsthinkingthatagorilla named Goliath was an apt symbol for the Nazi giant that wasthen engaged in crushing the race of David, decided it would besatisfyingtobeholdsuchamonsterbehindbars.Hewentin,approachedmywagon,andbygazingintomyeyes,soonrealized that I was no relation to the bloodthirsty monster in thepaintingâandindeednorelationtothePhilistinetormentorofhisrace.Hefounditgavehimnosatisfactionwhatevertoseemebehindbars.On
thecontrary, inaquixoticgestureofguiltanddefiance,hedecided torescueme frommycage and fashionme into adreadful substitute forthefamilyhehadfailedtorescuefromthecageofEurope.Theownerofthe menagerie was agreeable to a sale; he was even glad to let Mr.Sokolowhireawayahandlerwhohadlookedaftermesincemyarrival.The owner was a realist; with Americaâs inevitable entrance into thewar,travelingshowslikehiswereeithergoingtospendthedurationinwinterquartersorsimplybecomeextinct.
Afterlettingmesettleinforadayinmynewsurroundings,Mr.Sokolowreturnedtobegin tomakemyacquaintance.Hewantedthehandler toshowhimhoweverythingwasdone, frommixingmy feed to cleaningmycage.HeaskedhimifhethoughtIwasdangerous.ThehandlersaidIwaslikeapieceofheavymachineryâdangerousnotbydispositionbutbydintofsheersizeandpower.Afteranhourorso,Mr.Sokolowsenthimaway,andwegazedateach
other ina long silenceaswehadalreadydone twicebefore.Finallyâreluctantly,asifsurmountingsomedauntinginteriorbarrierâhebegantospeaktome,not inthe jocularwayofvisitors tothemenageriebutratherasonespeaks to thewindor to thewavescrashingonabeach,uttering that which must be said but which must not be heard byanyone. As he poured out his sorrows and self-recriminations, hegradually forgot theneedforcaution.Bythetimeanhourhadpassed,hewasproppedupagainstmycagewithahandwrappedaroundabar.He was looking at the ground, lost in thought, and I used thisopportunity to expressmy sympathy, reaching out and gently strokingtheknucklesofhishand.He leapedback, startledandhorrified,butasearch of my eyes reassured him that my gesture was as innocent ofmenaceasitseemed.Alertedby this experience,hebegan to suspect that I possessed real
intelligence,andafewsimpletestswereenoughtoconvincehimofthis.HavingprovedthatIunderstoodhiswords,heleapedtotheconclusion(asotherswerelatertodoinworkingwithotherprimates)thatIshouldbeabletoproducesomeofmyown.Inshort,hedecidedtoteachmetotalk.Iwillpassoverthepainfulandhumiliatingmonthsthatfollowed.
Neither one of us understood that the difficulty was unsurmountable,owingtoalackofbasicphonicequipmentonmypart.Intheabsenceofthat understanding,we both labored on under the impression that theknackwouldsomedaymagicallymanifestitselfinmeifwepersevered.ButatlasttherecameadaywhenIcouldnâtgoon,andinmyanguishatnot being able to tell him this, I thought him this,with all thementalpowerIpossessed.HewasstunnedâaswasIwhenIsawthatheâdheardmymentalcry.I wonât burden you with all the steps of our progress once fullcommunication was established between us, since they are easilyimagined,Ibelieve.Overthenextdecade,hetaughtmeallheknewoftheworldandtheuniverseandhumanhistory,andwhenmyquestionswent beyond his knowledge, we studied side by side. And when mystudiescarriedmebeyondhisowninterestsatlast,hecheerfullybecamemy research assistant, tracking down books and information in placesthatwereofcoursebeyondmyreach.With the new interest of my education to absorb his attention, mybenefactorsoonforgottotormenthimselfwithremorseandsograduallyrecovered fromhis gloom.By the early sixties Iwas like ahouseguestwhoneededverylittleattentionfromhishost,soMr.Sokolowbegantoallow himself to be rediscovered in social circles, with the not-unpredictableresultthathesoonfoundhimselfinthehandsofayoungwomanof fortywho sawno reasonwhyhe couldnot bemade into asatisfactorysortofhusband.Infact,hewasnotatallaversetomarriage,buthemadeaterriblemistakeinanticipationofit:Hedecidedthatourspecialrelationshipshouldbekeptasecretfromhiswife.Itwasnotanextraordinary decision for those times, and I was not sufficientlyexperiencedinsuchmatterstorecognizeitfortheerroritwas.I moved back into the gazebo as soon as it had been renovated toaccommodatethecivilizedhabitsIâdacquired.Fromthefirst,however,Mrs. Sokolow viewed me as a peculiar and alarming pet and beganagitatingformyspeedyremovalordisposal.Luckily,mybenefactorwasused to having his own way and made it clear that no amount ofpleadingorcoercionwouldchangethesituationheâdcreatedforme.A fewmonths after the wedding, he dropped in to tell me that hiswife,likeAbrahamâsSarah,wassoongoingtopresenthimwithachild
ofhisoldage.âI anticipatednothing like thiswhen I namedyou Ishmael,â he told
me.âButrestassuredthatIwonâtlethercastyououtofmyhousethewaySarahcastyournamesakeoutofAbrahamâshouse.âNevertheless,itamusedhimtosay that, if itwasaboy,hewouldnamehimIsaac.Asmattersturnedout,however,itwasagirl,andtheynamedherRachel.
5
Atthat,Ishmaelpausedforsolong,withhiseyesclosed,thatIbegantowonderifheâdfallenasleep.Butatlasthewenton.âWiselyorfoolishly,mybenefactordecidedthatIwouldbethegirlâs
mentor, and (wisely or foolishly) Iwas delighted to have a chance topleasehiminthisway.Inherfatherâsarms,Rachelspentnearlyasmuchtime with me as with her motherâwhich of course did nothing toimprovemy standingwith thatperson.Because Iwasable to speak toherinalanguagemoredirectthanspeech,Icouldsootheandamuseherwhen others failed, and a bond gradually developed between us thatmightbelikenedtotheonethatexistsbetweenidenticaltwinsâexceptthatIwasbrother,pet,tutor,andnurseallrolledintoone.âMrs. Sokolow looked forward to the daywhenRachelwould begin
school, for thennewinterestswouldmakeherastranger tome.Whenthis result didnât occur, she renewed her campaign to have me sentaway,predictingthatmypresencewouldstuntthechildâssocialgrowth.Her social growth remained unstunted, however, even though sheskippednofewerthanthreegradesinelementaryschoolandonegradeinhighschool;shehadamasterâsdegreeinbiologybeforehertwentiethbirthday.Nonetheless,aftersomanyyearsofbeingthwartedinamatterthat pertained to themanagement of her ownhome,Mrs. Sokolownolongerneededanyparticularreasontowishmegone.âOn the death ofmy benefactor in 1985,Rachel herself becamemy
protector.Therewasnoquestionofmyremaininginthegazebo.Usingfundsprovidedforthispurposeinherfatherâswill,Rachelmovedmetoaretreatthathadbeenpreparedinadvance.âOnceagain Ishmael fell silent for severalminutes.Thenhewenton:
âIntheyearsthatfollowed,nothingworkedoutasithadbeenplannedor hoped for. I found I was not content to âretreatâ having spent alifetime in retreat, I now wanted somehow to advance into the verycenter of your culture, and I proceeded to exhaustmynewprotectorâspatiencebytryingonebothersomearrangementafteranothertoachievethisend.Atthesametime,Mrs.Sokolowwasnotcontenttoleavethings
as theywere and persuaded a court to cut in half the funds that hadbeenallocatedtomysupportforlife.âItwas not until 1989 that things came clear at last. In that year Ifinally comprehended that my unfulfilled vocation was to teachâandfinally devised a system that would enable me to exist in tolerablecircumstancesinthiscity.âHenodded to letmeknow thiswas the endofhis storyâorwas asmuchofitashemeanttotell.
6
Thereare timeswhenhaving toomuchtosaycanbeasdumbfoundingashaving too little. I could thinkofnoway to respondadequatelyor gracefully to sucha tale. Finally I askedaquestion thatseemednomoreorlessinanethanthedozensofothersthatoccurredtome.âAndhaveyouhadmanypupils?ââIâvehadfour,andfailedwithallfour.ââOh.Whydidyoufail?âHe closed his eyes to think for a moment. âI failed because I
underestimatedthedifficultyofwhatIwastryingtoteachâandbecauseIdidnâtunderstandthemindsofmypupilswellenough.ââIsee,âIsaid.âAndwhatdoyouteach?âIshmael selecteda freshbranch fromapileathis right, examined it
briefly,thenbegantonibbleatit,gazinglanguidlyintomyeyes.Atlasthesaid,âOnthebasisofmyhistory,whatsubjectwouldyousayIwasbestqualifiedtoteach?âIblinkedandtoldhimIdidnâtknow.âOfcourseyoudo.Mysubjectis:captivity.ââCaptivity.ââThatâscorrect.âIsatthereforaminute,thenIsaid,âIâmtryingtofigureoutwhatthis
hastodowithsavingtheworld.âIshmael thought for amoment. âAmong the people of your culture,
whichwanttodestroytheworld?ââWhichwanttodestroyit?AsfarasIknow,noonespecificallywants
todestroytheworld.ââAndyetyoudodestroyit,eachofyou.Eachofyoucontributesdaily
tothedestructionoftheworld.ââYes,thatâsso.ââWhydonâtyoustop?â
Ishrugged.âFrankly,wedonâtknowhow.ââYouâre captives of a civilizational system thatmoreor less compelsyoutogoondestroyingtheworldinordertolive.ââYes,thatâsthewayitseems.ââSo. You are captivesâand you have made a captive of the worlditself.Thatâswhatâsatstake,isnâtit?âyourcaptivityandthecaptivityoftheworld.ââYes,thatâsso.Iâvejustneverthoughtofitthatway.ââAndyouyourselfareacaptiveinapersonalway,areyounot?ââHowso?âIshmaelsmiled,revealingagreatmassofivory-coloredteeth.Ihadnâtknownhecould,untilthen.Isaid:âIhaveanimpressionofbeingacaptive,butIcanâtexplainwhyIhavethisimpression.ââAfewyearsagoâyoumusthavebeenachildatthetime,soyoumaynot remember itâmany young people of this country had the sameimpression.Theymadean ingenuousanddisorganizedeffort toescapefrom captivity but ultimately failed, because theywere unable to findthebarsofthecage.Ifyoucanâtdiscoverwhatâskeepingyouin,thewilltogetoutsoonbecomesconfusedandineffectual.ââYes,thatâsthesenseIhaveofit.âIshmaelnodded.âButagain,howdoesthisrelatetosavingtheworld?ââTheworldisnotgoingtosurviveforverymuchlongerashumanityâscaptive.Doesthatneedexplication?ââNo.Atleastnottome.ââIthinktherearemanyamongyouwhowouldbegladtoreleasetheworldfromcaptivity.ââIagree.ââWhatpreventsthemfromdoingthis?ââIdonâtknow.ââThis iswhat prevents them: Theyâre unable to find the bars of thecage.â
âYes,âIsaid.âIsee.âThen:âWhatdowedonext?âIshmaelsmiledagain.âSinceIhavetoldyouastorythatexplainshowIcometobehere,perhapsyouwilldothesame.ââWhatdoyoumean?ââImean,perhapsyouwilltellmeastorythatexplainshowyoucometobehere.ââAh,âIsaid.âGivemeamoment.ââYoumayhaveanynumberofmoments,âherepliedgravely.
7
âOncewhenIwasincollege,âItoldhimatlast,âIwrotea paper for a philosophy class. I donât remember exactly what theassignmentwasâsomethingtodowithepistemology.HereâswhatIsaidin thepaper, roughly:Guesswhat?TheNazisdidnât lose thewarafterall.Theywonitandflourished.Theytookovertheworldandwipedoutevery last Jew, every last Gypsy, black, East Indian, and AmericanIndian. Then, when they were finished with that, they wiped out theRussians and thePoles and theBohemians and theMoravians and theBulgariansandtheSerbiansandtheCroatiansâalltheSlavs.Thentheystarted inonthePolynesiansandtheKoreansandtheChineseandtheJapaneseâallthepeoplesofAsia.Thistookalong,longtime,butwhenitwasallover,everyoneintheworldwasonehundredpercentAryan,andtheywereallvery,veryhappy.âNaturallythetextbooksusedintheschoolsnolongermentionedany
race but the Aryan or any language but German or any religion butHitlerism or any political system but National Socialism. There wouldhavebeennopoint.Afterafewgenerationsofthat,noonecouldhaveput anything different into the textbooks even if theyâd wanted to,becausetheydidnâtknowanythingdifferent.âButonedaytwoyoungstudentswereconversingattheUniversityof
NewHeidelberginTokyo.BothwerehandsomeintheusualAryanway,butoneof them lookedvaguelyworried andunhappy.ThatwasKurt.His friend said, âWhatâs wrong, Kurt? Why are you always mopingaroundlikethis?âKurtsaid,âIâlltellyou,Hans.Thereissomethingthatâstroublingmeâand troublingmedeeply.âHis friendaskedwhat itwas.âItâs this,â Kurt said. âI canât shake the crazy feeling that there is somesmallthingthatweârebeingliedtoabout.ââAndthatâshowthepaperended.âIshmael nodded thoughtfully. âAnd what did your teacher think of
that?ââHewantedtoknowif Ihadthesamecrazy feelingasKurt.WhenI
said I did, he wanted to knowwhat I thought we were being lied toabout.Isaid,âHowcouldIknow?IâmnobetteroffthanKurt.âOfcourse,hedidnâtthinkIwasbeingserious.Heassumeditwasjustanexerciseinepistemology.ââAnddoyoustillwonderifyouâvebeenliedto?ââYes,butnotasdesperatelyasIdidthen.ââNotasdesperately?Whyisthat?ââBecauseIâvefoundoutthat,asapracticalmatter,itdoesnâtmakeanydifference.Whetherweâre being lied to or not,we still have to get upandgotoworkandpaythebillsandalltherest.ââUnless,ofcourse,youallbegantosuspectyouwerebeingliedtoâandallfoundoutwhattheliewas.ââWhatdoyoumean?ââIfyoualonefoundoutwhattheliewas,thenyouâreprobablyrightâitwouldmakenogreatdifference.Butifyouallfoundoutwhattheliewas,itmightconceivablymakeaverygreatdifferenceindeed.ââTrue.ââThenthatiswhatwemusthopefor.âIstartedtoaskhimwhathemeantbythat,butheheldupaleatheryblackhandandtoldme:âTomorrow.â
8
Thatevening Iwent forawalk.Towalk for the sakeofwalking is something I seldom do. Inside my apartment Iâd feltinexplicably anxious. I needed to talk to someone, to be reassured.Orperhaps I needed to confess my sin: I was once again having impurethoughtsaboutsavingtheworld.OritwasneitheroftheseâIwasafraidIwasdreaming.Indeed,consideringtheeventsoftheday,itwaslikelythatIwasdreaming.Isometimesflyinmydreams,andeachtimeIsaytomyself,âAtlastâitâshappeninginrealityandnotinadream!âInanycase,Ineededtotalktosomeone,andIwasalone.Thisismy
habitualcondition,bychoiceâorsoItellmyself.Mereacquaintanceshipleavesmeunsatisfied,andfewpeoplearewillingtoaccepttheburdensandrisksoffriendshipasIconceiveofit.People say that Iâm sour and misanthropic, and I tell them theyâre
probablyright.Argumentofanysort,onanysubject,hasalwaysseemedlikeawasteoftimetome.ThenextmorningIwokeandthought:âEvenso,itcouldbeadream.
One can sleep in a dream, even have dreams in a dream.â As I wentthrough themotions ofmaking breakfast, eating, andwashing up,myheart was pounding furiously. It seemed to be saying, âHow can youpretendnottobeterrified?âThetimepassed.Idrovedowntown.Thebuildingwasstillthere.The
officeattheendofthehallonthegroundfloorwasstillthereandstillunlocked.WhenIopenedthedoor,Ishmaelâshuge,meatyaromacamedownon
me like a thunderclap. Onwobbly legs, I walked to the chair and satdown.Ishmaelstudiedmegravelythroughthedarkglass,asifwonderingifI
wasstrongenoughtobetaxedwithseriousconversation.Whenhemadeup his mind, he began without preamble of any kind, and I came toknowthatthiswashisusualstyle.
TWO
1
âOddly enough,â he said, âit was my benefactor whoawakened my interest in the subject of captivity and not my owncondition. As I may have indicated in yesterdayâs narrative, he wasobsessedbytheeventsthentakingplaceinNaziGermany.ââYes,thatâswhatIgathered.ââFromyourstoryaboutKurtandHansyesterday,Itakeitthatyouâre
astudentofthelifeandtimesoftheGermanpeopleunderAdolfHitler.ââAstudent?No,Iwouldnâtgoasfarasthat.Iâvereadsomeofthewell-
knownbooksâSpeerâsmemoirs,RiseandFallof theThirdReich,andsoonâandafewstudiesofHitler.ââInthatcase,IâmsureyouunderstandwhatMr.Sokolowwasatpains
to show me: that it was not only the Jews who were captives underHitler. The entire German nation was a captive, including hisenthusiastic supporters. Some detested what he was doing, some justshambledonasbesttheycould,andsomepositivelythrivedonitâbuttheywereallhiscaptives.ââIthinkIseewhatyoumean.ââWhatwasitthatheldthemcaptive?ââWellâŠterror,Isuppose.âIshmael shook his head. âYou must have seen films of the prewar
rallies,withhundredsofthousandsofthemsingingandcheeringasone.Itwasnâtterrorthatbroughtthemtothosefeastsofunityandpower.ââTrue.ThenIâdhavetosayitwasHitlerâscharisma.ââHe certainly had that. But charisma only wins peopleâs attention.
Onceyouhavetheirattention,youhavetohavesomethingtotellthem.AndwhatdidHitlerhavetotelltheGermanpeople?âIponderedthisforafewmomentswithoutanyrealconviction.âApart
fromtheJewishbusiness,IdonâtthinkIcouldanswerthatquestion.ââWhathehadtotellthemwasastory.â
âAstory.ââA story in which the Aryan race and the people of Germany inparticularhadbeendeprivedoftheirrightfulplaceintheworld,bound,spatupon, raped, andground into thedirtunder theheelsofmongrelraces,Communists,andJews.Astoryinwhich,undertheleadershipofAdolfHitler,theAryanracewouldburstitsbonds,wreakvengeanceonitsoppressors,purifymankindofitsdefilements,andassumeitsrightfulplaceasthemasterofallraces.ââTrue.ââItmayseemincredibletoyounowthatanypeoplecouldhavebeencaptivated by such nonsense, but after nearly two decades ofdegradation and suffering following World War I, it had an almostoverwhelming appeal to thepeople ofGermany, and itwas reinforcednotonlythroughtheordinarymeansofpropagandabutbyanintensiveprogramofeducationoftheyoungandreeducationoftheold.ââTrue.ââAsIsay,thereweremanyinGermanywhorecognizedthisstoryasrank mythology. They were nevertheless held captive by it simplybecause the vast majority around them thought it sounded wonderfulandwerewillingtogivetheirlivestomakeitareality.DoyouseewhatImean?ââIthinkso.Evenifyouwerenâtpersonallycaptivatedbythestory,youwereacaptiveallthesame,becausethepeoplearoundyoumadeyouacaptive.Youwere likeananimalbeingsweptalong in themiddleofastampede.ââThatâs right. Even if you privately thought the whole thing wasmadness,youhadtoplayyourpart,youhadtotakeyourplace in thestory.TheonlywaytoavoidthatwastoescapefromGermanyentirely.ââTrue.ââDoyouunderstandwhyIâmtellingyouthis?ââIthinkso,butIâmnotsure.ââIâm tellingyou thisbecause thepeopleofyourcultureare inmuchthe same situation. Like the people of Nazi Germany, they are thecaptivesofastory.â
Isatthereblinkingforawhile.âIknowofnosuchstory,âItoldhimatlast.âYoumeanyouâveneverheardofit?ââThatâsright.âIshmaelnodded.âThatâsbecausethereâsnoneedtohearofit.Thereâsnoneedtonameitordiscussit.Everyoneofyouknowsitbyheartbythetimeyouâresixorseven.Blackandwhite,maleandfemale,richandpoor,ChristianandJew,AmericanandRussian,NorwegianandChinese,you all hear it. And youhear it incessantly, because everymediumofpropaganda, everymedium of education pours it out incessantly. Andhearingitincessantly,youdonâtlistentoit.Thereâsnoneedtolistentoit.Itâsalwaystherehummingawayinthebackground,sothereâsnoneedtoattendtoitatall.Infact,youâllfindâatleastinitiallyâthatitâshardtoattendtoit.Itâslikethehummingofadistantmotorthatneverstops;itbecomesasoundthatâsnolongerheardatall.ââThis is very interesting,â I told him. âBut itâs also a little hard tobelieve.âIshmaelâs eyes closed gently in an indulgent smile. âBelief is notrequired.Once you know this story, youâll hear it everywhere in yourculture,andyouâllbeastonishedthatthepeoplearoundyoudonâthearitaswellbutmerelytakeitin.â
2
âYesterdayyoutoldmeyouhavetheimpressionofbeingacaptive.Youhavethisimpressionbecausethereisenormouspressureonyoutotakeaplaceinthestoryyourcultureisenactingintheworldâanyplaceatall.Thispressureisexertedinallsortsofways,onallsortsof levels,but itâs exertedmostbasically thisway:Thosewho refuse totakeaplacedonotgetfed.ââYes,thatâsso.ââAGermanwhocouldnâtbringhimselftotakeaplaceinHitlerâsstory
had an option: He could leave Germany. You donât have that option.Anywhereyougointheworld,youâllfindthesamestorybeingenacted,andifyoudonâttakeaplaceinityouwonâtgetfed.ââTrue.ââMotherCultureteachesyouthatthisisasitshouldbe.Exceptfora
few thousand savages scattered here and there, all the peoples of theearth are now enacting this story. This is the story man was born toenact,andtodepartfromitistoresignfromthehumanraceitself,istoventure into oblivion. Your place is here, participating in this story,puttingyourshouldertothewheel,andasareward,beingfed.Thereisnoâsomethingelse.âTostepoutofthisstoryistofallofftheedgeoftheworld.Thereâsnowayoutofitexceptthroughdeath.ââYes,thatâsthewayitseems.âIshmael paused to think for a bit. âAll this is just a preface to our
work. Iwantedyou tohear itbecause Iwantedyou tohaveat leastavague ideaofwhatyouâregetting intohere.Onceyou learn todiscernthe voice of Mother Culture humming in the background, telling herstoryoverandoveragaintothepeopleofyourculture,youâllneverstopbeingconsciousofit.Whereveryougofortherestofyourlife,youâllbetempted to say to the people around you, âHow can you listen to thisstuffandnotrecognizeitforwhatitis?âAndifyoudothis,peoplewilllook at you oddly andwonderwhat the devil youâre talking about. Inotherwords,ifyoutakethiseducationaljourneywithme,youâregoing
to findyourselfalienatedfromthepeoplearoundyouâfriends, family,pastassociates,andsoon.ââThatIcanstand,âItoldhim,andletitgoatthat.
3
âItismymostheartfeltandunattainablefantasytotravelonceinyourworldasyoudo,freelyandunobtrusivelyâtostepoutontoastreetand flagdowna taxi to takeme to theairport,where IwouldboardaflighttoNewYorkorLondonorFlorence.Muchofthisfantasyis spent inmakingdeliciouspreparations for the journey, inponderingwhatmust accompanyme inmy luggage andwhatmay be safely leftbehind. (Youunderstand that Iwouldof coursebe traveling inhumandisguise.) If I take too much, dragging it from place to place will betiresome;ontheotherhand,ifItaketoolittle,Iwillforeverbehavingtobreakmyjourneytopickupthingsalongthewayâandthatwillbeevenmoretiresome.ââTrue,âIsaid,justtobeagreeable.âThatâs what today is for: Weâre packing a bag for our journey
together. Iâmgoing to throwinto thisbagsomethings Iwonâtwant tostopandpickuplateron.Thesethingswillmeanlittleornothingtoyourightnow.Iâlljustshowthemtoyoubrieflyandthentossthemintothebag.ThatwayyouâllrecognizethemwhenItakethemoutlateron.ââOkay.ââFirst,somevocabulary.Letâshavesomenamessowedonâthavetogo
ontalkingaboutâthepeopleofyourcultureâandâthepeopleofallothercultures.â Iâveusedvariousnameswithvariouspupils,butIâmgoingtotryanewpairwithyou.YouârefamiliarwiththeexpressionâTakeitorleaveit.âUsingtheminthissense,dothewordstakersand leavershaveanyheavyconnotationforyou?ââIâmnotsurewhatyoumean.ââImean, if IcallonegroupTakersandtheothergroupLeavers,will
this sound like Iâmsettingupone tobegoodguysandtheother tobebadguys?ââNo.Theysoundprettyneutraltome.ââGood. So henceforth Iâm going to call the people of your culture
TakersandthepeopleofallotherculturesLeavers.â
Ihmmâedabit.âIhaveaproblemwiththat.ââSpeak.ââI donât see how you can lump everyone else in theworld into onecategorylikethat.ââThisisthewayitâsdoneinyourownculture,exceptthatyouuseapair of heavily loaded terms instead of these relatively neutral terms.Youcallyourselvescivilizedandalltherestprimitive.Youareuniversallyagreedontheseterms;ImeanthatthepeopleofLondonandParisandBaghdadandSeoulandDetroitandBuenosAiresandTorontoallknowthatâwhatever else separates themâthey are united in being civilizedand distinct from Stone Age peoples scattered all over theworld; youconsideror recognize that,whatever theirdifferences, theseStoneAgepeoplesarelikewiseunitedinbeingprimitive.ââYes,thatâsright.ââWouldyoubemorecomfortableifweusedtheseterms,civilizedandprimitive?ââYes,IsupposeIwouldbe,butonlybecauseIâmusedtothem.TakersandLeaversisfinewithme.â
4
âSecond:themap.Ihaveit.Youdonâthavetomemorizethe route. In other words, donât worry if, at the end of any day, yousuddenlyrealizethatyoucanâtrememberawordIâvesaid.Thatdoesnâtmatter. Itâs the journey itself thatâs going to change you. Do you seewhatImean?ââIâmnotsure.âIshmaelthoughtforamoment.âIâllgiveyouageneralideaofwhere
weâreheading,thenyouâllunderstand.ââOkay.ââMotherCulture,whose voicehas been in your ear since thedayof
your birth, has given you an explanation ofhow things came to be thisway.Youknowitwell;everyoneinyourcultureknowsitwell.Butthisexplanationwasnâtgiventoyouallatonce.Nooneeversatyoudownand said, âHere is how things came to be this way, beginning ten orfifteenbillionyearsagorightupto thepresent.Rather,youassembledthis explanation like a mosaic: from a million bits of informationpresentedtoyouinvariouswaysbyotherswhosharethatexplanation.Youassembleditfromthetabletalkofyourparents,fromcartoonsyouwatchedontelevision,fromSundaySchoollessons,fromyourtextbooksand teachers, from news broadcasts, from movies, novels, sermons,plays,newspapers,andalltherest.Areyouwithmesofar?ââIthinkso.ââThisexplanationofhowthingscametobethiswayisambientinyour
culture.Everyoneknowsitandeveryoneacceptsitwithoutquestion.ââOkay.ââAs we make our journey here, weâre going to be reexamining key
piecesofthatmosaic.Weâregoingtobetakingthemoutofyourmosaicand fitting them into an entirely different mosaic: into an entirelydifferentexplanationofhowthingscametobethiswayââOkay.â
âAndwhenweâre finished,youâllhaveanentirelynewperceptionoftheworld and of all thatâs happened here. And itwonâtmatter in theleastwhether you remember how that perceptionwas assembled. Thejourneyitselfisgoingtochangeyou,soyoudonâthavetoworryaboutmemorizingtheroutewetooktoaccomplishthatchange.ââRight.Iseewhatyoumeannow.â
5
âThird,â he said, âdefinitions. These arewords thatwillhave a specialmeaning in our discourse here. First definition: story.Astoryisascenariointerrelatingman,theworld,andthegods.ââOkay.ââSeconddefinition: toenact.Toenactastoryistolivesoastomake
thestoryareality.Inotherwords,toenactastoryistostrivetomakeitcometrue.YourecognizethatthisiswhatthepeopleofGermanyweredoingunderHitler.TheyweretryingtomaketheThousandYearReichareality. Theywere trying tomake the story hewas telling them cometrue.ââRight.ââThirddefinition:culture.Acultureisapeopleenactingastory.ââApeopleenactingastory.AndastoryagainisâŠ?ââAscenariointerrelatingman,theworld,andthegods.ââOkay. So youâre saying that the people ofmy culture are enacting
theirownstoryaboutman,theworld,andthegods.ââThatâsright.ââButIstilldonâtknowwhatthatstoryis.ââYouwill.Donâtfretaboutit.Forthemomentallyouhavetoknowis
thattwofundamentallydifferentstorieshavebeenenactedhereduringthe lifetime ofman.One began to be enacted here some two or threemillionyearsagobythepeopleweâveagreedtocallLeaversandisstillbeingenactedbythemtoday,assuccessfullyasever.Theotherbegantobe enactedhere some tenor twelve thousandyears agoby thepeopleweâve agreed to call Takers, and is apparently about to end incatastrophe.ââAh,âIsaid,meaningIknownotwhat.
6
âIf Mother Culture were to give an account of humanhistoryusingtheseterms,itwouldgosomethinglikethis: âTheLeaverswere chapter one of human historyâa long and uneventful chapter.Theirchapterofhumanhistoryendedabouttenthousandyearsagowiththe birth of agriculture in the Near East. This event marked thebeginningof chapter two, thechapterof theTakers. Itâs true therearestill Leavers living in the world, but these are anachronisms, fossilsâpeoplelivinginthepast,peoplewhojustdonâtrealizethattheirchapterofhumanhistoryisover.âââRight.ââThis is thegeneral shapeofhumanhistoryas itâsperceived inyour
culture.ââIwouldsayso.ââAs youâll come to see,what Iâm saying is quite different from this.
The Leavers are not chapter one of a story in which the Takers arechaptertwo.ââSaythatagain?ââIâll say it differently. The Leavers and the Takers are enacting two
separatestories,basedonentirelydifferentandcontradictorypremises.This is something weâll be looking at later, so you donât have tounderstanditrightthissecond.ââOkay.â
7
Ishmael scratched thesideofhis jaw thoughtfully.Frommysideoftheglass, Iheardnothingofthis; in imaginationitsoundedlikeashovelbeingdraggedacrossgravel.âIthinkourbagispacked.AsIsaid,Idonâtexpectyoutoremember
everything Iâve thrown into it today.Whenyou leavehere, everythingwillprobablyalljustturnintoonegreatmuddle.ââIbelieveyou,âIsaidwithconviction.âButthatâsallright.IfIpullsomethingfromourbagtomorrowthatI
putintoday,youâllrecognizeitinstantly,andthatâsallthatmatters.ââOkay.Iâmgladtohearit.ââWeâll make this a short session today. The journey itself begins
tomorrow.Meanwhile,youcanspendtherestof todaygroping for thestorythepeopleofyourculturehavebeenenactingintheworldforthepasttenthousandyears.Doyourememberwhatitâsabout?ââAbout?ââItâs about themeaning of theworld, about divine intentions in the
world,andabouthumandestiny.ââWell, I can tellyou storiesabout these things,but Idonâtknowany
onestory.ââItâstheonestorythateveryoneinyourcultureknowsandaccepts.ââIâmafraidthatdoesnâthelpmuch.ââPerhaps itâllhelp if I tellyou that itâsanexplaining story, like âHow
theElephantGotItsTrunkâorâHowtheLeopardGotItsSpots.âââOkay.ââAndwhatdoyousupposethisstoryofyoursexplains?ââGod,Ihavenoidea.ââThatshouldbeclearfromwhatIâvealreadytoldyou.Itexplainshow
thingscametobethisway.Fromthebeginninguntilnow.ââIsee,â I said,andstaredout thewindowforawhile.âIâmcertainly
notawareofknowingsuchastory.AsIsaid,stories,yes,butnothinglikeasinglestory.âIshmael pondered this for a minute or two. âOne of the pupils Imentionedyesterdayfeltobligedtoexplaintomewhatshewaslookingfor,andshesaid,âWhyisitthatnooneisexcited?Ihearpeopletalkingin the Laundromat about the end of the world, and theyâre no moreexcited than if theywere comparing detergents. People talk about thedestructionoftheozonelayerandthedeathofalllife.Theytalkaboutthe devastation of the rain forests, about deadly pollution thatwill bewithusforthousandsandmillionsofyears,aboutthedisappearanceofdozens of species of life every day, about the end of speciation itself.Andtheyseemperfectlycalm.ââIsaidtoher,âIsthiswhatyouwanttoknowthenâwhypeoplearenâtexcitedaboutthedestructionoftheworld?âShethoughtaboutthatforawhileandsaid,âNo,Iknowwhytheyârenotexcited.Theyârenotexcitedbecausetheybelievewhattheyâvebeentold.ââIsaid,âYes?ââWhathavepeoplebeentoldthatkeepsthemfrombecomingexcited,thatkeepsthemrelativelycalmwhentheyviewthecatastrophicdamagetheyâreinflictingonthisplanet?ââIdonâtknow.ââTheyâve been told an explaining story. Theyâve been given anexplanationofhowthingscametobethisway,andthisstillstheiralarm.This explanation covers everything, including the deterioration of theozone layer, the pollution of the oceans, the destruction of the rainforests,andevenhumanextinctionâanditsatisfiesthem.Orperhapsitwould be more accurate to say that it pacifies them. They put theirshoulderstothewheelduringtheday,stupefythemselveswithdrugsortelevisionatnight,andtrynottothinktoosearchinglyabouttheworldtheyâreleavingtheirchildrentocopewith.ââRight.ââYouyourselfweregiventhesameexplanationofhowthingscametobe this way as everyone elseâbut it apparently doesnât satisfy you.Youâvehearditfrominfancybuthavenevermanagedtoswallowit.Youhave the feeling somethingâs been left out, glossed over.Youhave the
feelingyouâvebeenliedtoaboutsomething,andifyoucan,youâdliketoknowwhatitisâandthatâswhatyouâredoinghereinthisroom.ââLet me think about this for a second. Are you saying that thisexplainingstorycontainstheliesIwastalkingaboutinmypaperaboutKurtandHans?ââThatâsright.Thatâsitexactly.ââThis bogglesmymind. I donât knowany such story.Not any singlestory.ââItâs a single, perfectly unified story. You just have to thinkmythologically.ââWhat?ââIâmtalkingaboutyourcultureâsmythology,ofcourse.Ithoughtthatwasobvious.ââItwasnâtobvioustome.ââAny story that explains themeaningof theworld, the intentionsofthegods,andthedestinyofmanisboundtobemythology.ââThatmaybeso,butIâmnotawareofanythingremotelylikethat.Asfar as I know, thereâs nothing in our culture that could be calledmythology, unless youâre talking about Greek mythology or Norsemythologyorsomethinglikethat.ââIâm talking about living mythology. Not recorded in any bookârecordedinthemindsofthepeopleofyourculture,andbeingenactedallovertheworldevenaswesithereandspeakofit.ââAgain,asfarasIknow,thereâsnothinglikethatinourculture.âIshmaelâstarryforeheadcrinkledintofurrowsashegavemealookofamusedexasperation.âThisisbecauseyouthinkofmythologyasasetoffanciful tales. The Greeks didnât think of their mythology this way.Surelyyoumustrealizethat.IfyouwentuptoamanofHomericGreeceand asked himwhat fanciful tales he told his children about the godsand the heroes of the past, he wouldnât knowwhat you were talkingabout.Heâdsaywhatyousaid:âAsfarasIknow,thereâsnothinglikethatinourculture.âANorsemanwouldhavesaidthesame.ââOkay.Butthatdoesnâtexactlyhelp.â
âAllright.Letâscuttheassignmentdowntoamoremodestsize.Thisstory,likeeverystory,hasabeginning,amiddle,andanend.Andeachofthesepartsisastoryinitself.Beforewegettogethertomorrow,seeifyoucanfindthebeginningofthestory.ââThebeginningofthestory.ââYes.ThinkâŠanthropologically.âIlaughed.âWhatdoesthatmean?ââIf youwere an anthropologist after the story being enacted by the
AlawaaboriginesofAustralia,youwouldexpecttohearastorywithabeginning,amiddle,andanend.ââOkay.ââAndwhatwouldyouexpectthebeginningofthestorytobe?ââIhavenoidea.ââOfcourseyoudo.Youârejustplayingdumb.âIsatthereforaminute,tryingtofigureouthowtostopplayingdumb.
âOkay,âIsaidatlast.âIguessIâdexpectittobetheircreationmyth.ââOfcourse.ââButIdonâtseehowthathelpsme.ââThen Iâll spell itout.Youâre looking foryourowncultureâscreation
myth.âIstaredathimbalefully.âWehavenocreationmyth,âIsaid.âThatâsa
certainty.â
THREE
1
âWhatâs that?â I said when I arrived the followingmorning.Iwasreferringtoanobjectrestingonthearmofmychair.âWhatdoesitlooklike?ââAtaperecorder.ââThatâsexactlywhatitis.ââImean,whatâsitfor?ââItâs for recording for posterity the curious folktales of a doomed
culture,whichyouaregoingtotellme.âIlaughedandsatdown.âIâmafraidIhavenâtasyetfoundanycurious
folktalestotellyou.ââMysuggestionthatyoulookforacreationmythborenofruit?ââWehavenocreationmyth,âIsaidagain.âUnlessyouâretalkingabout
theoneinGenesis.ââDonât be absurd. If an eighth-grade teacher invited you to explain
how all this began, would you read the class the first chapter ofGenesis?ââCertainlynot.ââThenwhataccountwouldyougivethem?ââIcouldgivethemanaccount,butitcertainlywouldnâtbeamyth.ââNaturally you wouldnât consider it a myth. No creation story is a
mythtothepeoplewhotellit.Itâsjustthestory.ââOkay,butthestoryIâmtalkingaboutisdefinitelynotamyth.Partsof
it are still in question, I suppose, and I suppose later research mightmakesomerevisionsinit,butitâscertainlynotamyth.ââTurnonthetaperecorderandbegin.Thenweâllknow.âIgavehimareproachfullook.âYoumeanyouactuallywantmetoâŠ
uhâŠââTotellthestory,thatâsright.â
âIcanâtjustreelitoff.Ineedsometimetogetittogether.ââThereâsplentyoftime.Itâsaninety-minutetape.âIsighed,turnedontherecorder,andclosedmyeyes.
2
âItallstartedalongtimeago,tenorfifteenbillionyearsago,âIbeganafewminuteslater.âIâmnotcurrentonwhichtheoryisinthelead,thesteady-stateorthebig-bang,butineithercasetheuniversebeganalongtimeago.âAtthatpointIopenedmyeyesandgaveIshmaelaspeculativelook.Hegavemeonebackandsaid,âIsthatit?Isthatthestory?ââNo, I was just checking.â I closedmy eyes and began again. âAnd
then, I donât knowâI guess about six or seven billion years agoâourownsolar systemwasbornâŠ. Ihaveapicture inmymind fromsomechildhoodencyclopediaofblobsbeingthrownoutorblobscoalescingâŠand thesewere the planets.Which, over the next couple billion years,cooled and solidifiedâŠ.Well, letâs see. Life appeared in the chemicalbrothofourancientoceansaboutwhatâfivebillionyearsago?ââThreeandahalforfour.ââOkay. Bacteria, microorganisms evolved into higher forms, more
complex forms, which evolved into still more complex forms. Lifegraduallyspreadtothe land. IdonâtknowâŠslimesat theedgeof theoceans ⊠amphibians. The amphibians moved inland, evolved intoreptiles. The reptiles evolved intomammals. Thiswaswhat?A billionyearsago?ââOnlyaboutaquarterofabillionyearsago.ââOkay.Anyway,themammalsâŠIdonâtknow.Smallcrittersinsmall
nichesâunderbushes,inthetreesâŠ.Fromthecrittersinthetreescametheprimates.Then,IdonâtknowâmaybetenorfifteenmillionyearsagoâonebranchoftheprimatesleftthetreesandâŠâIranoutofsteam.âThisisnâtatest,âIshmaelsaid.âThebroadoutlineswilldoâjustthe
story as itâs generally known, as itâs known by bus drivers and ranchhandsandsenators.ââOkay,âIsaid,andclosedmyeyesagain.âOkay.Well,onethingledto
another. Species followed species, and finallyman appeared.Thatwas
what?Threemillionyearsago?ââThreeseemsprettysafe.ââOkay.ââIsthatit?ââThatâsitinoutline.ââThestoryofcreationasitâstoldinyourculture.ââThatâsright.Tothebestofourpresentknowledge.âIshmaelnoddedandtoldmetoturnoffthetaperecorder.Thenhesatbackwithasighthatrumbledthroughtheglass likeadistantvolcano,folded his hands over his central paunch, and gave me a long,inscrutablelook.âAndyou,anintelligentandmoderatelywell-educatedperson,wouldhavemebelievethatthisisnâtamyth.ââWhatâsmythicalaboutit?ââI didnât say there was anything mythical about it. I said it was amyth.âIthinkIlaughednervously.âMaybeIdonâtknowwhatyoumeanbyamyth.ââI donât mean anything you donât mean. Iâm using the word in theordinarysense.ââThenitâsnotamyth.ââCertainlyitâsamyth.Listentoit.âIshmaeltoldmetorewindthetapeandplayitback.Afterlisteningtoit,Isattherelookingthoughtfulforaminuteortwo,forthesakeofappearances.ThenIsaid,âItâsnotamyth.Youcouldputthat in an eighth-grade science text, and I donât think thereâs a schoolboard anywhere that would quibble with itâleaving aside theCreationists.ââI agreewholeheartedly. Havenât I said that the story is ambient inyourculture?Childrenassembleit frommanymedia, includingsciencetextbooks.ââThenwhatareyousaying?Areyoutryingtotellmethatthisisnâtafactualaccount?â
âItâsfulloffacts,ofcourse,buttheirarrangementispurelymythical.ââIdonâtknowwhatyouâretalkingabout.ââYouâveobviouslyturnedoffyourmind.MotherCulturehascroonedyoutosleep.âIgavehimahardlook.âAreyousayingthatevolutionisamyth?ââNo.ââAreyousayingthatmandidnotevolve?ââNo.ââThenwhatisit?âIshmael lookedatmewitha smile.Thenhe shruggedhis shoulders.Thenheraisedhiseyebrows.Istaredathimandthought:Iâmbeingteasedbyagorilla.Itdidnâthelp.âPlayitagain,âhetoldme.Whenitwasover,Isaid,âOkay,Iheardonething,thewordappeared.Isaidthatfinallymanappeared.Isthatit?ââNo,itâsnothinglikethat.Iâmnotquibblingoveraword.Itwasclearfromthecontextthatthewordappearedwasjustasynonymforevolved.ââThenwhatthehellisit?ââYouâre reallynot thinking, Iâmafraid.Youâve reciteda storyyouâveheardathousandtimes,andnowyouâre listeningtoMotherCultureasshe murmurs in your ear: âThere, there, my child, thereâs nothing tothinkabout,nothingtoworryabout,donâtgetexcited,donâtlistentothenasty animal, this is nomyth, nothing I tell you is amyth, so thereâsnothingtothinkabout,nothingtoworryabout, just listentomyvoiceandgotosleep,gotosleep,gotosleepâŠ.ââIchewedonalipforawhile,thenIsaid,âThatdoesnâthelp.ââAllright,âhesaid.âIâlltellyouastoryofmyown,andmaybethatâllhelp.âHenibbled for amomentona leafywand, closedhis eyes, andbegan.
3
This story (Ishmael said) takesplacehalf a billionyearsagoâaninconceivablylongtimeago,whenthisplanetwouldbeallbutunrecognizable to you. Nothing at all stirred on the land, except thewindandthedust.Notasinglebladeofgrasswavedinthewind,notasingle cricket chirped, not a single bird soared in the sky. All thesethingswere tensofmillionsofyears in the future.Even the seaswereeerily still and silent, for the vertebrates too were tens of millions ofyearsawayinthefuture.Butofcoursetherewasananthropologistonhand.Whatsortofworld
would it be without an anthropologist? He was, however, a verydepressedanddisillusionedanthropologist,forheâdbeeneverywhereonthe planet looking for someone to interview, and every tape in hisknapsackwasasblankasthesky.Butonedayashewasmopingalongbeside the ocean he saw what seemed to be a living creature in theshallowsoff shore. Itwasnothing tobragabout, justa sortof squishyblob, but itwas the only prospect heâd seen in all his journeys, so hewadedouttowhereitwasbobbinginthewaves.Hegreetedthecreaturepolitelyandwasgreetedinkind,andsoonthe
twoofthemweregoodfriends.Theanthropologistexplainedaswellashecouldthathewasastudentoflife-stylesandcustoms,andbeggedhisnewfriendforinformationofthissort,whichwasreadilyforthcoming.âAndnow,âhe saidat last, âIâd like togeton tape inyourownwordssomeofthestoriesyoutellamongyourselves.ââStories?âtheotherasked.âYouknow,likeyourcreationmyth,ifyouhaveone.ââWhat isa creationmyth?â thecreatureasked. âOh,youknow,â the
anthropologistreplied,âthefancifultaleyoutellyourchildrenabouttheoriginsoftheworld.âWell,atthis,thecreaturedrewitselfupindignantlyâatleastaswell
as a squishy blob can doâand replied that his people had no suchfancifultale.
âYouhavenoaccountofcreationthen?ââCertainlywehaveanaccountofcreation,âtheothersnapped.âButitisdefinitelynotamyth.ââOh,certainlynot,âtheanthropologistsaid,rememberinghistrainingatlast.âIâllbeterriblygratefulifyoushareitwithme.ââVerywell,âthecreaturesaid.âButIwantyoutounderstandthat,likeyou, we are a strictly rational people, who accept nothing that is notbasedonobservation,logic,andthescientificmethod.ââOfcourse,ofcourse,âtheanthropologistagreed.So at last the creature began its story. âThe universe,â it said, âwasbornalong,longtimeago,perhapstenorfifteenbillionyearsago.Ourownsolarsystemâthisstar,thisplanetandalltheothersâseemtohavecome intobeing some twoor threebillionyears ago. For a long time,nothingwhatever lived here. But then, after a billion years or so, lifeappeared.ââExcuse me,â the anthropologist said. âYou say that life appeared.Wheredid thathappen,according toyourmythâImean,according toyourscientificaccount.âThe creature seemed baffled by the question and turned a palelavender.âDoyoumeaninwhatprecisespot?ââNo.Imean,didthishappenonthelandorinthesea?ââLand?âtheotherasked.âWhatisland?ââOh, you know,â he said,waving toward the shore, âthe expanse ofdirtandrocksthatbeginsoverthere.âThe creature turned a deeper shade of lavender and said, âI canâtimaginewhatyouâregibberingabout.Thedirtandrocksovertherearesimplythelipofthevastbowlthatholdsthesea.ââOh yes,â the anthropologist said, âI seewhat youmean. Quite. Goon.ââVerywell,âtheothersaid.âFormanymillionsofcenturiesthelifeoftheworldwasmerelymicroorganisms floatinghelplessly inachemicalbroth. But little by little, more complex forms appeared: single-celledcreatures,slimes,algae,polyps,andsoon.
âBut finally,â the creature said, turning quite pinkwith pride as hecametotheclimaxofhisstory,âbutfinallyjellyfishappeared!â
4
Nothingmuchcameoutofme forninety secondsor so,exceptmaybewavesofbaffledfury.ThenIsaid,âThatâsnotfair.ââWhatdoyoumean?ââIdonâtexactlyknowwhat Imean.Youâvemadesomesortofpoint,
butIdonâtknowwhatitis.ââYoudonât?ââNo,Idonât.ââWhat did the jellyfish mean when it said, âBut finally jellyfish
appearedâ?ââItmeant⊠that iswhat itwas all leading up to. This iswhat the
whole ten or fifteen billion years of creation were leading up to:jellyfish.ââI agree. And why doesnât your account of creation end with the
appearanceofjellyfish?âI suppose I tittered. âBecause there was more to come beyond
jellyfish.ââThatâsright.Creationdidnâtendwithjellyfish.Stilltocomewerethe
vertebratesandtheamphibiansandthereptilesandthemammals,andofcourse,finally,man.ââRight.ââAnd soyouraccountof creationends, âAnd finallymanappeared.ââ
âYes.ââMeaningwhat?ââMeaningthattherewasnomoretocome.Meaningthatcreationhad
cometoanend.ââThisiswhatitwasallleadingupto.ââYes.ââOf course. Everyone in your culture knows this. The pinnacle was
reached in man. Man is the climax of the whole cosmic drama of
creation.ââYes.ââWhen man finally appeared, creation came to an end, because itsobjectivehadbeenreached.Therewasnothinglefttocreate.ââThatseemstobetheunspokenassumption.ââItâs certainly not always unspoken. The religions of your culturearenât reticentabout it.Manis theendproductofcreation.Manis thecreature forwhomall therestwasmade: thisworld, thissolarsystem,thisgalaxy,theuniverseitself.ââTrue.ââEveryone in your culture knows that the world wasnât created forjellyfishorsalmonoriguanasorgorillas.Itwascreatedforman.ââThatâsright.âIshmaelfixedmewithasardoniceye.âAndthisisnotmythology?ââWellâŠthefactsarefacts.ââCertainly.Factsarefacts,evenwhentheyâreembodiedinmythology.Butwhatabouttherest?Didtheentirecosmicprocessofcreationcometoanend threemillionyearsago, righthereon this littleplanet,withtheappearanceofman?ââNo.ââDid even the planetary process of creation come to an end threemillionyearsagowiththeappearanceofman?Didevolutioncometoascreechinghaltjustbecausemanhadarrived?ââNo,ofcoursenot.ââThenwhydidyoutellitthatway?ââIguessItolditthatway,becausethatâsthewayitâstold.ââThatâsthewayitâstoldamongtheTakers.Itâscertainlynottheonlywayitcanbetold.ââOkay,Iseethatnow.Howwouldyoutellit?âHe nodded toward the world outside his window. âDo you see theslightestevidenceanywhereintheuniversethatcreationcametoanendwiththebirthofman?Doyouseetheslightestevidenceanywhereout
therethatmanwastheclimaxtowardwhichcreationhadbeenstrainingfromthebeginning?ââNo.Icanâtevenimaginewhatsuchevidencewouldlooklike.ââThat should be obvious. If the astrophysicists could report that thefundamentalcreativeprocessesoftheuniversecametoahaltfivebillionyearsago,whenoursolarsystemmadeitsappearance,thatwouldofferatleastsomesupportforthesenotions.ââYes,Iseewhatyoumean.ââOr if the biologists and paleontologists could report that speciationcametoahaltthreemillionyearsago,thistoowouldbesuggestive.ââYes.ââButyouknowthatneitherofthesethingshappenedinfact.Veryfarfrom it.Theuniversewentonasbefore, theplanetwentonasbefore.Manâsappearancecausednomorestirthantheappearanceofjellyfish.ââVerytrue.âIshmaelgesturedtowardthetaperecorder.âSowhatarewetomakeofthatstoryyoutold?âIbaredmyteethinaruefulgrin.âItâsamyth.Incrediblyenough,itâsamyth.â
5
âI told you yesterday that the story the people of yourculture are enacting is about the meaning of the world, about divineintentionsintheworld,andabouthumandestiny.ââYes.ââAndaccordingtothis firstpartofthestory,what is themeaningof
theworld?âIthoughtaboutthatforamoment.âIdonâtquiteseehowitexplains
themeaningoftheworld.ââAlongabout themiddleofyour story, the focusofattentionshifted
fromtheuniverseatlargetothisoneplanet.Why?ââBecausethisoneplanetwasdestinedtobethebirthplaceofman.ââOf course. As you tell it, the birth of man was a central eventâ
indeed the central eventâin the history of the cosmos itself. From thebirthofmanon,therestoftheuniverseceasestobeofinterest,ceasesto participate in the unfolding drama. For this, the earth alone issufficient;itisthebirthplaceandhomeofman,andthatâsitsmeaning.TheTakersregardtheworldasasortofhumanlife-supportsystem,asamachinedesignedtoproduceandsustainhumanlife.ââYes,thatâsso.ââInyourtellingofthestory,younaturallyleftoutanymentionofthe
gods,becauseyoudidnâtwantittobetaintedwithmythology.Sinceitsmythologicalcharacterisnowestablished,younolongerhavetoworryaboutthat.Supposingthereisadivineagencybehindcreation,whatcanyoutellmeaboutthegodsâintentions?ââWell, basically, what they had inmindwhen they started out was
man. Theymade the universe so that our galaxy could be in it. Theymadethegalaxysothatoursolarsystemcouldbeinit.Theymadeoursolarsystemsothatourplanetcouldbeinit.Andtheymadeourplanetsothatwecouldbeinit.Thewholethingwasmadesothatmanwouldhaveahunkofdirttostandon.â
âAndthisisgenerallyhowitâsunderstoodinyourcultureâatleastbythose who assume that the universe is an expression of divineintentions.ââYes.ââObviously,sincetheentireuniversewasmadesothatmancouldbemade,manmustbeacreatureofenormousimportancetothegods.Butthispartofthestorygivesnohintoftheirintentionstowardhim.Theymusthavesomespecialdestinyinmindforhim,butthatâsnotrevealedhere.ââTrue.â
6
âEverystoryisbasedonapremise,istheworkingoutofapremise.Asawriter,Iâmsureyouknowthat.ââYes.ââYouâllrecognizethisone:Twochildrenofwarringfamiliesfallinlove.ââRight.RomeoandJuliet.ââThe story being enacted in the world by the Takers also has a
premise,whichisembodiedinthepartofthestoryyoutoldmetoday.Seeifyoucanfigureoutwhatitis.âI closedmy eyes and pretended Iwasworking hard,when in fact I
knewIdidnâtstandachance.âIâmafraidIdonâtseeit.ââThe story the Leavers have enacted in the world has an entirely
different premise, and itwouldbe impossible for you to discover it atthispoint.Butyoushouldbeabletodiscoverthepremiseofyourownstory. Itâs avery simplenotionand themostpowerful inallofhumanhistory. Not necessarily the most beneficial but certainly the mostpowerful.Yourentirehistory,withallitsmarvelsandcatastrophes,isaworkingoutofthispremise.ââTruthfully,Icanâtevenimaginewhatyouâregettingat.ââThinkâŠ.Look,theworldwasnâtmadeforjellyfish,wasit?ââNo.ââItwasnâtmadeforfrogsorlizardsorrabbits.ââNo.ââOfcoursenot.Theworldwasmadeforman.ââThatâsright.ââEveryoneinyourcultureknowsthat,donât they?Evenatheistswho
swearthereisnogodknowthattheworldwasmadeforman.ââYes,Iâdsayso.ââAll right. Thatâs the premise of your story:Theworld wasmade for
man.â
âIcanâtquitegraspit.Imean,Icanâtquiteseewhyitâsapremise.ââThepeopleofyourculturemade itapremiseâtook itasapremise.Theysaid:Whatiftheworldwasmadeforus?ââOkay.Keepgoing.ââThink of the consequences of taking that as your premise: If theworldwasmadeforyou,thenwhat?ââOkay, I seewhat youmean. I think. If theworldwasmade forus,thenitbelongstousandwecandowhatwedamnwellpleasewithit.ââExactly.Thatâswhatâsbeenhappeninghereforthepasttenthousandyears: Youâve been doingwhat you damnwell pleasewith theworld.Andofcourseyoumeantogorightondoingwhatyoudamnwellpleasewithit,becausethewholedamnthingbelongstoyou.ââYes,â I said, and thought for a second. âActually, thatâs prettyamazing.Imean,youhearthisfiftytimesaday.Peopletalkaboutourenvironment, our seas, our solar system. Iâve even heard people talkaboutourwildlife.ââAnd just yesterday you assured me with complete confidence thattherewasnothinginyourcultureremotelyresemblingmythology.ââTrue. I did.â Ishmael continued to stare at me morosely. âI waswrong,âItoldhim.âWhatmoredoyouwant?ââAstonishment,âhesaid.Inodded.âIâmastonished,allright.Ijustdonâtletitshow.ââIshouldhavegottenyouwhenyouwereseventeen.âIshrugged,meaningthatIwishedhehad.
7
âYesterday I told you that your story provides youwithanexplanationofhowthingscametobethisway.ââRight.ââWhat contribution does this first part of the story make to that
explanation?ââYou mean ⊠what contribution does it make to explaining how
thingscametobethewaytheyarerightnow?ââThatâsright.ââOffhand,Idonâtseehowitmakesanycontributiontoit.ââThink.Wouldthingshavecometobethiswayiftheworldhadbeen
madeforjellyfish?ââNo,theywouldnât.ââObviouslynot.Iftheworldhadbeenmadeforjellyfish,thingswould
beentirelydifferent.ââThatâsright.Butitwasnâtmadeforjellyfish,itwasmadeforman.ââAndthispartlyexplainshowthingscametobethisway.ââRight.Itâssortofasneakywayofblamingeverythingonthegods.If
theyâd made the world for jellyfish, then none of this would havehappened.ââExactly,âIshmaelsaid.âYouârebeginningtogettheidea.â
8
âDoyouhaveafeelingnowforwhereyoumightfindtheotherpartsofthisstoryâthemiddleandtheend?âIgavethissomethought.âIâdwatchNova,Ithink.ââWhy?ââIâdsay that ifNovawasdoing thestoryofcreation, thestory I told
todaywouldbetheoutline.AllIhavetodonowisfigureouthowtheyâddotherest.ââThen thatâs your next assignment. Tomorrow I want to hear the
middleofthestory.â
FOUR
1
âOkay,âIsaid.âIthinkIhavethemiddleandtheendofthestorydownpat.âIshmaelnoddedandIstartedthetaperecorder.âWhatIdidwasstartwiththepremise:Theworldwasmadeforman.
ThenIaskedmyselfhowIwouldwritethestoryasatreatmentforNova.Itcameoutlikethis:âTheworldwasmade forman,but it tookhima long, long time to
figure that out. For nearly threemillion years he lived as though theworldhadbeenmadefor jellyfish.That is,he livedas thoughhewerejustlikeanyothercreature,asthoughhewerealionorawombat.ââWhatexactlydoesitmeantolivelikealionorawombat?ââItmeansâŠtoliveatthemercyoftheworld.Itmeanstolivewithout
havinganycontroloveryourenvironment.ââIsee.Goon.ââOkay. In this condition, man could not be truly man. He couldnât
developatrulyhumanwayof lifeâawayof lifethatwasdistinctivelyhuman.So,duringtheearlypartofhislifeâactuallythegreaterpartofhislifeâmanjustfoozledalonggettingnowhereanddoingnothing.âAsithappened,therewasakeyproblemtobesolved,anditwasthis
thattookmealongtimetoworkout:whattheproblemwas.Mancouldgetnowherelivinglikealionorawombat,becauseifyouârealionorawombatâŠ.Inordertoaccomplishanything,manhadtosettledowninoneplacewherehecouldget towork, so to speak. Imean that itwasimpossibleforhimtogetbeyondacertainpointlivingoutintheopenasahunter-gatherer,alwaysmovingfromplacetoplaceinsearchoffood.To get beyond that point, he had to settle down, had to have apermanentbasefromwhichhecouldbegintomasterhisenvironment.âOkay.Why not? I mean, well, what was stopping him from doing
that?Whatwasstoppinghimwasthefactthatifhesettleddowninoneplace formore thana fewweeks,heâdstarve.Asahunter-gatherer,he
wouldsimplycleantheplaceoutâtherewouldbenothing left tohuntand gather. In order to achieve settlement, man had to learn onefundamental manipulation. He had to learn how to manipulate hisenvironment so that this food-exhaustion didnât occur. He had tomanipulate it so that itproducedmorehuman food. Inotherwords,hehadtobecomeanagriculturalist.âThiswastheturningpoint.Theworldhadbeenmadeforman,buthewasunabletotakepossessionofituntilthisproblemwascracked.Andhe finally cracked it about ten thousand years ago, back there in theFertile Crescent. This was a very big momentâthe biggest in humanhistory up to this point. Man was at last free of all those restraintsthatâŠ. The limitations of the hunting-gathering life had kept man incheck for three million years. With agriculture, those limitationsvanished,andhisrisewasmeteoric.Settlementgaverisetodivisionoflabor. Division of labor gave rise to technology. With the rise oftechnologycametradeandcommerce.Withtradeandcommercecamemathematicsandliteracyandscience,andalltherest.Thewholethingwasunderwayatlast,andtherest,astheysay,ishistory.âAndthatâsthemiddleofthestory.â
2
âVeryimpressive,âIshmaelsaid.âIâmsureyourealizethatthe âbig momentâ youâve just described was in fact the birth of yourculture.ââYes.ââIt should be pointed out, however, that the notion that agriculture
spreadacrosstheworldfromasinglepointoforiginisdistinctlyoldhat.Nevertheless the Fertile Crescent remains the legendary birthplace ofagriculture,at least intheWest,andthishasaspecial importancethatweâlllookatlateron.ââOkay.ââYesterdayâspartofthestoryrevealedthemeaningoftheworldasitâs
understoodamongtheTakers:Theworldisahumanlife-supportsystem,amachinedesignedtoproduceandsustainhumanlife.ââRight.ââTodayâs part of the story seems to be about the destiny of man.
Obviouslyitwasnotmanâsdestinytolivelikealionorawombat.ââThatâsright.ââWhatismanâsdestinythen?ââHm,â I said. âWell. Manâs destiny is ⊠to achieve, to accomplish
greatthings.ââAsitâsknownamongtheTakers,manâsdestinyismorespecificthan
that.ââWell,Isupposeyoucouldsaythathisdestinyistobuildcivilization.ââThinkmythologically.ââIâmafraidIdonâtknowhowthatâsdone.ââIâlldemonstrate.Listen.âIlistened.
3
âAs we saw yesterday, creation wasnât complete whenjellyfish appeared or when amphibians appeared or when reptilesappeared or even when mammals appeared. According to yourmythology,itwascompleteonlywhenmanappeared.ââRight.ââWhywastheworldandtheuniverseincompletewithoutman?Why
didtheworldandtheuniverseneedman?ââIdonâtknow.ââWell,thinkaboutit.Thinkabouttheworldwithoutman.Imaginethe
worldwithoutman.ââOkay,âIsaid,andclosedmyeyes.AcoupleminuteslaterItoldhimI
wasimaginingtheworldwithoutman.âWhatâsitlike?ââIdonâtknow.Itâsjusttheworld.ââWhereareyou?ââWhatdoyoumean?ââWhereareyoulookingatitfrom?ââOh.Fromabove.Fromouterspace.ââWhatareyoudoingupthere?ââIdonâtknow.ââWhyarenâtyoudownonthesurface?ââIdonâtknow.WithoutmanonitâŠIâmjustavisitor,analien.ââWell,goondowntothesurface.ââOkay,âIsaid,butafteraminuteIwentontosay,âThatâsinteresting.
Iâdrathernotgodownthere.ââWhy?Whatâsdownthere?âIlaughed.âThejungleisdownthere.ââI see. Youmean, âNature, red in tooth and clawâŠDragons of the
primethattareeachotherintheirslime.âââThatâsit.ââAndwhatwouldhappenifyoudidgodownthere?ââIâdbeoneoftheonesthedragonsweretearingintheirslime.âI openedmy eyes in time to see Ishmael nodding. âAnd it is at thispoint thatwebegin toseewhereman fits into thedivinescheme.Thegodsdidnâtmeantoleavetheworldajungle,didthey?ââYoumeaninourmythology?Certainlynot.ââSo:Withoutman, theworldwasunfinished,was justnature, red intoothandclaw.Itwasinchaos,inastateofprimevalanarchy.ââThatâsright.Thatâsitexactly.ââSoitneededwhat?ââItneededsomeone tocome inandâŠstraighten itout.Someone toputitinorder.ââAndwhatsortofpersonisitwhostraightensthingsout?Whatsortofpersontakesanarchyinhandandputsitinorder?ââWellâŠaruler.Aking.ââOfcourse.Theworldneededaruler.Itneededman.ââYes.ââSonowwehaveaclearerideawhatthisstoryisallabout:Theworldwasmadeforman,andmanwasmadetoruleit.ââYes.Thatâsveryobviousnow.Everyoneunderstandsthat.ââAndthisiswhat?ââWhat?ââIsthisfact?ââNo.ââThenwhatisit?ââItâsmythology,âIsaid.âOfwhichnotraceistobefoundinyourculture.ââThatâsright.âOnceagainIshmaelstaredatmeglumlythroughtheglass.
âLook,â I saidafterabit. âThe thingsyouâre showingme, the thingsyouâredoing,areâŠalmostbeyondbelief.Iknowthat.Butitâsjustnotinmeto leapupoutofmychairwhilestrikingmybrowandcrying, âMyGod,thisisincredible!ââHe wrinkled his forehead thoughtfully for a moment before saying:âWhatâswrongwithyouthen?âHeseemedsogenuinelyconcernedthatIhadtosmile.âAllfrozeninside,âItoldhim.âAniceberg.âHeshookhishead,sorryforme.
4
âTo return to our subjectâŠ. As you say, it took man along, long time to tumble to the fact that he was meant for greaterthings thanhe couldachieve living likea lionor awombat. For somethreemillionyearshewas justpartof theanarchy,was justonemorecreaturerollingaroundintheslime.ââRight.ââItwasonlyabouttenthousandyearsagothathefinallyrealizedthat
hisplacewasnotintheslime.Hehadtolifthimselfoutoftheslimeandtakethisplaceinhandandstraightenitout.ââRight.ââButtheworlddidnâtmeeklysubmittohumanrule,didit?ââNo.ââNo,theworlddefiedhim.Whatmanbuiltup,thewindandraintore
down. The fields he cleared for his crops and his villages, the junglefought to reclaim. The seeds he sowed, the birds snatched away. Theshootshenurtured,theinsectsnibbled.Theharvesthestored,themiceplundered. The animals he bred and fed, the wolves and foxes stoleaway. Themountains, the rivers, and the oceans stood in their placesand would not make way for him. The earthquake, the flood, thehurricane, the blizzard, and the drought would not disappear at hiscommand.ââTrue.ââTheworldwouldnotmeeklysubmit tomanâs rule, sohehad todo
whattoit?ââWhatdoyoumean?ââIfthekingcomestoacitythatwillnotsubmittohisrule,whatdoes
hehavetodo?ââHehastoconquerit.ââOfcourse.Inordertomakehimselftheruleroftheworld,manfirst
hadtoconquerit.â
âGood lord,â I saidâand nearly leaped up out of my chair whilestrikingmybrowandalltherest.âYes?ââYou hear this fifty times a day. You can turn on the radio or thetelevisionandheariteveryhour.Manisconqueringthedeserts,manisconqueringtheoceans,manisconqueringtheatom,manisconqueringtheelements,manisconqueringouterspace.âIshmaelsmiled.âYoudidnâtbelievemewhenIsaidthat thisstory isambient inyourculture.Nowyou seewhat Imean.Themythologyofyour culture hums in your ears so constantly that no one pays theslightestbitofattentiontoit.Ofcoursemanisconqueringspaceandtheatom and the deserts and the oceans and the elements. According toyourmythology,thisiswhathewasborntodo.ââYes.Thatâsveryclearnow.â
5
âNowthefirsttwopartsofthestoryhavecometogether:Theworldwasmadeforman,andmanwasmadetoconquerandruleit.And how does the second part contribute to your explanation of howthingscametobethisway?ââLetmethinkaboutthatâŠ.Onceagainthisisasortofsneakywayof
blamingthegods.Theymadetheworldforman,andtheymademantoconquer and rule itâwhich he eventually did. And this is how thingscametobethewaytheyare.ââNailitdown.Goalittledeeper.âIclosedmyeyesandgaveitacoupleofminutes,butnothingcame.Ishmaelnoddedtowardthewindows.âAllthisâallyourtriumphsand
tragedies,allyourmarvelsandmiseriesâareadirectresultofâŠwhat?âIchewedonitforawhile,butIstillcouldnâtseewhathewasgetting
at.âTryitthisway,âIshmaelsaid.âThingswouldnâtbethewaytheyare
ifthegodshadmeantmantolivelikealionorawombat,wouldthey?ââNo.ââManâsdestinywastoconquerandruletheworld.Sothingscameto
bethiswayasadirectresultofâŠ?ââOfmanfulfillinghisdestiny.ââOfcourse.Andhehadtofulfillhisdestiny,didnâthe?ââYes,absolutely.ââSowhatistheretogetexcitedabout?ââVerytrue,verytrue.ââAstheTakersseeit,allthisissimplythepriceofbecominghuman.ââHowdoyoumean?ââItwasnâtpossibletobecomefullyhumanlivingbesidethedragonsin
theslime,wasit?â
âNo.ââInordertobecomefullyhuman,manhadtopullhimselfoutoftheslime.Andallthisistheresult.AstheTakersseeit,thegodsgavemanthe same choice they gave Achilles: a brief life of glory or a long,uneventfullifeinobscurity.AndtheTakerschoseabrieflifeofglory.ââYes, thatâs certainlyhow itâsunderstood.People just shrugand say,âWell, this is the price that had to be paid for indoor plumbing andcentralheatingandairconditioningandautomobilesandalltherest.ââIgavehimaquizzicallook.âAndwhatareyousaying?ââIâm saying that the price youâve paid is not the price of becominghuman.Itâsnoteventhepriceofhavingthethingsyoujustmentioned.Itâsthepriceofenactingastorythatcastsmankindastheenemyoftheworld.â
FIVE
1
âWe have the beginning and middle of the storytogether,â Ishmael saidwhenwe started the next day. âMan is finallybeginningtofulfillhisdestiny.Theconquestoftheworldisunderway.Andhowdoesthestoryend?ââI guess I should have kept on going yesterday. Iâve sort of lost the
thread.ââPerhapsitwouldhelptolistentothewaythesecondpartends.ââGoodidea.â I rewoundaminuteorsoof tapeand let itplay:âMan
was at last free of all those restraints thatâŠ. The limitations of thehunting-gathering life had kept man in check for three million years.Withagriculture, those limitationsvanished,andhisrisewasmeteoric.Settlementgave rise todivisionof labor.Divisionof laborgave rise totechnology.Withtheriseoftechnologycametradeandcommerce.Withtradeandcommercecamemathematicsandliteracyandscience,andallthe rest.Thewhole thingwasunderwayat last, and the rest, as theysay,ishistory.ââRight,â I said. âOkay. Manâs destiny was to conquer and rule the
world,andthisiswhatheâsdoneâalmost.Hehasnâtquitemadeit,andit looksas though thismaybehisundoing.Theproblem is thatmanâsconquestoftheworldhasitselfdevastatedtheworld.Andinspiteofallthe mastery weâve attained, we donât have enough mastery to stopdevastating the worldâor to repair the devastation weâve alreadywrought.Weâvepouredourpoisons intotheworldas thoughitwereabottomlesspitâandwegoonpouringourpoisonsintotheworld.Weâvegobbledupirreplaceableresourcesasthoughtheycouldneverrunoutâandwegoongobblingthemup.Itâshardtoimaginehowtheworldcouldsurvive another century of this abuse, but nobodyâs really doinganythingaboutit.Itâsaproblemourchildrenwillhavetosolve,ortheirchildren.âOnlyone thingcansaveus.Wehave to increaseourmasteryof the
world. All this damage has come about through our conquest of the
world,butwehavetogoonconqueringituntilourruleisabsolute.Then,whenweâreincompletecontrol,everythingwillbefine.Weâllhavefusionpower.Nopollution.Weâllturntherainonandoff.Weâllgrowabushelofwheatinasquarecentimeter.Weâllturntheoceansintofarms.Weâllcontrol theweatherânomorehurricanes,nomore tornadoes,nomoredroughts, nomoreuntimely frosts.Weâllmake the clouds release theirwateroverthelandinsteadofdumpingituselesslyintotheoceans.Allthe life processes of this planetwill bewhere they belongâwhere thegodsmeant them tobeâinourhands.Andweâllmanipulate them thewayaprogrammermanipulatesacomputer.âAndthatâswhereitstandsrightnow.Wehavetocarrytheconquestforward.Andcarryingitforwardiseithergoingtodestroytheworldorturn it into a paradiseâinto the paradise it was meant to be underhumanrule.âAndifwemanagetodothisâifwefinallymanagetomakeourselvesthe absolute rulers of the worldâthen nothing can stop us. Then wemoveintotheStarTrekera.Manmovesout intospacetoconquerandruletheentireuniverse.Andthatmaybetheultimatedestinyofman:toconquerandruletheentireuniverse.Thatâshowwonderfulmanis.â
2
Tomyastonishment,Ishmaelpickedupawandfromhispile andwaved it atme in an enthusiastic gesture of approval. âOnceagain,thatwasexcellent,âhesaid,neatlybitingoffitsleafyhead.âButyourealize,ofcourse, that ifyouâdbeentellingthispartof the
story a hundred years agoâor even fifty years agoâyou would havespokenonlyoftheparadisetocome.Theideathatmanâsconquestoftheworldcouldbeanythingbutbeneficialwouldhavebeenunthinkabletoyou.Untilthelastthreeorfourdecades,thepeopleofyourculturehadnodoubtthatthingswere justgoingtogoongettingbetterandbetterandbetterforever.Therewasnoconceivableendinsight.ââYes,thatâsso.ââThereis,however,oneelementofthestorythatyouâveleftout,and
weneedittocompleteyourcultureâsexplanationofhowthingscametobethisway.ââWhatelementisthat?ââIthinkyoucanfigureitout.Sofarwehavethismuch:Theworldwas
made forman toconquerandrule,andunderhumanrule itwasmeant tobecomeaparadise.Thisclearlyhastobefollowedbyaâbut.âIthasalwaysbeen followed by a âbut.â This is because the Takers have alwaysperceived that theworldwas far shortof theparadise itwasmeant tobe.ââTrue. Let me see ⊠Howâs this: The world was made for man to
conquer and rule, but his conquest turned out to bemore destructivethanwasanticipated.ââYouârenotlistening.Theâbutâwaspartofthestorylongbeforeyour
conquestbecamegloballydestructive.Theâbutâwastheretoexplainallthe flaws in your paradiseâwarfare and brutality and poverty andinjustice and corruption and tyranny. Itâs still there today to explainfamine and oppression and nuclear proliferation and pollution. ItexplainedWorldWarII,andifiteverhasto,itwillexplainWorldWarIII.â
Ilookedathimblankly.âThisisacommonplace.Anythird-gradercouldsupplyit.ââIâmsureyouâreright,butIdonâtseeityet.ââCome, think.Whatwentwronghere?Whathasalways gonewronghere?Underhumanrule,theworldshouldhavebecomeaparadise,butâŠââButpeoplescreweditup.ââOfcourse.Andwhydidtheyscrewitup?ââWhy?ââDidtheyscrewitupbecausetheydidnâtwantaparadise?ââNo. The way itâs seen is⊠they were bound to screw it up. Theywantedtoturntheworldintoaparadise,but,beinghuman,theywereboundtoscrewitup.ââButwhy?Why,beinghuman,weretheyboundtoscrewitup?ââItâs because thereâs something fundamentally wrong with humans.Somethingthatdefinitelyworksagainstparadise.Somethingthatmakespeoplestupidanddestructiveandgreedyandshortsighted.ââOfcourse.Everyoneinyourcultureknowsthis.Manwasborntoturntheworldintoaparadise,buttragicallyhewasbornflawed.Andsohisparadise has always been spoiled by stupidity, greed, destructiveness,andshortsightedness.ââThatâsright.â
3
Having second thoughts, I gave him a long incredulousstare.âAreyousuggestingthatthisexplanationisfalse?âIshmaelshookhishead.âItâspointlesstoarguewithmythology.Once
upona time, thepeopleofyourculturebelieved thatmanâshomewasthe center of the universe.Manwas the reason the universe hadbeencreated in the firstplace, so itmadesense thathishomeshouldbe itscapital.ThefollowersofCopernicusdidnâtarguewiththis.Theydidnâtpointatpeopleandsay,âYouârewrong.âTheypointedattheheavensandsaid,âLookatwhatâsactuallythere.âââIâmnotsurewhatyouâregettingat.ââHow did the Takers come to the conclusion that thereâs something
fundamentallywrongwith humans?What evidencewere they lookingat?ââIdonâtknow.ââI think youâre being purposely dense. They were looking at the
evidenceofhumanhistory.ââTrue.ââAndwhendidhumanhistorybegin?ââWellâŠthreemillionyearsago.âIshmael gave me a disgusted look. âThose three million years were
onlyvery recently tackedontohumanhistory, asyouverywell know.Before that, it was universally assumed that human history beganwhen?ââWell,justafewthousandyearsago.ââOfcourse.Infact,amongthepeopleofyourculture,itwasassumed
that the whole of human history was your history. No one had theslightestsuspicionthathumanlifeextendedbeyondyourreign.ââThatâsso.ââSowhenthepeopleofyourcultureconcludedthatthereâssomething
fundamentally wrong with humans, what evidence were they lookingat?ââTheywerelookingattheevidenceoftheirownhistory.ââExactly.Theywerelookingatahalfofonepercentoftheevidence,taken fromasingleculture.Notareasonablesampleonwhich tobasesuchasweepingconclusion.ââNo.ââThereâsnothing fundamentallywrongwithpeople.Givena story toenactthatputstheminaccordwiththeworld, theywill live inaccordwiththeworld.Butgivenastorytoenactthatputsthematoddswiththeworld,asyoursdoes,theywillliveatoddswiththeworld.Givenastorytoenactinwhichtheyarethelordsoftheworld,theywillactlikelordsof theworld.And,givenastorytoenact inwhichtheworld isafoe to be conquered, they will conquer it like a foe, and one day,inevitably,theirfoewillliebleedingtodeathattheirfeet,astheworldisnow.â
4
âA few days ago,â Ishmael said, âI described yourexplanationofhow things came to be thisway as amosaic.Whatweâvelookedatsofarisonlythecartoonofthemosaicâthegeneraloutlineofthepicture.Weârenotgoingtofillinthecartoonhere.Thatâssomethingyoucaneasilydoforyourselfwhenweârefinished.ââOkay.ââHowever,onemajorelementofthecartoonremainstobesketchedin
beforewegoonâŠ.OneofthemoststrikingfeaturesofTakercultureisitspassionateandunwaveringdependenceonprophets.TheinfluenceofpeoplelikeMoses,GautamaBuddha,Confucius,Jesus,andMuhammadinTakerhistoryissimplyenormous.Iâmsureyouâreawareofthat.ââYes.ââWhatmakesitsostrikingisthefactthatthereisabsolutelynothing
like this among the Leaversâunless it occurs as a response to somedevastatingcontactwithTakerculture,asinthecaseofWovokaandtheGhostDanceorJohnFrummand theCargoCultsof theSouthPacific.Aside from these, there is no traditionwhatever of prophets rising upamongtheLeaverstostraightenouttheirlivesandgivethemnewsetsoflawsorprinciplestoliveby.ââIwassortofvaguelyawareofthat.Isupposeeveryoneis.Ithinkitâs
âŠIdonâtknow.ââGoon.ââIthinkthefeelingis,whatthehell,whocaresaboutthesepeople?I
mean, itâs no great surprise that savages haveno prophets.Goddidnâtreallygetinterestedinmankinduntilthosenicewhiteneolithicfarmerscamealong.ââYes,thatâswellperceived.ButwhatIwanttolookatrightnowisnot
theabsenceofprophetsamongtheLeaversbuttheenormousinfluenceofprophetsamongtheTakers.Millionshavebeenwillingtobacktheirchoiceofprophetwiththeirverylives.Whatmakesthemsoimportant?â
âItâsahellofagoodquestion,butIdonâtthinkIknowtheanswer.ââAllright,trythis.Whatweretheprophetstryingtoaccomplishhere?Whatweretheyheretodo?ââYousaidityourselfaminuteago.Theywereheretostraightenusoutandtellushowweoughttolive.ââVitalinformation.Worthdyingfor,evidently.ââEvidently.ââButwhy?Why do you need prophets to tell you how you ought tolive?Whydoyouneedanyonetotellyouhowyououghttolive?ââAh.Okay, I seewhatyouâregettingat.Weneedprophets to tellushowweoughttolive,becauseotherwisewewouldnâtknow.ââOfcourse.Questionsabouthowpeopleoughtto livealwaysendupbecoming religious questions among the Takersâalways end up beingargumentsamongtheprophets.Forexample,whenabortionbegantobelegalizedinthiscountry,itwasinitiallytreatedasapurelycivilmatter.Butwhenpeoplebegantohavesecondthoughtsaboutit,theyturnedtotheirprophets,anditsoonbecameareligioussquabble,withbothsideslining up clergy to back them. In the same way, the question oflegalizing drugs like heroin and cocaine is now being debated inprimarily practical termsâbut if it ever becomes a serious possibility,people of a certain turn of mind will undoubtedly begin combingscripturestoseewhattheirprophetshavetosayonthesubject.ââYes,thatâsso.Thisissuchanautomaticresponsethatpeoplejusttakeitforgranted.ââAminuteagoyousaid,âWeneedprophetstotellushowweoughttolive,becauseotherwisewewouldnâtknow.âWhyisthat?Whywouldnâtyouknowhowtolivewithoutyourprophets?ââThatâs a good question. Iâd say itâs because⊠Look at the case ofabortion.Wecanargueabout it fora thousandyears,but thereâsnevergoingtobeanargumentpowerfulenoughtoendtheargument,becauseeveryargumenthasacounterargument.Soitâsimpossibletoknowwhatweshoulddo.Thatâswhyweneedtheprophet.Theprophetknows.ââYes,Ithinkthatâsit.Butthequestionremains:Whydonâtyouknow?ââIthinkthequestionremainsbecauseIcanâtanswerit.â
âYou knowhow to split atoms, how to send explorers to themoon,howtosplicegenes,butyoudonâtknowhowpeopleoughttolive.ââThatâsright.ââWhyisthat?WhatdoesMotherCulturehavetosay?ââAh,âIsaid,andclosedmyeyes.Andafteraminuteortwo:âMotherCulture says itâs possible to have certain knowledge about things likeatomsand space travel andgenes,but thereâsno such thingas certainknowledge about how people should live. Itâs just not available, andthatâswhywedonâthaveit.ââIsee.AndhavinglistenedtoMotherCulture,whatdoyousay?ââInthiscase,IhavetosaythatIagree.Certainknowledgeabouthowpeopleoughttoliveisjustnotoutthere.ââIn other words, the best you can doâsince thereâs nothing âoutthereââistoconsulttheinsidesofyourheads.Thatâswhatâsbeingdoneinthedebateaboutlegalizingdrugs.Eachsideispreparingacasebasedon whatâs reasonable, and whichever way you actually jump you stillwonâtknowwhetheryoudidtherightthing.ââThatâsabsolutelyright.Itwonâtbeaquestionofdoingwhatoughttobe done, because thereâs no way of finding that out. Itâll just be aquestionoftakingavote.ââYouârequitesureaboutallthis.Thereâssimplynowaytoobtainanycertainknowledgeabouthowpeopleoughttolive.ââAbsolutelysure.ââHowdoyoucomebythisassurance?ââIdonâtknow.CertainknowledgeabouthowtoliveisâŠunobtainableinanyofthewayswederivecertainknowledge.AsIsay,itâsjustnotoutthere.ââHaveanyofyoueverlookedoutthere?âIsnickered.âHas anyone ever said, âWell, we have certain knowledge about alltheseotherthings,whydonâtweseeifanysuchknowledgecanbefoundabouthowtolive?âHasanyoneeverdonethat?ââIdoubtit.â
âDoesnâtthatseemstrangetoyou?Consideringthefactthatthisisbyfarthemostimportantproblemmankindhastosolveâhaseverhadtosolveâyouâdthinktherewouldbeawholebranchofsciencedevotedtoit. Instead, we find that not a single one of you has ever wonderedwhetheranysuchknowledgeisevenouttheretobeobtained.ââWeknowitâsnotthere.ââInadvanceoflooking,youmean.ââThatâsright.ââNotaveryscientificprocedureforsuchascientificpeople.ââTrue.â
5
âWe now know two highly important things aboutpeople,â Ishmael said, âat least according to Taker mythology. One,thereâssomethingfundamentallywrongwiththem,and,two,theyhavenocertainknowledgeabouthowtheyoughttoliveâandneverwillhaveany.Itseemsasthoughthereshouldbeaconnectionbetweenthesetwothings.ââYes.Ifpeopleknewhowtolive,thentheyâdbeabletohandlewhat
waswrongwithhumannature.Imean,knowinghowtolivewouldhaveto include knowing how to live as flawed beings. If it didnât, then itwouldnâtbetherealMcCoy.DoyouseewhatImean?ââIthinkso.Ineffect,youâresayingthatifyouknewhowyououghtto
live, then the flaw inman could be controlled. If you knew how yououghttolive,youwouldnâtbeforeverscrewinguptheworld.Perhapsinfact the two things are actually one thing. Perhaps the flaw inman isexactlythis:thathedoesnâtknowhowheoughttolive.ââYes,thereâssomethingtothat.â
6
âWe now have in place all the major elements of yourcultureâs explanation ofhow things came to be thisway. Theworldwasgiven to man to turn into a paradise, but heâs always screwed it up,becauseheâs fundamentally flawed.Hemight be able to do somethingaboutthisifheknewhowheoughttolive,buthedoesnâtâandheneverwill,becausenoknowledgeabout that isobtainable.So,howeverhardmanmight labor to turn theworld into a paradise, heâs probably justgoingtogoonscrewingitup.ââYes,thatâsthewayitseems.ââItâsasorrystoryyouhavethere,astoryofhopelessnessandfutility,a
storyinwhichthereisliterallynothingtobedone.Manisflawed,sohekeepsonscrewingupwhatshouldbeparadise,andthereâsnothingyoucandoabout it.Youdonâtknowhowto live soas to stop screwingupparadise,and thereâsnothingyoucandoabout that.So thereyouare,rushing headlong toward catastrophe, and all you can do is watch itcome.ââYes,thatâsthewayitseems.ââWith nothing but this wretched story to enact, itâs no wonder so
manyofyouspendyourlivesstonedondrugsorboozeortelevision.Itâsnowondersomanyofyougomadorbecomesuicidal.ââTrue.Butisthereanotherone?ââAnotherwhat?ââAnotherstorytobein.ââYes, there is another story to be in, but the Takers are doing their
levelbesttodestroythatalongwitheverythingelse.â
7
âHave you done much sightseeing in your travels?â Iblinkedathimstupidly.âSightseeing?ââHaveyougoneoutofyourwaytohavealookatthelocalsights?ââIguessso.Sometimes.ââIâm sure youâve noticed that only tourists really look at local
landmarks. For all practical purposes, these landmarks are invisible tothenatives,simplybecausetheyârealwaysthereinplainsight.ââYes,thatâsso.ââThis is what weâve been doing in our journey so far. Weâve been
wanderingaroundyourculturalhomelandlookingatthelandmarksthenatives never see. A visitor from another planet would find themremarkable, even extraordinary, but the natives of your culture takethemforgrantedanddonâtevennoticethem.ââThatâsright.Youâvehadtoclampmyheadbetweenyourhandsand
pointitinonedirectionandsay, âDonâtyouseethat?âAndIâdsay, âSeewhat?Thereâsnothingtheretosee.âââWeâve spent a lot of today looking at one of yourmost impressive
monumentsâanaxiomstatingthatthereisnowaytoobtainanycertainknowledge about howpeople ought to live.Mother Culture offers thisfor acceptance on its ownmerits, without proof, since it is inherentlyunprovable.ââTrue.ââAndtheconclusionyoudrawfromthisaxiomisâŠ?ââThereforethereâsnopointinlookingforsuchknowledge.ââThatâs right. According to your maps, the world of thought is
coterminouswithyourculture.Itendsattheborderofyourculture,andif you venture beyond that border, you simply fall off the edge of theworld.DoyouseewhatImean?ââIthinkso.â
âTomorrowweâllscrewupourcourageandcrossthatborder.Andasyouâll see, we will not fall off the edge of the world. Weâll just findourselvesinnewterritory,interritoryneverexploredbyanyoneinyourculture,becauseyourmapssayitisnâtthereâandindeedcanâtbethere.â
SIX
1
âAndhowareyoufeelingtoday?âIshmaelasked.âPalmssweating?Heartgoingpit-a-pat?âIgazedathimthoughtfully throughtheglass thatseparatedus.This
twinkle-eyedplayfulnesswassomethingnew,andIwasnâtsureIlikedit.Iwastemptedtoremindhimthathewasagorilla,forGodâssake,butIhelditinandmuttered:âRelativelycalm,sofar.ââGood.Like theSecondMurderer,youareonewhomthevileblows
andbuffetsoftheworldhavesoincensâdthatyouarerecklesswhatyoudotospitetheworld.ââAbsolutely.ââThen letâsbegin.Weconfront awall at theboundaryof thought in
your culture. Yesterday I called it a monument, but I suppose thereâsnothingtopreventawallfrombeingamonumentaswell.Inanycase,thiswall isanaxiomstating thatcertainknowledgeabouthowpeopleshouldliveisunobtainable.Irejectthisaxiomandclimboverthewall.We donât need prophets to tell us how to live; we can find out forourselvesbyconsultingwhatâsactually there.âTherewasnothingtosaytothat,soIjustshrugged.âYouâreskeptical,ofcourse.AccordingtotheTakers,allsortsofuseful
informationcanbefoundintheuniverse,butnoneofitpertainstohowpeopleshouldlive.Bystudyingtheuniverse,youâvelearnedhowtofly,splitatoms,sendmessagestothestarsatthespeedoflight,andsoon,butthereâsnowayofstudyingtheuniversetoacquirethemostbasicandneedfulknowledgeofall:theknowledgeofhowyououghttolive.ââThatâsright.ââAcenturyago thewould-beaeronautsof theworldwere inexactly
thesameconditionwithregardtolearninghowtofly.Doyouseewhy?ââNo.Idonâtseewhataeronautshavetodowithit.ââItwasfarfromcertainthattheknowledgethesewould-beaeronauts
werelookingforexistedatall.Somesaiditwasnâtouttheretobefound,
sotherewasnopointinlookingforit.Doyouseethesimilaritynow?ââYes,Isuppose.ââThereâsmore to the similarity than that, however. At that point intime,therewasnâtasinglepieceofknowledgeaboutflyingthatcouldbeconsideredcertain.Everyonehadhisown theory.Onewould say, âTheonlyway to achieve flight is to imitate the bird; youâve got to have apair of flapping wings.â Another would say, âOne pair isnât enough,youâve got to have two.â And another would say, âNonsense. Paperairplanesflywithoutflappingwings;youneedapairofrigidwingsandapowerplanttopushyouthroughtheair.âAndsoon.Theycouldarguetheirpetnotions to theirheartsâ content,because therewasnâta singlethingthatwascertain.Alltheycoulddowasproceedbytrialanderror.ââUhhuh.ââWhatwouldhaveenabledthemtoproceedinamoreefficientway?ââWell,asyousay,obviouslysomeknowledge.ââButwhatknowledgeinparticular?ââLordâŠTheyneeded to knowhow toproduce lift. Theyneeded toknowthatairflowingoveranairfoilâŠââWhatisityouâretryingtodescribe?ââIâmtryingtodescribewhathappenswhenairflowsoveranairfoil.ââYoumeanwhatalwayshappenswhenairflowsoveranairfoil?ââThatâsright.ââWhatâsthatcalled?Astatementthatdescribeswhatalwayshappenswhencertainconditionsaremet.ââAlaw.ââOf course. The early aeronauts had to proceed by trial and error,because theydidnâtknowthe lawsofaerodynamicsâdidnâtevenknowtherewerelaws.ââOkay,Iseewhatyouâregettingatnow.ââThepeopleofyourcultureareinthesameconditionwhenitcomesto learninghow theyought to live.Theyhave toproceedby trial anderror,becausetheydonâtknowtherelevantlawsâanddonâtevenknowthattherearelaws.â
âAndIagreewiththem,âIsaid.âYouârecertainthatnolawscanbediscoveredconcerninghowpeopleoughttolive.ââThatâsright.Obviouslytherearemade-uplaws,likethelawsagainstdruguse,butthesecanbechangedbyavote.Youcanâtchangethelawsofaerodynamicsbyavoteâandthereareno laws like thatabouthowpeopleshouldlive.ââI understand. ThatâswhatMother Culture teaches, and in this caseyou agree with her. Thatâs fine. But at last you have a clearunderstandingofwhatIâmattemptinghere:toshowyoualawthatyouwillagreeisnotsubjecttochangebyanyvote.ââOkay.Mymind is open, but I canât imagine anyway in theworldyouâregoingtoaccomplishthat.â
2
âWhatâs the law of gravity?â Ishmael asked, once againstartlingmewithanapparentchangeofsubject.âThelawofgravity?Well,thelawofgravityisâŠeveryparticleinthe
universe is attracted to every other particle, and this attraction varieswiththedistancebetweenthem.ââAndthatexpressionofthelawwasreadwhere?ââWhatdoyoumean?ââItwasderivedbylookingatwhat?ââWellâŠatmatter,Isuppose.Thebehaviorofmatter.ââItwasnâtderivedbyaclosestudyofthehabitsofbees.ââNo.ââIf youwant to understand the habits of bees, you study bees, you
donâtstudymountain-building.ââThatâsright.ââAndifyouhadthestrangenotionthat theremightbeasetof laws
abouthowtolive,wherewouldyoulookforit?ââIdonâtknow.ââWouldyoulookintotheheavens?ââNo.ââWouldyoudelveintotherealmofsubatomicparticles?ââNo.ââWouldyoustudythepropertiesofwood?ââNo.ââTakeawildguess.ââAnthropology?ââAnthropology is a field of study, like physics.DidNewton discover
thelawofgravitybyreadingabookonphysics?Isthatwherethelawwaswritten?â
âNo.ââWherewasitwritten?ââInmatter.Intheuniverseofmatter.ââSo, again: If there is a lawpertaining to life,wherewillwe find itwritten?ââIsupposeinhumanbehavior.ââIhaveamazingnews for you.Man isnot alone on this planet.He ispartofacommunity,uponwhichhedependsabsolutely.Haveyoueverhadanysuspicionstothateffect?âItwasthefirsttimeIâdseenhimraiseasingleeyebrow.âYoudonâthavetobesarcastic,âItoldhim.âWhatâs the name of this community, of which man is only onemember?ââThecommunityoflife.ââBravo.Doesitseematallplausibletoyouthatthelawweârelookingforcouldbewritteninthiscommunity?ââIdonâtknow.ââWhatdoesMotherCulturesay?âIclosedmyeyesandlistenedforawhile.âMotherCulturesaysthatifthereweresuchalawitwouldnâtapplytous.ââWhynot?ââBecauseweâresofarabovealltherestofthatcommunity.ââI see. And can you think of any other laws from which you areexemptbecauseyouârehumans?ââWhatdoyoumean?ââImeanthatcowsandcockroachesaresubjecttothelawofgravity.Areyouexempt?ââNo.ââAreyouexemptfromthelawsofaerodynamics?ââNo.ââGenetics?â
âNo.ââThermodynamics?ââNo.ââCanyouthinkofanylawsatallfromwhichhumansareexempt?ââNotoffhand.ââLetmeknowifyoudo.Thatwillberealnews.ââOkay.ââBut meanwhile, if there does happen to be a law that governsbehaviorinthecommunityoflifeingeneral,humanswouldbeexemptfromit.ââWell,thatâswhatMotherCulturesays.ââAndwhatdoyousay?ââIdonâtknow.Idonâtseehowalawforturtlesandbutterfliescouldbeofmuchrelevancetous. Iassumethatturtlesandbutterfliesfollowthelawyouâretalkingabout.ââThatâs right, they do. As to relevance, the laws of aerodynamicswerenâtalwaysrelevanttoyou,werethey?ââNo.ââWhendidtheybecomerelevant?ââWellâŠwhenwewantedtofly.ââWhenyouwanttofly,thelawsgoverningflightbecomerelevant.ââYes,thatâsright.ââAndwhen youâre on the brink of extinction andwant to live for awhile longer, the laws governing life might conceivably becomerelevant.ââYes,Isupposetheymight.â
3
âWhatâs the effect of the law of gravity?Whatâs gravitygoodfor?ââIâdsaythatgravityiswhatorganizesthingsonthemacroscopiclevel.
Itâs what keeps things togetherâthe solar system, the galaxy, theuniverse.âIshmaelnodded.âAndthelawweârelookingforisthelawthatkeeps
thelivingcommunitytogether.Itorganizesthingsonthebiologicalleveljust the way the law of gravity organizes things on the macroscopiclevel.ââOkay.âIguessIshmaelcouldsenseIhadsomethingelseonmymind,
because he waited for me to go on. âItâs hard to believe our ownbiologistsarenâtawareofthislaw.âLinesofamusedastonishmentcrinkledtheblue-grayskinofhisface.
âDoyouimaginethatMotherCulturedoesnâttalktoyourbiologists?ââNo.ââThenwhatdoesshetellthem?ââThatifthereissuchalawitdoesnâtapplytous.ââOf course. But that doesnât really answer your question. Your
biologistswouldcertainlynotbeastoundedtohearthatbehaviorinthenaturalcommunityfollowscertainpatterns.YouhavetorememberthatwhenNewtonarticulatedthelawofgravity,noonewasastounded.Itâsnot a superhuman achievement to notice that unsupported objects falltowardthecenteroftheearth.Everyonepasttheageoftwoknowsthat.Newtonâsachievementwasnotindiscoveringthephenomenonofgravity,itwasinformulatingthephenomenonasalaw.ââYes,Iseewhatyoumean.ââIn the same way, nothing you discover here about life in the
communityoflifeisgoingtoastoundanyone,certainlynotnaturalistsorbiologists or animal behaviorists. My achievement, if I succeed, willsimplybeinformulatingitasalaw.â
âOkay.Gotit.â
4
âWouldyousaythatthelawofgravityisaboutflight?âIthoughtaboutthatforawhileandsaid,âItisnâtaboutflight,butitâs
certainlyrelevanttoflight,inasmuchasitappliestoaircraftinthesameway it applies to rocks. It makes no distinction between aircraft androcks.ââYes.Thatâswellsaid.Thelawweârelookingforhereismuchlikethat
withrespecttocivilizations.Itâsnotaboutcivilizations,butitappliestocivilizationsinthesamewaythatitappliestoflocksofbirdsandherdsof deer. It makes no distinction between human civilizations andbeehives.Itappliestoallspecieswithoutdistinction.Thisisonereasonwhy the lawhas remained undiscovered in your culture.According toTakermythology,manisbydefinitionabiologicalexception.Outofallthe millions of species, only one is an end product. The world wasnâtmade to produce frogs or katydids or sharks or grasshoppers. It wasmadetoproduceman.Manthereforestandsalone,uniqueandinfinitelyapartfromalltherest.ââTrue.â
5
Ishmael spent the next few minutes staring at a pointabouttwentyinchesinfrontofhisnose,andIbegantowonderifheâdforgottenIwasthere.Thenheshookhisheadandcameto.Forthefirsttimeinouracquaintance,hedeliveredsomethinglikeaminilecture.âThegodshaveplayedthreedirtytricksontheTakers,âhebegan.âIn
the first place, they didnât put theworldwhere the Takers thought itbelonged, in thecenterof theuniverse.Theyreallyhatedhearing this,but they got used to it. Even if manâs home was stuck off in theboondocks, they could still believe he was the central figure in thedramaofcreation.âThesecondofthegodsâtrickswasworse.Sincemanwastheclimax
of creation, the creature forwhomall the restwasmade, they shouldhavehadthedecencytoproducehiminamannersuitedtohisdignityand importanceâin a separate, special act of creation. Instead theyarranged forhim toevolve fromthecommonslime, just like ticksandliver flukes.TheTakersreallyhatedhearingthis,but theyârebeginningtoadjusttoit.Evenifmanevolvedfromthecommonslime,itâsstillhisdivinely appointed destiny to rule the world and perhaps even theuniverseitself.âButthelastofthegodsâtrickswastheworstofall.ThoughtheTakers
donât know it yet, the gods did not exempt man from the law thatgoverns the lives of grubs and ticks and shrimps and rabbits andmollusksanddeerandlionsandjellyfish.Theydidnotexempthimfromthislawanymorethantheyexemptedhimfromthelawofgravity,andthis isgoing tobe thebitterestblowofall to theTakers.To thegodsâother dirty tricks, they could adjust. To this one, no adjustment ispossible.âHesatthereforawhile,ahillsideoffurandflesh,Iguesslettingthis
pronouncement sink in. Thenhewent on. âEvery lawhas effects or itwouldnâtbediscoverableasalaw.Theeffectsofthelawweârelookingfor are very simple. Species that live in compliancewith the law liveforeverâenvironmental conditions permitting. This will, I hope, be
takenasgoodnewsformankindingeneral,becauseifmankindlivesincompliancewiththislaw,thenittoowillliveforeverâorforaslongasconditionspermit.âButofcoursethisisnâtthelawâsonlyeffect.Thosespeciesthatdonotliveincompliancewiththelawbecomeextinct.Inthescaleofbiologicaltime,theybecomeextinctveryrapidly.Andthisisgoingtobeverybadnewsforthepeopleofyourcultureâtheworsttheyâveeverheard.ââIhope,âIsaid,âthatyoudonâtthinkanyofthisisshowingmewheretolookforthislaw.âIshmaelthoughtforamoment,thentookabranchfromthepileathisright, held it up forme to see, then let it fall to the floor. âThatâs theeffect Newton was trying to explain.â He waved a hand toward theworldoutside.âThatâstheeffectIâmtryingtoexplain.Lookingoutthere,you see a world full of species that, environmental conditionspermitting,aregoingtogoonlivingindefinitely.ââYes,thatâswhatIassume.Butwhydoesitneedexplaining?âIshmaelselectedanotherbranchfromhispile,helditup,andletitfalltothefloor.âWhydoesthatneedexplaining?ââOkay.Soyouâresayingthisphenomenonisnottheresultofnothing.Itâstheeffectofalaw.Alawisinoperation.ââExactly. A law is in operation, andmy task is to show you how itoperates.Atthispoint,theeasiestwaytoshowyouhowitoperatesisbyanalogywithlawsyoualreadyknowâthelawofgravityandthelawsofaerodynamics.ââOkay.â
6
âYou know that, as we sit here, we are in no sensedefyingthelawofgravity.Unsupportedobjectsfalltowardthecenteroftheearth,andthesurfacesonwhichweâresittingareoursupports.ââRight.ââThelawsofaerodynamicsdonâtprovideuswithawayofdefyingthe
law of gravity. Iâm sure you understand that. They simply provide uswithawayofusingtheairasasupport.Amansittinginanairplaneissubjecttothelawofgravityinexactlythewayweâresubjecttoitsittinghere. Nevertheless the man sitting in the plane obviously enjoys afreedomwelack:thefreedomoftheair.ââYes.ââThe law weâre looking for is like the law of gravity: There is no
escapingit,butthereisawayofachievingtheequivalentofflightâtheequivalentoffreedomoftheair.Inotherwords,itispossibletobuildacivilizationthatflies.âIstaredathimforawhile,thenIsaid,âOkay.ââYourememberhowtheTakerswentabouttryingtoachievepowered
flight. They didnât begin with an understanding of the laws ofaerodynamics. They didnât beginwith a theory based on research andcarefullyplannedexperimentation.Theyjustbuiltcontraptions,pushedthemoffthesidesofcliffs,andhopedforthebest.ââTrue.ââAll right. I want to follow one of those early trials in detail. Letâs
suppose that this trial is beingmade in one of thosewonderful pedal-driven contraptions with flapping wings, based on a mistakenunderstandingofavianflight.ââOkay.ââAs the flight begins, all is well. Our would-be airman has been
pushedofftheedgeofthecliffandispedalingaway,andthewingsofhis craft are flapping like crazy. Heâs feeling wonderful, ecstatic. Heâs
experiencingthefreedomoftheair.Whathedoesnâtrealize,however,isthat this craft is aerodynamically incapable of flight. It simply isnât incompliancewiththelawsthatmakeflightpossibleâbuthewouldlaughifyoutoldhimthis.Heâsneverheardofsuchlaws,knowsnothingaboutthem.Hewouldpointatthoseflappingwingsandsay,âSee?Justlikeabird!â Nevertheless, whatever he thinks, heâs not in flight. Heâs anunsupported object falling toward the center of the earth. Heâs not inflight,heâsinfreefall.Areyouwithmesofar?ââYes.ââFortunatelyâor, rather, unfortunately for our airmanâhe chose averyhighclifftolaunchhiscraftfrom.Hisdisillusionmentisalongwayoff in time and space. There he is in free fall, feeling wonderful andcongratulatinghimselfonhistriumph.Heâslikethemaninthejokewhojumpsoutofaninetieth-floorwindowonabet.Ashepasses thetenthfloor,hesaystohimself,âWell,sofarsogood!ââThereheisinfreefall,experiencingtheexhilarationofwhathetakestobeflight.Fromhisgreatheighthecanseeformilesaround,andonethingheseespuzzleshim:Thefloorofthevalleyisdottedwithcraftjustlike hisânot crashed, simply abandoned. âWhy,â he wonders, âarenâtthesecraftintheairinsteadofsittingontheground?Whatsortoffoolswouldabandontheiraircraftwhentheycouldbeenjoyingthefreedomof theair?âAhwell, thebehavioralquirksof less talented, earthboundmortalsarenoneofhisconcern.However,lookingdownintothevalleyhas brought something else to his attention. He doesnât seem to bemaintaininghisaltitude.Infact,theearthseemstoberisinguptowardhim.Well,heâsnotveryworriedaboutthat.Afterall,hisflighthasbeenacompletesuccessuptonow,andthereâsnoreasonwhyitshouldnâtgoonbeingasuccess.Hejusthastopedalalittleharder,thatâsall.âSo far so good. He thinkswith amusement of thosewho predictedthathisflightwouldendindisaster,brokenbones,anddeath.Hereheis,heâscomeallthisway,andhehasnâtevengottenabruise,muchlessabrokenbone.But thenhe looksdownagain,andwhatheseesreallydisturbs him. The law of gravity is catching up to him at the rate ofthirty-two feet per second per secondâat an accelerating rate. Theground is now rushing up toward him in an alarming way. Heâsdisturbed but far from desperate. âMy craft has broughtme this far in
safety,â he tells himself. âI just have to keep going.â And so he startspedalingwith all hismight.Whichof coursedoeshimnogood at all,becausehiscraft simply isnât inaccordwith the lawsofaerodynamics.Evenifhehadthepowerofathousandmeninhislegsâtenthousand,amillionâthatcraftisnotgoingtoachieveflight.Thatcraftisdoomedâandsoisheunlessheabandonsit.ââRight. I seewhatyouâre saying,but Idonât see theconnectionwithwhatweâretalkingabouthere.âIshmaelnodded.âHereistheconnection.Tenthousandyearsago,thepeople of your culture embarked on a similar flight: a civilizationalflight. Their craftwasnât designed according to any theory at all. Likeourimaginaryairman,theyweretotallyunawarethatthereisalawthatmust be complied with in order to achieve civilizational flight. Theydidnâtevenwonderaboutit.Theywantedthefreedomoftheair,andsothey pushed off in the first contraption that came to hand: the TakerThunderbolt.âAtfirstallwaswell.Infact,allwasterrific.TheTakerswerepedalingaway and thewings of their craftwere flapping beautifully. They feltwonderful,exhilarated.Theywereexperiencingthe freedomof theair:freedom from restraints that bind and limit the rest of the biologicalcommunity. And with that freedom camemarvelsâall the things youmentioned the other day: urbanization, technology, literacy,mathematics,science.âTheirflightcouldneverend,itcouldonlygoonbecomingmoreandmoreexciting.Theycouldnâtknow,couldnâtevenhaveguessedthat,likeourhaplessairman,theywereintheairbutnotinflight.Theywereinfreefall,becausetheircraftwassimplynotincompliancewiththelawthatmakes flight possible. But their disillusionment is far away in thefuture,andsotheyârepedalingawayandhavingawonderfultime.Likeourairman,theyseestrangesights inthecourseof their fall.Theyseethe remains of craft very like their ownânot destroyed, merelyabandonedâby the Maya, by the Hohokam, by the Anasazi, by thepeoplesoftheHopewellcult,tomentiononlyafewofthosefoundherein theNewWorld. âWhy,â theywonder, âare these craft on the groundinstead of in the air?Whywould any people prefer to be earthboundwhen they could have the freedom of the air, as we do?â Itâs beyond
comprehension,anunfathomablemystery.âAh well, the vagaries of such foolish people are nothing to the
Takers.Theyârepedalingawayandhavingawonderfultime.Theyârenotgoingtoabandon theircraft.Theyâregoingtoenjoythefreedomoftheairforever.Butalas,alawiscatchinguptothem.Theydonâtknowsuchalawevenexists,butthisignoranceaffordsthemnoprotectionfromitseffects. This is a law as unforgiving as the law of gravity, and itâscatchinguptotheminexactlythesamewaythelawofgravitycaughtuptoourairman:atanacceleratingrate.âSome gloomy nineteenth-century thinkers, like RobertWallace and
ThomasRobertMalthus,lookdown.Athousandyearsbefore,evenfivehundred years before, theywould probably have noticed nothing. Butnowwhattheyseealarmsthem.Itâsasthoughthegroundisrushinguptomeetthemâasthoughtheyaregoingtocrash.Theydosomefiguringandsay, âIfwegoon thisway,weâregoing tobe inbig trouble in thenot-too-distant future.â The other Takers shrug their predictions off.âWeâvecomeallthisenormouswayandhavenâtevenreceivedsomuchasascratch. Itâs true thegroundseemstoberisinguptomeetus,butthat just means weâll have to pedal a little harder. Not to worry.âNevertheless, just as was predicted, famine soon becomes a routineconditionoflifeinmanypartsoftheTakerThunderboltâandtheTakershave topedal evenharder andmore efficiently thanbefore.Butoddlyenough,theharderandmoreefficientlytheypedal,theworseconditionsbecome. Very strange. Peter Farb calls it a paradox: âIntensification ofproduction to feed an increased population leads to a still greaterincreaseinpopulation.ââNevermind,âtheTakerssaid.âWeâlljusthavetoput some people pedaling away on a reliablemethod of birth control.ThentheTakerThunderboltwillflyforever.ââButsuchsimpleanswersarenâtenoughtoreassurethepeopleofyour
culturenowadays.Everyone is lookingdown, and itâs obvious that theground is rushing up toward youâand rushing up faster every year.BasicecologicalandplanetarysystemsarebeingimpactedbytheTakerThunderbolt, and that impact increases in intensity every year. Basic,irreplaceable resources are being devoured every yearâand theyârebeing devoured more greedily every year. Whole species aredisappearingasaresultofyourencroachmentâandtheyâredisappearing
in greater numbers every year. Pessimistsâor it may be that theyârerealistsâlookdownandsay,âWell,thecrashmaybetwentyyearsofformaybe as much as fifty years off. Actually it could happen anytime.Thereâsnowaytobesure.âButofcoursethereareoptimistsaswell,whosay,âWemusthavefaithinourcraft.Afterall,ithasbroughtusthisfarin safety.Whatâs ahead isnât doom, itâs just a little hump thatwe canclearifwealljustpedalalittleharder.Thenweâllsoarintoaglorious,endless future,andtheTakerThunderboltwill takeus to thestarsandweâllconquertheuniverseitself.âButyourcraftisnâtgoingtosaveyou.Quitethecontrary,itâsyourcraftthatâscarryingyoutowardcatastrophe.Fivebillionofyoupedalingawayâortenbillionortwentybillionâcanâtmakeitfly.Itâsbeeninfreefallfromthebeginning,andthatfallisabouttoend.âAtlastIhadsomethingofmyowntoaddtothis.âTheworstpartofitisthis,âIsaid,âthatthesurvivors,ifthereareany,willimmediatelysetaboutdoingitalloveragain,exactlythesameway.ââYes, Iâmafraidyouâreright.Trialanderror isnâtabadwayto learnhowtobuildanaircraft,butitcanbeadisastrouswaytolearnhowtobuildacivilization.â
SEVEN
1
âHereisapuzzleforyoutoconsider,âsaidIshmael.âYouareinafarawaylandandfindyourselfinastrangecityisolatedfromallothers. Youâre immediately impressed by the people you find there.Theyârefriendly,cheerful,healthy,prosperous,vigorous,peaceable,andwelleducated,andtheytellyouthingshavebeenthiswayforaslongasanyonecanremember.Well,youâregladtobreakyourjourneyhere,andonefamilyinvitesyoutostaywiththem.âThatnightyousample their foodatdinnerand, finding itdelicious
but unfamiliar, ask them what it is, and they say, âOh, itâs? meat, ofcourse.Thatâsallweeat.âThisnaturallypuzzlesyouandyouaskiftheymean themeat of the little insects that gather honey. They laugh andtakeyoutothewindow.âTherearesomeBâsthere,âtheysay,pointingtotheirneighborsinthenexthouse.ââGood lord!â you exclaim in horror, âyou donât mean that you eat
people!âAndtheylookatyouinapuzzledwayandsay,âWeeatBâs.âââHowatrocious,âyoureply.âAretheyyourslavesthen?Doyoukeep
thempennedup?âââWhyonearthshouldwekeepthempennedup?âyourhostsask.ââTokeepthemfromrunningaway,ofcourse!ââBynowyourhostsarebeginningtothinkyouârealittleweakinthe
head,andtheyexplainthattheBâswouldneverthinkofrunningaway,becausetheirownfood,theAâs,liverightacrossthestreet.âWell, I wonât weary you with all your outraged exclamations and
their baffled explanations. Eventually you piece together the wholeghastlyscheme.TheAâsareeatenbytheBâsandtheBâsareeatenbytheCâsandtheCâsinturnareeatenbytheAâs.Thereisnohierarchyamongthesefoodclasses.TheCâsdonâtlorditovertheBâsjustbecausetheBâsaretheirfood,becauseafteralltheythemselvesarethefoodoftheAâs.Itâsallperfectlydemocraticandfriendly.Butofcourse itâsallperfectlydreadful to you, and you ask themhow they can stand to live in thislawlessway.Onceagain they lookatyou inbafflement. âWhatdoyou
mean,lawless?âtheyask.âWehavealaw,andweallfollowitinvariably.This is why weâre friendly and cheerful and peaceable and all thoseother thingsyou find soattractive inus.This law is the foundationofoursuccessasapeopleandhasbeensofromthebeginning.ââHereatlastisthepuzzle.Withoutaskingthem,howcanyoudiscoverwhatlawitistheyfollow?âIblinkedathimforamoment.âIcanâtimagine.ââThinkaboutit.ââWellâŠobviouslytheirlawisthatAâseatCâsandBâseatAâsandCâseatBâs.âIshmael shook his head. âThese are food preferences. No law isrequired.ââI need something more to go on then. All Iâve got is their foodpreferences.ââYouhavethreeotherthingstogoon.Theyhavealaw,theyfollowitinvariably, and because they follow it invariably, they have a highlysuccessfulsociety.ââItâsstillverytenuous.UnlessitâssomethinglikeâŠâBecool.âââIâmnotaskingyoutoguesswhatthelawis.Iâmaskingyoutodeviseamethodfordiscoveringwhatthelawis.âIsliddowninmychair,foldedmyhandsonmystomach,andstaredattheceiling.AfterafewminutesIhadanidea.âIsthereapenaltyforbreakingthislaw?ââDeath.ââThenIâdwaitforanexecution.âIshmael smiled. âIngenious, but hardly a method. Besides, youâreoverlookingthefactthatthelawisobeyedinvariably.Therehasneverbeenanexecution.âIsighedandclosedmyeyes.AfewminuteslaterIsaid:âObservation.Carefulobservationoveralongperiod.ââThatâsmorelikeit.Whatwouldyoubelookingfor?ââForwhattheydidnâtdo.Forwhattheyneverdid.â
âGood.Buthowwouldyoueliminateirrelevancies?Forexample,youmight find that they never slept standing on their heads or that theynever threw rocks at themoon. Therewould be amillion things theyneverdid,butthesewouldnâtnecessarilybeprohibitedbythelaw.ââTrue.Well,letâssee.Theyhavealaw,theyfollowitinvariably,andaccording to them ⊠ah. According to them, following this law hasgiven themasociety thatworksverywell.AmI supposed to take thatseriously?ââCertainly.Itâspartofthehypothesis.ââThen this would eliminate most of the irrelevancies. The fact thattheyneversleepstandingontheirheadswouldnâthaveanything todowith having a society that works well. Letâs see. In effect ⊠What IwouldactuallybelookingforisâŠIwouldbeclosinginonitfromtwosides. From one side I would be saying: âWhat is it that makes thissocietywork?â And from the other side Iwould be saying: âWhat is ittheydonâtdothatmakesthissocietywork?âââBravo.Now,sinceyouâveworkedthisoutsobrilliantly,Iâmgoingtogiveyouabreak:Thereâsgoingtobeanexecutionafterall.Forthefirsttime in history, someone has broken the law that is the foundation oftheir society. Theyâre outraged, horrified, astounded. They take theoffender,cuthimintolittlebits,andfeedhimtothedogs.Thisshouldbeabighelptoyouindiscoveringtheirlaw.ââYes.ââIâlltakethepartofyourhost.Weâvejustbeentotheexecution.Youmayaskquestions.ââOkay.Justwhatdidthisguydo?ââHebrokethelaw.ââYes,butspecificallywhatdidhedo?âIshmaelshrugged.âHelivedcontrarytothelaw.Hedidthethingsweneverdo.âIglaredathim.âThatâsnotfair.Youârenotansweringmyquestions.ââItellyouthewholesorrytaleispublicrecord,youngman.Hisbiography,completeineverydetail,isavailableatthelibrary.â
Igrunted.âSohowareyougoing touse thisbiography? Itdoesnât sayhowhe
brokethelaw.Itâsjustacompleterecordofhowhelived,andmuchofitisboundtobeirrelevant.ââOkay,butIcanseethatitgivesmeanotherguide.Inowhavethree:
whatmakes their societyworkwell,what theyneverdo, andwhathedidthattheyneverdo.â
2
âVerygood.Thesearepreciselythethreeguidesyouhavetothelawweârelookingforhere.Thecommunityoflifeonthisplanethasworkedwellforthreebillionyearsâhasworkedbeautifully,infact.TheTakersdrawbackinhorrorfromthiscommunity,thinkingittobeaplaceof lawless chaos and savage, relentless competition,where everycreaturegoesinterrorofitslife.Butthoseofyourspecieswhoactuallylive inthiscommunitydonât findit tobeso,andtheywill fight tothedeathratherthanbeseparatedfromit.âItisinfactanorderlycommunity.Thegreenplantsarefoodforthe
plant eaters, which are food for the predators, and some of thesepredatorsarefoodforstillotherpredators.Andwhatâsleftoverisfoodfor the scavengers, who return to the earth nutrients needed by thegreenplants.Itâsasystemthathasworkedmagnificentlyforbillionsofyears. Filmmakers understandably love footage of gore and battle, butanynaturalistwilltellyouthatthespeciesarenotinanysenseatwarwithoneanother.Thegazelleandthelionareenemiesonlyinthemindsof the Takers. The lion that comes across a herd of gazelles doesnâtmassacrethem,asanenemywould.Itkillsone,nottosatisfyitshatredof gazelles but to satisfy its hunger, and once it hasmade its kill thegazellesareperfectlycontenttogoongrazingwiththelionrightintheirmidst.âAllthiscomesaboutbecausethereisalawthatisfollowedinvariably
within the community, and without this law the community wouldindeedbe inchaosandwouldveryquicklydisintegrateanddisappear.Manoweshisveryexistencetothislaw.Ifthespeciesaroundhimhadnotobeyedit,hecouldnothavecomeintobeingorsurvived.Itâsalawthatprotectsnotonlythecommunityasawholebutspecieswithinthecommunityandevenindividuals.Doyouunderstand?ââIunderstandwhatyouâresaying,butIhavenoideawhatthelawis.ââIâmpointingtoitseffects.ââOh.Okay.â
âIt is thepeace-keepinglaw,the lawthatkeepsthecommunityfromturningintothehowlingchaostheTakersimagineittobe.Itâsthelawthatfosterslifeforallâlifeforthegrasses,lifeforthegrasshopperthatfeedsonthegrasses,lifeforthequailthatfeedsonthegrasshopper,lifefor the fox that feeds on the quail, life for the crows that feed on thedeadfox.âTheclub-finnedfishthatnosedtheshoresofthecontinentscameintobeing because hundreds ofmillions of generations of life before themhadfollowedthislaw,andsomeofthembecameamphibiansfollowingthislaw.Andsomeoftheamphibiansbecamereptilesfollowingthislaw.Andsomeofthereptilesbecamebirdsandmammalsfollowingthislaw.Andsomeofthemammalsbecameprimatesfollowingthislaw.Andonebranchof theprimatesbecameAustralopithecus followingthis law.AndAustralopithecus became Homo habilis following this law. And Homohabilis became Homo erectus following this law. And Homo erectusbecame Homo sapiens following this law. And Homo sapiens becameHomosapienssapiensfollowingthislaw.âAndthenabouttenthousandyearsagoonebranchof thefamilyofHomosapienssapienssaid,âManisexemptfromthislaw.Thegodsnevermeantmantobeboundbyit.âAndsotheybuiltacivilizationthatfloutsthelawateverypoint,andwithinfivehundredgenerationsâinaneye-blinkinthescaleofbiologicaltimeâthisbranchofthefamilyofHomosapienssapienssawthattheyhadbroughttheentireworldtothepointofdeath.AndtheirexplanationforthiscalamitywasâŠwhat?ââHuh?ââManlivedharmlesslyonthisplanetforsomethreemillionyears,buttheTakershavebroughtthewholethingtothepointofcollapseinonlyfivehundredgenerations.Andtheirexplanationforthisiswhat?ââI see what you mean. Their explanation is that something isfundamentallywrongwithpeople.ââNotthatyouTakersmaybedoingsomethingwrongbutratherthatthereissomethingfundamentallywrongwithhumannatureitself.ââThatâsright.ââHowdoyoulikethatexplanationnow?â
âIâmbeginningtohavemydoubtsaboutit.ââGood.â
3
âAt the time when the Takers blundered into the NewWorld and began kicking everything to pieces, the Leavers here weresearching for an answer to this question: âIs there a way to achievesettlementthatisinaccordwiththelawthatweâvebeenfollowingfromthe beginning of time?â I donât mean, of course, that they hadconsciously formulated this question. They were no more consciouslyawareofthislawthantheearlyaeronautswereconsciouslyawareofthelaws of aerodynamics. But they were struggling with it all the same:building and abandoning one civilizational contraption after another,trying to find one that would fly. Done this way, itâs slow work.Proceedingsimplybytrialanderror,itmighthavetakenthemanotherten thousand yearsâor another fifty thousand years. They apparentlyhadthewisdomtoknowtherewasnohurry.Theydidnâthavetogetintothe air. It made no sense to them to commit themselves to onecivilizational craft that was clearly headed for disaster, the way theTakershavedone.âIshmaelstoppedthere,andwhenhedidnâtgoon,Isaid,âWhatnow?âHischeekscrinkledinasmile.âNowyouleaveandcomebackwhen
youârepreparedtotellmewhatlaworsetoflawshasbeenatworkinthecommunityoflifefromthebeginning.ââIâmnotsureIâmreadyforthat.ââThatâswhatweâvebeendoinghereforthelasthalfweek,ifnotfrom
theverybeginning:gettingyouready.ââButIwouldnâtknowwheretobegin.ââYoudoknow.Youhavethesamethreeguidesas inthecaseof the
Aâs, the Bâs, and the Câs. The law youâre looking for has been obeyedinvariablyinthelivingcommunityforthreebillionyears.âHenoddedtotheworldoutside.âAndthisishowthingscametobethisway.Ifthislawhad not been obeyed from the beginning and in each generationthereafter,theseaswouldbelifelessdesertsandthelandwouldstillbedust blowing in thewind. All the countless forms of life that you see
herecameintobeingfollowingthislaw,andfollowingthislaw,mantoocameintobeing.Andonlyonceinallthehistoryofthisplanethasanyspecies tried to live in defiance of this lawâand it wasnât an entirespecies,itwasonlyonepeople,thoseIâvenamedTakers.Tenthousandyears ago, this one people said, âNo more. Man was not meant to beboundbythislaw,âandtheybegantoliveinawaythatfloutsthelawatevery point. Every single thing that is prohibited under the law theyincorporated into their civilization as a fundamental policy. And now,after five hundred generations, they are about to pay the penalty thatanyotherspecieswouldpayforlivingcontrarytothislaw.âIshmaelturnedoverahand.âThatshouldbeguideenoughforyou.â
4
Thedoorclosedbehindme,andthereIwas.IcouldnâtgobackinandIdidnâtwanttogohome,soIjuststoodthere.Mymindwasablank.Ifeltdepressed.Onnorationalgrounds,Ievenmanagedtofeelrejected.Things were piling up at home. I was falling behind in my work,
missing deadlines. In addition, I nowhad an assignment from Ishmaelthatdidnotfillmewithenthusiasm.Itwastimetobuckledownandgetserious, so Idid something I seldomdo; Iwentoutandhadadrink. Ineededtotalktosomeone,andsolitarydrinkersareluckyinthisregardâtheyalwayshavesomeonetotalkto.So:Whatwasatthebottomofthesemysteriousfeelingsofdepression
andrejection?Andwhyhadtheyemergedonthisonedayinparticular?Theanswer:Onthisonedayinparticular,Ishmaelhadsentmeawaytowork on my own. He might have spared me the investigation I wasabouttoundertake,buthechosenotto.Therefore:rejection,ofasort.Childish, of course, to perceive it thisway, but I never claimed to beperfect.Therewasmoretoitthanthis,however,becauseIstillfeltdepressed.
Asecondbourbonhelpedmetoit:Iwasmakingprogress.Thatâsright.Thiswasthesourceofmyfeelingofdepression.Ishmael had a curriculum. Well, of course, why wouldnât he? Heâd
developedhiscurriculumoveraperiodofyears,workingwithonepupilafter another.Makes sense. Youâve got to have a plan. You start here,move to this point, then to this point, this point, and this point, andthen,voila!Onefinedayyouârefinished.Thanksforyourattention,haveanicelife,andclosethedoorbehindyouwhenyouleave.How far alongwas I, at thispoint?Halfway?A thirdof theway?A
quarter?Whatever,everyadvanceImadetookmeastepclosertobeingoutofIshmaelâslife.Whatâs the best bad word that describes this way of taking the
situation? Selfishness? Possessiveness? Stinginess? Whatever it is, Iâll
owntoitandmakenoexcuses.Ihad to face it: Ididnât justwanta teacherâIwanteda teacher forlife.
EIGHT
1
Thesearchforthelawtookmefourdays.IspentonedaytellingmyselfIcouldnâtdoit,twodaysdoingit,and
one day making sure Iâd done it. On the fifth day I went back. As IwalkedintoIshmaelâsoffice,IwasmentallyrehearsingwhatIwasgoingtosay,whichwas,âIthinkIseewhyyouinsistedIdoitmyself.âIlookedupfrommythoughtsandwasmomentarilydisoriented.Ihad
forgotten what was waiting for me there: the empty room, the lonechair,theslabofglasswithapairofglowingeyesbehindit.Foolishly,Iquaveredahellointotheair.Then Ishmael did something heâd never done before. By way of
greeting,heliftedhisupperliptogivemealookatarowofamberteethasmassiveaselbows.Iscurriedtomychairandwaitedlikeaschoolboyforhisnod.âIthinkIseewhyyouinsistedIdoitmyself,âItoldhim.âIfyouhad
donetheworkformeandpointedoutthethingstheTakersdothatareneverdoneinthenaturalcommunity,Iwouldhavesaid,âWell,sure,sowhat,bigdeal.ââIshmaelgrunted.âOkay.AsImakeitout, therearefourthingstheTakersdothatare
neverdoneintherestofthecommunity,andtheseareallfundamentalto their civilizational system.First, they exterminate their competitors,whichissomethingthatneverhappensinthewild.Inthewild,animalswill defend their territories and their kills and they will invade theircompetitorsâ territories and preempt their kills. Some species evenincludecompetitorsamongtheirprey,buttheyneverhuntcompetitorsdown just tomake them dead, theway ranchers and farmers dowithcoyotesandfoxesandcrows.Whattheyhunt,theyeat.âIshmaelnodded.âItshouldbenoted,however,thatanimalswillalso
kill in self-defense, or even when they merely feel threatened. Forexample,baboonsmayattacka leopard thathasnâtattacked them.Thepointtoseeisthat,althoughbaboonswillgolookingforfood,theywill
nevergolookingforleopards.ââIâmnotsureIseewhatyoumean.ââImeanthatintheabsenceoffood,baboonswillorganizethemselvesto findameal,but in theabsenceof leopards theywillneverorganizethemselves to find a leopard. In other words, itâs as you say: whenanimalsgohuntingâevenextremelyaggressiveanimals likebaboonsâitâstoobtainfood,nottoexterminatecompetitorsorevenanimalsthatpreyonthem.ââYes,Iseewhatyouâregettingatnow.ââAnd how can you be sure this law is invariably followed? Imean,asidefromthefactthatcompetitorsareneverseentobeexterminatingeachother,inwhatyoucallthewild.ââIf itwerenât invariably followed, then,asyousay, thingswouldnothavecometobethisway.Ifcompetitorshuntedeachotherdownjusttomake them dead, then there would be no competitors. There wouldsimplybeonespeciesateachlevelofcompetition:thestrongest.ââGoon.ââNext, the Takers systematically destroy their competitorsâ food tomake room for their own. Nothing like this occurs in the naturalcommunity.The rule there is: Takewhat youneed, and leave the restalone.âIshmaelnodded.âNext, theTakersdeny theircompetitorsaccess to food. In thewild,theruleis:Youmaydenyyourcompetitorsaccesstowhatyouâreeating,butyoumaynotdeny themaccess to food ingeneral. Inotherwords,youcansay,âThisgazelleismine,âbutyoucanâtsay,âAllthegazellesaremine.âTheliondefendsitskillasitsown,butitdoesnâtdefendtheherdasitsown.ââYes,thatâstrue.Butsupposeyouraisedupaherdofyourown,fromscratch,sotospeak.Couldyoudefendthatherdasyourown?ââIdonâtknow.Isupposeso,solongasitwasnâtyourpolicythatalltheherdsintheworldwereyourown.ââAnd what about denying competitors access to what youâregrowing?â
âAgainâŠOurpolicyis:Everysquarefootofthisplanetbelongstous,so if we put it all under cultivation, then all our competitors are justplainoutofluckandwillhavetobecomeextinct.Ourpolicyistodenyourcompetitorsaccesstoall thefoodintheworld,andthatâssomethingnootherspeciesdoes.ââBeeswilldenyyouaccesstowhatâsinsidetheirhiveintheappletree,buttheywonâtdenyyouaccesstotheapples.ââThatâsright.ââGood.AndyousaythereâsafourththingtheTakersdothatisneverdoneinthewild,asyoucallit.ââYes. In thewild, the lionkillsagazelleandeats it. Itdoesnâtkillasecondgazelletosavefortomorrow.Thedeereatsthegrassthatâsthere.It doesnât cut the grassdownand save it for thewinter.But these arethingstheTakersdo.ââYouseemlesscertainaboutthisone.ââYes,Iamlesscertain.Therearespeciesthatstorefood,likebees,butmostdonât.ââIn thiscase,youâvemissed theobvious.Every livingcreature storesfood.Most simply store it in their bodies, theway lions anddeer andpeopledo.Forothers,thiswouldbeinadequatetotheiradaptations,andtheymuststorefoodexternallyaswell.ââYes,Isee.ââThereâs no prohibition against food storage as such. There couldnâtbe,becausethatâswhatmakesthewholesystemwork:thegreenplantsstore food for the plant eaters, the plant eaters store food for thepredators,andsoon.ââTrue.Ihadnâtthoughtofitthatway.ââIsthereanythingelsetheTakersdothatisneverdoneintherestofthecommunityoflife?ââNot that I can see. Not that seems relevant to what makes thatcommunitywork.â
2
âThis law that you have so admirably described definesthelimitsofcompetitioninthecommunityoflife.Youmaycompetetothe full extent of your capabilities, but youmay not hunt down yourcompetitorsordestroytheirfoodordenythemaccesstofood.Inotherwords,youmaycompetebutyoumaynotwagewar.ââYes.Asyousaid,itâsthepeace-keepinglaw.ââAndwhatâstheeffectofthelaw?Whatdoesitpromote?ââWellâŠitpromotesorder.ââYes,butIâmaftersomethingelsenow.Whatwouldhavehappenedif
this law had been repealed ten million years ago? What would thecommunitybelike?ââOnceagain, Iâdhave tosay therewouldonlybeone formof lifeat
eachlevelofcompetition.Ifallthecompetitorsforthegrasseshadbeenwaging war on each other for tenmillion years, Iâd have to think anoverallwinnerwouldhaveemergedbynow.Ormaybe thereâdbeoneinsect winner, one avian winner, one reptile winner, and so on. Thesamewouldbetrueatalllevels.ââSo the law promotes what? Whatâs the difference between this
communityandthecommunityasitis?ââI suppose thecommunity Iâve justdescribedwouldconsistof a few
dozenorafewhundreddifferentspecies.Thecommunityasitisconsistsofmillionsofspecies.ââSothelawpromoteswhat?ââDiversity.ââOfcourse.Andwhatâsthegoodofdiversity?ââIdonâtknow.ItâscertainlymoreâŠinteresting.ââWhatâswrongwithaglobalcommunity thatconsistsofnothingbut
grass, gazelles, and lions? Or a global community that consists ofnothingbutriceandhumans?â
Igazedintospaceforawhile.âIâdhavetothinkthatacommunitylikethatwould be ecologically fragile. Itwould be highly vulnerable. Anychange at all in existing conditions, and the whole thing wouldcollapse.âIshmaelnodded.âDiversityisasurvivalfactorforthecommunityitselfAcommunityofahundredmillionspeciescansurvivealmostanythingshort of total global catastrophe. Within that hundred million will bethousands that could survive a global temperature drop of twentydegreesâwhichwouldbealotmoredevastatingthanitsounds.Withinthat hundred million will be thousands that could survive a globaltemperature rise of twenty degrees. But a community of a hundredspeciesorathousandspecieshasalmostnosurvivalvalueatall.ââTrue. And diversity is exactly whatâs under attack here. Every daydozens of species disappear as a direct result of the way the Takerscompeteoutsidethelaw.ââNowthatyouknowthereâsalawinvolved,doesitmakeadifferenceinthewayyouviewwhatâsgoingon?ââYes. I no longer thinkofwhatweâredoing as ablunder.Weârenotdestroyingtheworldbecauseweâreclumsy.Weâredestroyingtheworldbecauseweare,inaveryliteralanddeliberateway,atwarwithit.â
3
âAs youâve explained, the community of life would bedestroyed if all species exempted themselves from the rules ofcompetitionlaiddownbythis law.Butwhatwouldhappenifonlyonespeciesexempteditself?ââYoumeanotherthanman?ââYes. Of course it would have to possess an almost human cunning
anddetermination.Supposethatyouâreahyena.Whyshouldyousharethe game with those lazy, domineering lions? It happens again andagain:Youkillazebra,andalioncomesalong,drivesyouoff,andhelpshimselfwhileyousitaroundwaitingfortheleavings.Isthatfair?ââI thought itwas theotherwayaroundâthe lionsmakethekilland
thehyenasdotheharassing.ââLionsmaketheirownkills,ofcourse,buttheyâreperfectlycontentto
appropriatesomeoneelseâsiftheycan.ââOkay.ââSoyouârefedup.Whatareyougoingtodoaboutit?ââExterminatethelions.ââAndwhatâstheeffectofthis?ââWellâŠnomorehassles.ââWhatwerethelionslivingon?ââThegazelles.Thezebras.Thegame.ââNowthelionsaregone.Howdoesthisaffectyou?ââIseewhatyouâregettingat.Thereâsmoregameforus.ââAndwhenthereâsmoregameforyou?âIlookedathimblankly.âAll right. I was assuming you knew the ABCâs of ecology. In the
naturalcommunity,wheneverapopulationâsfoodsupplyincreases,thatpopulation increases. As that population increases, its food supplydecreases, and as its food supply decreases, that population decreases.
This interaction between food populations and feeder populations iswhatkeepseverythinginbalance.ââIdidknowit.Ijustwasnâtthinking.ââWell,âIshmaelsaidwithabaffledfrown,âthink.âI laughed. âOkay. So, with the lions gone, thereâs more food forhyenas, and our population grows. It grows to the point where gamebecomesscarce,thenitbeginstoshrink.ââIt would in ordinary circumstances, but youâve changed thosecircumstances. Youâve decided the law of limited competition doesnâtapplytohyenas.ââRight.Sowekilloffourothercompetitors.ââDonâtmakemedragitoutofyouonewordatatime.Iwantyoutoworkitout.ââOkay.Letâssee.AfterwekilloffourcompetitorsforthegameâŠourpopulationgrowsuntilthegamebeginstogetscarce.Therearenomorecompetitorstokilloff,sowehavetoincreasethegamepopulationâŠ.Icanâtseehyenasgoinginforanimalhusbandry.ââYouâvekilledoffyourcompetitors for thegame,butyourgamehascompetitors as wellâcompetitors for the grasses. These are yourcompetitorsonce removed.Kill themoffand thereâllbemoregrass foryourgame.ââRight.Moregrassforthegamemeansmoregame,moregamemeansmorehyenas,morehyenasmeansâŠWhatâslefttokilloff?âIshmaeljustraisedhiseyebrowsatme.âThereâsnothinglefttokilloff.ââThink.âI thought. âOkay. Weâve killed off our direct competitors and ourcompetitors once removed.Nowwe can kill off our competitors twiceremovedâthe plants that compete with the grasses for space andsunlight.ââThatâsright.Thentherewillbemoreplantsforyourgameandmoregameforyou.ââFunnyâŠ. This is considered almost holy work by farmers andranchers. Kill off everything you canât eat. Kill off anything that eats
whatyoueat.Killoffanythingthatdoesnâtfeedwhatyoueat.ââIt isholywork,inTakerculture.Themorecompetitorsyoudestroy,themorehumansyoucanbring into theworld,and thatmakes it justabouttheholiestworkthereis.Onceyouexemptyourselffromthelawoflimitedcompetition,everythingintheworldexceptyourfoodandthefoodofyourfoodbecomesanenemytobeexterminated.â
4
âAs you see, one species exempting itself from this lawhas the same ultimate effect as all species exempting themselves. Youendupwithacommunity inwhichdiversity isprogressivelydestroyedinordertosupporttheexpansionofasinglespecies.ââYes.YouhavetoendupwheretheTakershaveendedupâconstantly
eliminating competitors, constantly increasing your food supply, andconstantly wondering what youâre going to do about the populationexplosion. How did you put it the other day? Something aboutincreasingfoodproductiontofeedanincreasedpopulation.âââIntensificationofproductiontofeedanincreasedpopulationleadsto
astillgreaterincreaseinpopulation.âPeterFarbsaiditinHumankind.ââYousaiditwasaparadox?ââNo,hesaiditwasaparadox.ââWhy?âIshmaelshrugged.âIâmsureheknowsthatanyspeciesinthewildwill
invariablyexpandtotheextentthatitsfoodsupplyexpands.But,asyouknow,MotherCultureteachesthatsuchlawsdonotapplytoman.â
5
âIhaveaquestion,âIsaid.âAsweâvegonethroughthesethings, I keepwondering if agriculture itself is contrary to this law. Imean,itseemscontrarytothelawbydefinition.ââItisâiftheonlydefinitionyouhaveistheTakerdefinition.Butthere
areotherdefinitions.Agriculturedoesnâthavetobeawarwagedonalllifethatdoesnâtsupportyourgrowth.ââIguessmyproblemisthis.Thebiologicalcommunityisaneconomy,
isnâtit?Imean,ifyoustarttakingmoreforyourself,thenthereâsgottobelessforsomeoneelse,forsomethingelse.Isnâtthatso?ââYes.Butwhatareyougettingatbytakingmoreforyourself?Whydo
it?ââWell,thisisthebasisforsettlement.IcanâthavesettlementunlessI
haveagriculture.ââAreyousurethatâswhatyouwant?ââWhatelsewouldIwant?ââDoyouwanttogrowtothepointwhereyoucantakeovertheworld
and put every square foot of it under cultivation and force everyonealivetobeanagriculturalist?ââNo.ââThatâswhat theTakershavebeendoingâandarestilldoing.Thatâs
whattheiragriculturalsystemisdesignedtosupport:notjustsettlementâgrowth.Unlimitedgrowth.ââOkay.ButallIwantissettlement.ââThenyoudonâthavetogotowar.ââButtheproblemremains.IfIâmgoingtoachievesettlement,Ihaveto
have more than I had before, and that more has got to come fromsomewhere.ââYes,thatâstrue,andIseeyourdifficulty.Inthefirstplace,settlement
isnotbyanymeansauniquelyhumanadaptation.OffhandIcanâtthink
of any species that is an absolute nomad. Thereâs always a territory, afeedingground,aspawningground,ahive,anest,aroost,alair,aden,a hole, a burrow. And there are varying degrees of settlement amonganimals, and among humans as well. Even hunter-gatherers arenâtabsolute nomads, and there are intermediate states between them andpureagriculturalists.Therearehunter-gathererswhopractice intensivecollection,whocollectandstorefoodsurplusesthatenablethemtobeabitmore settled.Then thereare semi-agriculturalistswhogrowa littleandgatheralot.Andthentherearenear-agriculturalistswhogrowalotandgatheralittle.Andsoon.ââButthisisnotgettingtothecentralproblem,âIsaid.âIt is getting to the central problem, but your vision is locked onseeing the problem in one way and one way only. The point youâremissing is this:WhenHomo habilis appeared on the sceneâwhen thatparticular adaptation thatwe callHomo habilis appeared on the sceneâsomething had to make way for him. I donât mean that some otherspecies had to become extinct. Imean simply that,with his very firstbite,Homohabiliswasincompetitionwithsomething.Andnotwithonething,withathousandthingsâwhichallhadtobediminishedinsomesmalldegreeifHomohabiliswasgoingtolive.Thisistrueofeverysinglespeciesthatevercameintobeingonthisplanet.ââOkay.ButIstilldonâtseewhatthishastodowithsettlement.ââYouârenotlistening.Settlementisabiologicaladaptationpracticedtosomedegreebyeveryspecies,includingthehuman.Andeveryadaptationsupports itself in competitionwith the adaptations around it. In brief,humansettlementisnâtagainstthelawsofcompetition,itâssubjecttothelawsofcompetition.ââAh.Yes.Okay,Iseeitnow.â
6
âSo,whathavewediscoveredhere?ââWeâvediscoveredthatanyspeciesthatexempts itself fromtherules
ofcompetitionendsupdestroyingthecommunityinordertosupportitsownexpansion.ââAnyspecies?Includingman?ââYes,obviously.Thatâsinfactwhatâshappeninghere.ââSo you see that thisâat least thisâis not some mysterious
wickednesspeculiartothehumanrace.Itisnâtsomeimponderableflawinman thathasmade thepeopleofyour culture thedestroyersof theworld.ââNo.Thesamethingwouldhappenwithanyspecies,atleastwithany
species strong enough to bring it off. Provided that every increase infoodsupplyisansweredbyanincreaseinpopulation.ââGivenanexpandingfoodsupply,anypopulationwillexpand.Thisis
trueofanyspecies,includingthehuman.TheTakershavebeenprovingthis here for ten thousand years. For ten thousand years theyâve beensteadilyincreasingfoodproductiontofeedanincreasedpopulation,andeverytimetheyâvedonethis,thepopulationhasincreasedstillmore.âIsatthereforaminutethinking.ThenIsaid,âMotherCulturedoesnât
agree.ââCertainlynot.Iâmsureshedisagreesmoststrenuously.Whatdoesshe
say?ââShe says itâs within our power to increase food productionwithout
increasingourpopulation.ââTowhatend?Whyincreasefoodproduction?ââTofeedthemillionswhoârestarving.ââAndasyou feed themwillyouextractapromise that theywillnot
reproduce?ââWellâŠno,thatâsnotpartoftheplan.â
âSowhatwillhappenifyoufeedthestarvingmillions?ââTheyâllreproduceandourpopulationwillincrease.ââWithoutfail.Thisisanexperimentthathasbeenperformedinyourculture annually for ten thousand years, with completely predictableresults. Increasing food production to feed an increased populationresults in yet another increase in population.Obviously it has to havethisresult,andtopredictanyotherissimplytoindulgeinbiologicalandmathematicalfantasies.ââEven soâŠâ I thought somemore. âMother Culture says that, if itcomestothat,birthcontrolwillsolvetheproblem.ââYes. If youâre ever so foolish as to get into a conversation on thissubjectwithsomeofyourfriends,youâllfindtheyheaveagreatsighofreliefwhentheyremembertomakethispoint.âWhew!Offthehook!âItâslikethealcoholicwhoswearsheâllgiveupdrinkbeforeitruinshislife.Globalpopulationcontrolisalwayssomethingthatâsgoingtohappeninthe future. It was something that was going to happen in the futurewhenyouwerethreebillionin1960.Now,whenyouârefivebillion,itâsstillsomethingthatâsgoingtohappeninthefuture.ââTrue.Nevertheless,itcouldhappen.ââItcouldindeedâbutnotaslongasyouâreenactingthisstory.Aslongas youâre enacting this story, you will go on answering famine withincreased food production. Youâve seen the ads for sending food tostarvingpeoplesaroundtheworld?ââYes.ââHaveyoueverseenadsforsendingcontraceptives?ââNo.ââNever.MotherCulture talks out of both sides of hermouthon thisissue. When you say to her population explosion she replies globalpopulationcontrol,butwhenyousay toher famine shereplies increasedfood production. But as it happens, increased food production is anannual event and global population control is an event that neverhappensatall.ââTrue.ââWithinyourcultureasawhole,thereis infactnosignificantthrust
toward global population control. The point to see is that there neverwillbesuchathrustsolongasyouâreenactingastorythatsaysthegodsmade theworld forman. For as long as you enact that story,MotherCulture will demand increased food production todayâand promisepopulationcontroltomorrow.ââYes,Icanseethat.ButIhaveaquestion.ââProceed.ââIknowwhatMotherCulturesaysaboutfamine.Whatdoyousay?ââI? I say nothing, except that your species is not exempt from thebiologicalrealitiesthatgovernallotherspecies.ââButhowdoesthatapplytofamine?ââFamine isnât unique to humans. All species are subject to iteverywhere in theworld.Whenthepopulationofanyspeciesoutstripsits food resources, that population declines until itâs once again inbalancewith its resources.MotherCulture says thathumansshouldbeexempt from that process, so when she finds a population that hasoutstripped its resources, she rushes in food from the outside, thusmakingitacertaintythattherewillbeevenmoreofthemtostarveinthenextgeneration.Becausethepopulationisneverallowedtodeclineto thepointatwhich itcanbesupportedby itsownresources, faminebecomesachronicfeatureoftheirlives.ââYes.A fewyearsago I reada story in thepaperaboutanecologistwhomadethesamepointatsomeconferenceonhunger.Boy,didhegetjumpedon.Hewaspracticallyaccusedofbeingamurderer.ââYes, I can imagine. His colleagues all over the world understandperfectlywellwhathewassaying,buttheyhavethegoodsensenottoconfrontMotherCulturewithitinthemidstofherbenevolence.Ifthereare forty thousand people in an area that can only support thirtythousand,itâsnokindnesstobringinfoodfromtheoutsidetomaintainthem at forty thousand. That just guarantees that the famine willcontinue.ââTrue.Butallthesame,itâshardjusttositbyandletthemstarve.ââThis is precisely how someone speakswho imagines that he is theworldâsdivinelyappointedruler:âIwillnotletthemstarve.Iwillnotlet
thedrought come. Iwill not let the river flood.â It is the godswho letthesethings,notyou.ââAvalid point,â I said. âEven so I have onemore question on this.â
Ishmael nodded me on. âWe increase food production in the U.S.tremendouslyeveryyear,butourpopulationgrowthisrelativelyslight.Ontheotherhand,populationgrowthissteepestincountrieswithpooragricultural production. This seems to contradict your correlation offoodproductionwithpopulationgrowth.âHeshookhisheadinmilddisgust.âThephenomenonasitâsobserved
is this: âEvery increase in food production to feed an increasedpopulation is answered by another increase in population.â This saysnothingaboutwheretheseincreasesoccur.ââIdonâtgetit.ââAn increase in food production in Nebraska doesnât necessarily
produceapopulationincreaseinNebraska.ItmayproduceapopulationincreasesomewhereinIndiaorAfrica.ââIstilldonâtgetit.ââEvery increase in food production is answered by an increase in
populationsomewhere.Inotherwords,someoneisconsumingNebraskaâssurplusesâandiftheywerenât,Nebraskaâsfarmerswouldstopproducingthosesurpluses,pronto.ââTrue,â I said, and spent a few moments in thought. âAre you
suggesting that First World farmers are fueling the Third Worldpopulationexplosion?ââUltimately,âhesaid,âwhoelseistheretofuelit?âIsattherestaringathim.âYouneedtotakeastepbackfromtheprobleminordertoseeit in
global perspective. At present there are five and a half billion of youhere,and,thoughmillionsofyouarestarving,youâreproducingenoughfood to feed sixbillion.Andbecause youâreproducingenough food forsixbillion,itâsabiologicalcertaintythatinthreeorfouryearstherewillbesixbillionofyou.Bythattime,however(eventhoughmillionsofyouwillstillbestarving),youâllbeproducingenoughfoodforsixandahalfbillionâwhichmeansthatinanotherthreeorfouryearstherewillbesix
andahalfbillion.Butbythattimeyouâllbeproducingenoughfoodforsevenbillion(eventhoughmillionsofyouwillstillbestarving),whichagainmeansthatinanotherthreeorfouryearstherewillbesevenbillionof you. In order to halt this process, you must face the fact thatincreasingfoodproductiondoesnât feedyourhungry, itonly fuelsyourpopulationexplosion.ââIseethat.Buthowdowestopincreasingfoodproduction?ââYou do it the same way you stop destroying the ozone layer, thesamewayyoustopcuttingdowntherainforests.Ifthewillisthere,themethodwillbefound.â
7
âAsyousee,Ileftabookbesideyourchair,âIshmaelsaid.ItwasTheAmericanHeritageBookofIndians.âWhileweâre on or near the subject of population control, thereâs a
map of tribal locations there in the front that you may findilluminating.âAfterIâdstudieditforaminute,heaskedmewhatImadeofit.âIdidnâtrealizethereweresomany.Somanydifferentpeoples.ââNotallofthemwerethereatthesametime,butmostofthemwere.
WhatIâdlikeyoutothinkaboutiswhatservedtolimittheirgrowth.ââHowisthemapsupposedtohelp?ââI wanted you to see that this was far from an empty continent.
Populationcontrolwasnâtaluxury,itwasanecessity.ââOkay.ââAnyideas?ââYoumeanfromlookingatthemap?No,Iâmafraidnot.ââTellmethis:Whatdothepeopleofyourculturedoiftheygettired
oflivinginthecrowdedNortheast?ââThatâseasy.TheymovetoArizona.NewMexico.Colorado.Thewide
openspaces.ââAndhowdotheTakersinthewideopenspaceslikethat?ââTheydonât.Theyputbumper stickerson theircars that say, âIfyou
loveNewMexico,gobackwhereyoucamefrom.âââButtheydonâtgoback.ââNo,theyjustkeepcoming.ââWhycanât theTakersof theseareasstemtheflood?Whycanât they
limitthepopulationgrowthoftheNortheast?ââIdonâtknow.Idonâtseehowtheycould.ââSowhatyouhaveisagushingwellspringofgrowthinonepartofthe
country thatnoonebothers to turnoff,because theexcesscanalwaysflowintothewideopenspacesoftheWest.ââThatâsright.ââYeteachofthesestateshasaboundary.Whydonâtthoseboundarieskeepthemout?ââBecausetheyârejustimaginarylines.ââExactly.AllyouhavetodototransformyourselfintoanArizonanistocrossthatimaginarylineandsettledown.ButthepointtonoteisthataroundeachoftheLeaverpeoplesonthatmapwasaboundarythatwasdefinitely not imaginary: a cultural boundary. If the Navajo startedfeelingcrowded,theycouldnâtsaytothemselves,âWell,theHopihavealotofwideopen space.Letâsgoover thereandbeHopi.â Sucha thingwouldhavebeenunthinkabletothem.Inshort,NewYorkerscansolvetheir population problems by becoming Arizonans, but the Navajocouldnât solve their population problems by becoming Hopi. Thoseculturalboundarieswereboundariesthatnoonecrossedbychoice.ââTrue.Ontheotherhand,theNavajocouldcrosstheHopiâsterritorialboundarywithoutcrossingtheirculturalboundary.ââYoumeantheycouldinvadeHopiterritory.Yes,absolutely.Butthepoint Iâm making still stands. If you crossed over into Hopi territory,theydidnâtgiveyouaformtofillout,theykilledyou.Thatworkedverywell.Thatgavepeopleapowerfulincentivetolimittheirgrowth.ââYes,thereisthat.ââThese were not people limiting their growth for the benefit ofmankind or for the benefit of the environment. They limited theirgrowthbecauseforthemostpartthiswaseasierthangoingtowarwiththeir neighbors. And of course there were some who made no greatefforttolimittheirgrowth,becausetheyhadnoqualmsaboutgoingtowar with their neighbors. I donât mean to suggest that this was thepeaceablekingdomofaUtopiandream.InaworldwherenoBigBrothermonitorseveryoneâsbehaviorandguaranteeseveryoneâspropertyrights,itworkswelltohaveareputationforfearlessnessandferocityâandyoudonât acquire such a reputation by sending your neighbors curt notes.Youwantthemtoknowexactlywhattheyâllbeinforiftheydonâtlimittheirgrowthandstayintheirownterritory.â
âYes,Isee.Theylimitedeachother.ââBut not just by erecting uncrossable territorial boundaries. Theirculturalboundarieshadtobeuncrossabletoo.Theexcesspopulationofthe Narraganset couldnât just pack up and move out west to beCheyenne.TheNarragansethadtostaywheretheywereandlimittheirpopulation.ââYes. Itâs another case where diversity seems to work better thanhomogeneity.â
8
âAweekago,âIshmaelsaid,âwhenweweretalkingaboutlaws,yousaidthatthereâsonlyonekindoflawabouthowpeopleshouldliveâthekindthatcanbechangedbyavote.Whatdoyouthinknow?Canthelawsthatgoverncompetitioninthecommunitybechangedbyavote?ââNo. But theyâre not absolutes, like the laws of aerodynamics. They
canbebroken.ââCanâtthelawsofaerodynamicsbebroken?ââNo.Ifyourplaneisnâtbuiltaccordingtothelaw,itdoesnâtfly.ââButifyoupushitoffacliff,itstaysintheair,doesnâtit?ââForawhile.ââThesameis trueofacivilizationthat isnâtbuilt inaccordancewith
thelawoflimitedcompetition.Itstaysintheairforawhile,andthenitcomesdownwithacrash.Isnâtthatwhatthepeopleofyourculturearefacinghere?Acrash?ââYes.ââIâll ask the question anotherway. Are you certain that any species
that, as a matter of policy, exempts itself from the law of limitedcompetitionwill end by destroying the community to support its ownexpansion?ââYes.ââThenwhathavewediscoveredhere?ââWeâve discovered a piece of certain knowledge about how people
oughttolive.Mustlive,infact.ââKnowledgethataweekagoyousaidwasunobtainable.ââYes.ButâŠââYes?ââIdonâtseehowâŠHoldonforaminute.ââTakeyourtime.â
âIdonâtseehowtomakethisasourceofknowledgeingeneral.Imean,Idonâtseeanywaytoapplythisknowledgeinageneralway,tootherissues.ââDo the laws of aerodynamics show you how to repair damagedgenes?ââNo.ââThenwhatgoodarethey?ââTheyâregoodforâŠTheyenableustofly.ââThelawweâveoutlinedhereenablesspeciestoliveâenablesspeciestosurvive,includingthehuman.Itwonâttellyouwhethermood-alteringdrugsshouldbelegalizedornot.Itwonâttellyouwhetherpremaritalsexisgoodorbad.Itwonâttellyouwhethercapitalpunishmentisrightorwrong. It will tell you how you have to live if you want to avoidextinction,andthatâsthefirstandmostfundamentalknowledgeanyoneneeds.ââTrue.AllthesameâŠââYes?ââAllthesame,thepeopleofmyculturewillnotacceptit.ââYou mean the people of your culture will not accept what youâvelearnedhere.ââThatâsright.ââLetâsbeclearaboutwhattheywillandwillnotaccept.Thelawitselfisbeyondargument.Itâsthere,plainlyinplaceinthecommunityoflife.WhattheTakerswilldenyisthatitappliestomankind.ââThatâsright.ââThathardlycomesasasurprise.MotherCulturecouldacceptthefactthatmankindâshomeisnotthecenteroftheuniverse.Shecouldacceptthe fact thatman evolved from the common slime. But shewill neveracceptthefactthatmanisnotexemptfromthepeace-keepinglawofthecommunityoflife.Toacceptthatwouldfinishheroff.ââSowhatareyousaying?Thatitâshopeless?ââNot at all. ObviouslyMother Culturemust be finished off if youâregoingtosurvive,andthatâssomethingthepeopleofyourculturecando.
Shehasnoexistenceoutsideyourminds.Onceyoustoplisteningtoher,sheceasestoexist.ââTrue.ButIdonâtthinkpeoplewillletthathappen.âIshmaelshrugged.âThenthelawwilldoitforthem.Iftheyrefusetoliveunderthelaw,thentheysimplywonâtlive.Youmightsaythatthisisoneofthelawâsbasicoperations:Thosewhothreatenthestabilityofthecommunitybydefyingthelawautomaticallyeliminatethemselves.ââTheTakerswillneveracceptthat.ââAcceptancehasnothingtodowithit.Youmayaswell talkaboutamansteppingofftheedgeofacliffnotacceptingtheeffectsofgravity.The Takers are in the process of eliminating themselves, and whentheyâvedoneso,thestabilityofthecommunitywillberestoredandthedamageyouâvedonecanbegintoberepaired.ââTrue.ââOn the other hand, I think youâre being unreasonably pessimisticaboutthis.Ithinktherearealotofpeopleouttherewhoknowthejigisupandarereadytohearsomethingnewâwhowanttohearsomethingnew,justlikeyou.ââIhopeyouâreright.â
9
âIâm not quite satisfied with the way weâve formulatedthislaw,âIsaid.âNo?ââWerefertoitasa law,but itâsactuallythreelaws.OratanyrateI
describeditasthreelaws.ââThe three laws are branches.What youâre looking for is the trunk,
whichissomethinglike,âNoonespeciesshallmakethelifeoftheworlditsown.âââYes,thatâswhattherulesofcompetitionensure.ââThatâsoneexpressionofthelaw.Hereâsanother:âTheworldwasnot
madeforanyonespecies.âââYes.Thenmanwascertainlynotmadetoconquerandruleit.ââThatâstoobiga leap.InTakermythology,theworldneededaruler
because the gods had made a mess of it. What theyâd created was ajungle,ahowlingchaos,ananarchy.Butwasitthatinfact?ââNo,everythingwasingoodorder.ItwastheTakerswhointroduced
disorderintotheworld.ââTheruleofthatlawwasandissufficient.Mankindwasnotneededto
bringordertotheworld.â
10
âThepeopleofyourcultureclingwith fanatical tenacitytothespecialnessofman.Theywantdesperatelytoperceiveavastgulfbetween man and the rest of creation. This mythology of humansuperiorityjustifiestheirdoingwhatevertheypleasewiththeworld,justthe way Hitlerâs mythology of Aryan superiority justified his doingwhateverhepleasedwithEurope.But intheendthismythologyisnotdeeplysatisfying.TheTakersareaprofoundlylonelypeople.Theworldfor them is enemy territory, and they live in it like an army ofoccupation,alienatedandisolatedbytheirextraordinaryspecialness.ââThatâstrue.Butwhatareyougettingat?âInsteadofansweringmyquestion,Ishmaelsaid,âAmongtheLeavers,
crime,mentalillness,suicide,anddrugaddictionaregreatrarities.HowdoesMotherCultureaccountforthis?ââIâd say itâs becauseâŠMother Culture says itâs because the Leavers
arejusttooprimitivetohavethesethings.ââInotherwords,crime,mentalillness,suicide,anddrugaddictionare
featuresofanadvancedculture.ââThatâs right.Nobody says it thatway,of course,but thatâshow itâs
understood.Thesethingsarethepriceofadvancement.ââThereâs an almost opposite opinion that has had wide currency in
your culture for a century or so.An opposite opinion as towhy thesethingsarerareamongtheLeavers.âI thought for aminute. âYoumean theNoble Savage theory. I canât
sayIknowitinanydetail.ââBut you have an impression of it. Thatâs whatâs current in your
cultureânotthetheoryindetailbutanimpressionofit.ââTrue.Itâstheideathatpeoplelivingclosetonaturetendtobenoble.
Itâs seeing all those sunsets that does it. You canâtwatch a sunset andthengooffandsetfiretoyourneighborâstepee.Livingclosetonatureiswonderfulforyourmentalhealth.â
âYouunderstandthatIâmnotsayinganythinglikethis.ââYes.Butwhatareyousaying?ââWeâvehadalookatthestorytheTakershavebeenenactinghereforthepasttenthousandyears.TheLeaverstooareenactingastory.Notastorytoldbutastoryenacted.ââWhatdoyoumeanbythat?ââIf you go among the various peoples of your cultureâif you go toChina and Japan andRussia andEngland and Indiaâeachpeoplewillgive you a completely different account of themselves, but they arenonetheless all enacting a single basic story,which is the story of theTakers. The same is true of the Leavers. The Bushmen of Africa, theAlawa of Australia, the Kreen-Akrore of Brazil, and the Navajo of theUnitedStateswouldeachgiveyouadifferentaccountofthemselves,butthey too are all enacting one basic story, which is the story of theLeavers.ââIseewhatyouâregettingat.Itisnâtthetaleyoutellthatcounts,itâsthewayyouactuallylive.ââThatâscorrect.ThestorytheTakershavebeenenactinghereforthepast ten thousandyears isnotonlydisastrous formankindand for theworld, itâs fundamentally unhealthy and unsatisfying. Itâs amegalomaniacâs fantasy,andenacting ithasgiven theTakersacultureriddledwithgreed,cruelty,mentalillness,crime,anddrugaddiction.ââYes,thatseemstobeso.ââThe story the Leavers have been enacting here for the past threemillionyearsisnâtastoryofconquestandrule.Enactingitdoesnâtgivethem power. Enacting it gives them lives that are satisfying andmeaningful to them. This is what youâll find if you go among them.Theyâre not seething with discontent and rebellion, not incessantlywranglingoverwhatshouldbeallowedandwhatforbidden,notforeveraccusing eachother of not living the rightway,not living in terror ofeach other, not going crazy because their lives seem empty andpointless,nothavingtostupefythemselveswithdrugstogetthroughthedays,notinventinganewreligioneveryweektogivethemsomethingtoholdon to, not forever searching for something todoor something tobelieveinthatwillmaketheirlivesworthliving.AndâIrepeatâthisis
notbecausethey liveclosetonatureorhavenoformalgovernmentorbecausetheyâreinnatelynoble.Thisissimplybecausetheyâreenactingastory that works well for peopleâa story that worked well for threemillion years and that still works well where the Takers havenât yetmanagedtostampitout.ââOkay.Thatsoundsterrific.Whendowegettothatstory?ââTomorrow.Atleastweâllbegintomorrow.ââGood,â I said. âBut before we quit today, I have a question. WhyMotherCulture?Ipersonallyhavenodifficultywithit,butIcanimaginesomewomenwould,onthegroundsthatyouseemtobesinglingoutafigureofspecificallyfemalegendertoserveasaculturalvillain.âIshmaelgrunted.âIdonâtconsiderheravillaininanysensewhatever,butIunderstandwhatyouâregettingat.Hereismyanswer:Cultureisamother everywhere and at every time, because culture is inherently anurturerâthenurturerofhumansocietiesandlifestyles.AmongLeaverpeoples,MotherCultureexplainsandpreservesalifestylethatishealthyand self-sustaining.AmongTakerpeoples she explains andpreserves alifestylethathasproventobeunhealthyandself-destructive.ââOkay.So?ââSowhatâsyourquestion?IfcultureisamotheramongtheAlawaofAustraliaandtheBushmenofAfricaandtheKayapoofBrazil,thenwhywouldnâtshebeamotheramongtheTakers?â
NINE
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WhenIarrivedthenextday,Ifoundthatanewplanwasineffect:Ishmaelwasnolongerontheothersideoftheglass,hewasonmy side of it, sprawled on some cushions a few feet frommy chair. Ihadnât realized how important that sheet of glass had become to ourrelationship: to be honest, I felt a flutter of alarm inmy stomach.Hisnearnessandenormitydisconcertedme,butwithouthesitatingformorethanafractionofasecond,Itookmyseatandgavehimmyusualnodofgreeting. He nodded back, but I thought I glimpsed a look of waryspeculationinhiseyes,asifmyproximitytroubledhimasmuchashistroubledme.âBeforewegoon,âIshmaelsaidafterafewmoments,âIwanttoclear
upamisconception.âHeheldupapadofdrawingpaperwithadiagramonit.
âNotaparticularlydifficultvisualization.ItrepresentsthestorylineoftheLeavers,âhesaid.âYes,Isee.âHeaddedsomethingandhelditupagain.
âThisoffshoot,beginningatabout8000B.C.,representsthestorylineoftheTakers.ââRight.ââAndwhateventdoesthisrepresent?âheasked,touchingthepointof
hispenciltothedotlabeled8000B.C.
âTheagriculturalrevolution.ââDidthiseventoccuratapointintimeoroveraperiodoftime?ââIassumeoveraperiodoftime.ââThenthisdotat8000B.C.representswhat?ââThebeginningoftherevolution.ââWhereshallIputthedottoshowwhenitended?ââAh,â I said witlessly. âI donât really know. It must have lasted acouplethousandyears.ââWhateventmarkedtheendoftherevolution?ââAgain, I donât know. I donât know that any particular eventwouldhavemarkedit.ââNopoppingchampagnecorks?ââIdonâtknow.ââThink.âI thought, and after a while said, âOkay. Itâs strange that this isnâttaught.Irememberbeingtaughtabouttheagriculturalrevolution,butIdonâtrememberthis.ââGoon.ââIt didnât end. It just spread. Itâs been spreading ever since it beganbacktheretenthousandyearsago.Itspreadacrossthiscontinentduringtheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies. Itâsstill spreadingacrosspartsofNewZealandandAfricaandSouthAmericatoday.ââOfcourse.Soyouseethatyouragriculturalrevolutionisnotaneventlike the Trojan War, isolated in the distant past and without directrelevancetoyourlivestoday.Theworkbegunbythoseneolithicfarmersin theNear East has been carried forward from one generation to thenext without a single break, right into the present moment. Itâs thefoundationofyourvastcivilizationtodayinexactlythesamewaythatitwasthefoundationoftheveryfirstfarmingvillage.ââYes,Iseethat.ââThisshouldhelpyouunderstandwhythestoryyoutellyourchildrenabout themeaning of theworld, about divine intentions in theworld,
and about the destiny of man is of such profound importance to thepeopleofyourculture.Itâsthemanifestooftherevolutiononwhichyourcultureisbased.Itâstherepositoryofallyourrevolutionarydoctrineandthedefinitiveexpressionofyourrevolutionaryspirit.Itexplainswhytherevolutionwasnecessaryandwhyitmustbecarriedforwardatanycostwhatever.ââYes,âIsaid.âThatâsquiteathought.â
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âAbout two thousand years ago,â Ishmael went on, âaneventofexquisiteironyoccurredwithinyourculture.TheTakersâoratleast avery large segmentof themâadoptedas theirowna story thatseemed to thempregnantwithmeaning andmystery. It came to themfromaTaker people of theNear Eastwhohadbeen telling it to theirownchildrenforcountlessgenerationsâforsomanygenerationsthatithadbecomeamysteryeventothem.Doyouknowwhy?ââWhyithadbecomeamystery?No.ââIthadbecomeamysterybecausethosewhofirsttoldthestoryâtheir
ancientancestorsâwerenotTakersbutLeavers.âIsatthereforawhileblinkingathim.ThenIaskedhimifheâdmind
runningthatpastmeagain.âAbout two thousand years ago, the Takers adopted as their own a
storythathadoriginatedamongLeaversmanycenturiesbefore.ââOkay.Whatâstheironyinthat?ââThe irony is that it was a story that had once been told among
LeaversabouttheoriginsoftheTakers.ââSo?ââTheTakersadoptedastheirownaLeaverstoryabouttheirorigins.ââIâmafraidIjustdonâtgetit.ââWhatsortofstorywouldaLeaverpeopletellabouttheappearanceof
theTakersintheworld?ââGod,Ihavenoidea.âIshmaelpeeredatmeowlishly. âYou seem tohave forgotten to take
your brainy pill this morning. Nevermind, Iâll tell you a story of myown,andthenyouâllseeit.ââOkay.âIshmael shifted his mountainous bulk into a new position on his
pillows,andinvoluntarilyIclosedmyeyes,thinking,Ifastrangerwereto
openthedoorandwalkinatthismoment,whatonearthwouldhethink?
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âThere is a very special knowledge you must have ifyouâregoingtoruletheworld,âIshmaelsaid.âIâmsureyourealizethat.ââFrankly,Iâveneverthoughtaboutit.ââTheTakerspossessthisknowledge,ofcourseâatleasttheyimagine
they doâand theyâre very, very proud of it. This is the mostfundamentalknowledgeofall,anditâsabsolutelyindispensabletothosewhowould rule theworld. Andwhat do you suppose the Takers findwhentheygoamongtheLeavers?ââIdonâtknowwhatyoumean.ââThey find that the Leavers do not have this knowledge. Isnât that
remarkable?ââIdonâtknow.ââConsiderit.TheTakershaveaknowledgethatenablesthemtorule
theworld,and theLeavers lack it.This iswhat themissionaries foundwherever they went among the Leavers. They were quite astonishedthemselves, because they had the impression that this knowledge wasvirtuallyself-evident.ââIdonâtevenknowwhatknowledgeyouâretalkingabout.ââItâstheknowledgethatâsneededtoruletheworld.ââOkay,butspecificallywhatknowledgeisthat?ââYouâlllearnthatfromthestory.WhatIâmlookingatrightnowiswho
hasthisknowledge.IâvetoldyouthattheTakershaveit,andthatmakessense,doesnâtit?TheTakersaretherulersoftheworld,arenâtthey?ââYes.ââAndtheLeaversdonâthaveit,andthattoomakessense,doesnâtit?ââIguessso.ââNowtellme this:Whoelsewouldhave thisknowledge,besides the
Takers?ââIhavenoidea.â
âThinkmythologically.ââOkayâŠ.Thegodswouldhaveit.ââOfcourse.Andthatâswhatmystoryisabout:Howthegodsacquiredtheknowledgetheyneededtoruletheworld.â
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One day (Ishmael began) the godswere considering theadministration of the world in the ordinary way, and one them said,âHereâs a spot Iâve been thinking about for a whileâawide, pleasantsavannah.Letâssendagreatmultitudeoflocustsintothisland.Thenthefireof lifewill growprodigiously in themand in thebirdsand lizardsthatwillfeedonthem,andthatwillbeveryfine.âTheothersthoughtaboutthisforawhile,thenonesaid,âItâscertainly
truethat,ifwesendthelocustsintothisland,thefireoflifewillblazeinthemandinthecreaturesthatfeedonthemâbutattheexpenseofalltheothercreaturesthatlivethere.âTheothersaskedhimwhathispointwas, andhewenton. âSurely itwouldbe a great crime todeprive alltheseothercreaturesofthefireoflifesothatthelocustsandthebirdsandthelizardscanflourishforatime.Forthelocustswillstripthelandbare,andthedeerandthegazellesandthegoatsandtherabbitswillgohungryanddie.Andwiththedisappearanceofthegame,thelionsandthewolves and the foxeswill soon be dying too.Wonât they curse usthenandcalluscriminalsforfavoringthelocustsandthebirdsandthelizardsoverthem?âNow the gods had to scratch their heads over this, because theyâd
neverlookedatmattersinthisparticularlightbefore.Butfinallyoneofthemsaid,âIdonâtseethatthispresentsanygreatproblem.Wesimplywonâtdoit.Wewonâtraiseamultitudeoflocuststosendintothisland,then thingswill go on as before, and no onewill have any reason tocurseus.âMostofthegodsthoughtthismadesense,butoneofthemdisagreed.
âSurelythiswouldbeasgreatacrimeastheother,âhesaid.âFordonâtthelocustsandthebirdsandthelizardsliveinourhandsaswellastherest?Isitnevertobetheirtimetoflourishgreatly,asothersdo?âWhilethegodsweredebatingthispoint,afoxcameouttohunt,and
theysaid,âLetâssendthefoxaquailforits life.âButthesewordswerehardlyspokenwhenoneofthemsaid,âSurelyitwouldbeacrimetoletthefoxliveatthequailâsexpense.Thequailhasitslifethatwegaveit
andlivesinourhands.Itwouldbeinfamoustosenditintothejawsofthefox!âThenanothersaid,âLookhere!Thequailisstalkingagrasshopper!Ifwe donât give the quail to the fox, then the quail will eat thegrasshopper. Doesnât the grasshopper have its life thatwe gave it anddoesnât it live inourhandsas trulyas thequail?Surely itwouldbeacrimenottogivethequailtothefox,sothatthegrasshoppermaylive.âWell, as you can imagine, the gods groaned heavily over this anddidnâtknowwhattodo.Andwhiletheywerewranglingoverit,springcame,andthesnowwatersofthemountainsbegantoswellthestreams,and one of them said, âSurely itwould be a crime to let thesewatersfloodtheland,forcountlesscreaturesareboundtobecarriedofftotheirdeaths.â But then another said, âSurely itwould be a crime not to letthese waters flood the land, for without them the ponds andmarsheswilldryup,andall thecreatures that live in themwilldie.âAndoncemorethegodswerethrownintoconfusion.Finallyoneofthemhadwhatseemedtobeanewthought.âItâsclearthatanyactionwetakewillbegoodforsomeandevilforothers,soletâstakenoactionatall.Thennoneofthecreaturesthat liveinourhandscancalluscriminals.ââNonsense,â another snapped. âIf we take no action at all, this willalsobegood for someandevil forothers,wonât it?Thecreatures thatliveinourhandswillsay,âLook,wesuffer,andthegodsdonothing!ââAndwhilethegodsbickeredamongthemselves,thelocustsswarmedoverthesavannah,andthelocustsandthebirdsandthelizardspraisedthegodswhile thegameand thepredatorsdiedcursing thegods.Andbecausethegodshadtakennoactioninthematter,thequaillived,andthefoxwenthungrytoitsholecursingthegods.Andbecausethequaillived,itatethegrasshopper,andthegrasshopperdiedcursingthegods.And because in the end the gods decided to stem the flood of springwaters, the ponds and themarshes dried up, and all the thousands ofcreaturesthatlivedinthemdiedcursingthegods.And hearing all these curses, the gods groaned. âWeâve made thegarden a place of terror, and all that live in it hate us as tyrants andcriminals.Andtheyârerighttodothis,becausebyactionorinactionwe
send them good one day and evil the nextwithout knowingwhatweshoulddo.Thesavannahstrippedbythe locustsringswithcurses,andwe have no answer to make. The fox and the grasshopper curse usbecausewe let thequail live, andwehavenoanswer tomake.Surelythewholeworldmust curse the daywemade it, forwe are criminalswhosendgoodandevilbyturns,knowingevenaswedoitthatwedonâtknowwhatoughttobedone.âWell,thegodsweresinkingrightintothesloughofdespondwhenoneof them looked up and said, âSay, didnât we make for the garden acertaintreewhosefruitistheknowledgeofgoodandevil?ââYes,âcriedtheothers.âLetâsfindthattreeandeatofitandseewhatthis knowledge is.â And when the gods had found this tree and hadtasteditsfruit,theireyeswereopened,andtheysaid,âNowindeedwehave the knowledge we need to tend the garden without becomingcriminalsandwithoutearningthecursesofallwholiveinourhands.âAndastheyweretalkinginthisway,alionwentouttohunt,andthegodssaidtothemselves,âTodayisthelionâsdaytogohungry,andthedeeritwouldhavetakenmayliveanotherday.âAndsothelionmisseditskill,andas itwas returninghungry to itsden itbegan tocurse thegods.But theysaid,âBeatpeace, forweknowhowto rule theworld,andtodayisyourdaytogohungry.âAndthelionwasatpeace.Andthenextdaythelionwentouttohunt,andthegodssent it thedeertheyhadsparedthedaybefore.Andasthedeerfeltthelionâsjawsonitsneck, itbegantocursethegods.Buttheysaid,âBeatpeace,forwe know how to rule theworld, and today is your day to die just asyesterdaywasyourdaytolive.âAndthedeerwasatpeace.Then the gods said to themselves, âCertainly theknowledgeof goodand evil is a powerful knowledge, for it enables us to rule the worldwithout becoming criminals. If we had yesterday sent the lion awayhungrywithoutthisknowledge,thenindeeditwouldhavebeenacrime.And if we had today sent the deer into the lionâs jaws without thisknowledge,thenindeedthistoowouldhavebeenacrime.Butwiththisknowledgewehavedonebothofthesethings,oneseeminglyopposedtotheother,andhavecommittednocrime.âNowithappened thatoneof thegodswasawayonanerrandwhen
theotherswereeatingatthetreeofknowledge,andwhenhereturnedandheardwhatthegodshaddoneinthematterofthelionandthedeer,hesaid,âIndoingthesetwothingsyouhavesurelycommittedacrimeinone instance or the other, for these two things are opposed, and onemusthavebeenrighttodoandtheotherwrong.Ifitwasgoodfortheliontogohungryonthefirstday,thenitwaseviltosenditthedeeronthesecond.Orifitwasgoodtosenditthedeeronthesecondday,thenitwaseviltosenditawayhungryonthefirst.âTheothersnoddedandsaid,âYes,thisisjustthewaywewouldhave
reasonedbeforeweateofthistreeofknowledge.ââWhatknowledgeisthis?âthegodasked,noticingthetreeforthefirst
time.âTaste its fruit,â they told him. âThen youâll know exactly what
knowledgeitis.âSo the god tasted, and his eyes were opened. âYes, I see,â he said.
âThisisindeedtheproperknowledgeofthegods: theknowledgeofwhoshallliveandwhoshalldie.â
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âAnyquestionssofar?âIshmaelasked.I jumped, startled by this break in the narrative. âNo. This is
fascinating.âIshmaelwenton.
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WhenthegodssawthatAdamwasawakening,theysaidtothemselves,âNowhereisacreaturesolikeusthathemightalmostbeoneofourcompany.Whatspanoflifeandwhatdestinyshallwefashionforhim?âOneofthemsaid,âHeissofair,letâsgivehimlifeforthelifetimeof
thisplanet.Inthedaysofhischildhoodletâscareforhimaswecareforallothersinthegarden,sothathelearnsthesweetnessoflivinginourhands. But in adolescence he will surely begin to realize that heâscapableofmuchmorethanothercreaturesandwillbecomerestless inourcare.Shallwethenleadhimtotheothertreeinthegarden,theTreeofLife?âButanothersaid,âToleadAdamlikeachildtotheTreeofLifebefore
hehadevenbeguntoseek it forhimselfwoulddeprivehimofagreatundertakingbywhichhemaygainanimportantwisdomandprovehismettle tohimself.Aswewouldgivehim thecareheneedsasa child,letâsgivehimthequestheneedsasanadolescent.LetâsmakethequestfortheTreeofLifetheoccupationofhisadolescence. Inthiswayheâlldiscoverforhimselfhowhemayhavelifeforthelifetimeofthisplanet.âTheothersagreedwiththisplan,butonesaid,âWeshouldtakenote
that this might well be a long and baffling quest for Adam. Youth isimpatient,andafterafewthousandyearsofsearching,hemightdespairoffindingtheTreeofLife.Ifthisshouldhappen,hemightbetemptedtoeatoftheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvilinstead.ââNonsense,âtheothersreplied.âYouknowverywellthatthefruitof
thistreenourishesonlythegods.ItcannomorenourishAdamthanthegrassesoftheoxen.Hemighttakeitintohismouthandswallowit,butit would pass through his body without benefit. Surely you donâtimagine that he might actually gain our knowledge by eating of thistree?ââOfcoursenot,â theother replied. âThedanger isnot thathewould
gainourknowledgebutratherthathemightimaginethatheâdgainedit.
Havingtastedthefruitofthistree,hemightsaytohimself,âIhaveeatenatthegodsâowntreeofknowledgeandthereforeknowaswellastheyhowtoruletheworld.ImaydoasIwilldo.âââThis is absurd,â said the other gods. âHow could Adam ever be sofoolishastoimaginehehadtheknowledgethatenablesustogoverntheworld and to dowhatwewill do?None of our creatureswill ever bemaster of the knowledge of who shall live and who shall die. Thisknowledge is ours alone, and if Adam should grow inwisdom till theveryeclipseoftheuniverse,itwouldbeasfarbeyondhimasitisrightnow.âButtheotherwasnotdisconcertedbythisargument.âIfAdamshouldeatofour tree,âhepersisted,âthereâsno tellinghowhemightdeceivehimself.Notknowingthetruth,hemightsaytohimself,âWhateverIcanjustifydoingisgoodandwhateverIcannotjustifydoingisevil.ââBut the others scoffed at this, saying, âThis is not the knowledge ofgoodandevil.ââOf course itâs not,â the other replied, âbut howwouldAdam knowthis?âThe others shrugged. âPerhaps in childhood Adammight believe hewas wise enough to rule the world, but what of it? Such arrogantfoolishnesswouldpasswithmaturity.ââAh,âsaidtheother,âbutpossessedofthisarrogantfoolishness,wouldAdam survive intomaturity? Believing himself our equal, hewould becapableofanything.Inhisarrogance,hemightlookaroundthegardenandsaytohimself,âThisisallwrong.WhyshouldIhavetosharethefireoflifewithallthesecreatures?Lookhere,thelionsandthewolvesandthefoxestakethegameIwouldhaveformyself.Thisisevil.Iwillkillallthesecreatures,andthiswillbegood.Andlookhere,therabbitsandthe grasshoppers and the sparrows take the fruits of the land that Iwouldhaveformyself.Thisisevil.Iwillkillallthesecreatures,andthiswillbegood.Andlookhere,thegodshavesetalimitonmygrowthjustastheyâvesetalimitonthegrowthofallothers.Thisisevil.Iwillgrowwithout limit, taking all the fire of life that flows through this gardenintomyself,andthatwillbegood.âTellmeâifthisshouldhappen,howlongwouldAdamlivebeforehehaddevouredtheentireworld?â
âIf this should happen,â the others said, âAdam would devour theworld in a single day, and at the end of that day he would devourhimself.ââJust so,â the other said, âunless he managed to escape from thisworld.Thenhewoulddevourtheentireuniverseashehaddevouredtheworld. But even so he would inevitably end by devouring himself, asanythingmustthatgrowswithoutlimit.ââThiswould indeed be a terrible end for Adam,â another said. âButmight he not come to the same end evenwithout having eaten at theTreeofKnowledgeofGoodandEvil?Mighthenotbe temptedbyhisyearning for growth to take the fire of life into his own hands evenwithoutdeludinghimselfthatthiswasgood?ââHe might,â the others agreed. âBut what would be the result? Hewouldbecomeacriminal,anoutlaw,a thiefof life,andamurdererofthecreaturesaroundhim.Withoutthedelusionthatwhathewasdoingwasgoodâandthereforetobedoneatanycostâhewouldsoonwearyoftheoutlawâslife.IndeedthisisboundtohappenduringhisquestfortheTreeofLife.Butifheshouldeatofthetreeofourknowledge,thenhewillshrugoffhisweariness.Hewillsay,WhatdoesitmatterthatIâmwearyoflivingasamurdererofallthelifearoundme?Iknowgoodandevil,andthiswayoflivingisgood.ThereforeImustlivethiswayeventhoughIâmwearyuntodeath,eventhoughIdestroytheworldandevenmyself.Thegodswroteintheworldalawforalltofollow,butitcannotapply tome because Iâm their equal. Therefore Iwill live outside thislawandgrowwithoutlimit.Tobelimitedisevil.Iwillstealthefireoflifefromthehandsofthegodsandheapitupformygrowth,andthatwillbegood.Iwilldestroythosekindsthatdonotservemygrowth,andthatwillbegood.Iwillwrestthegardenfromthehandsofthegodsandorder itanewso that it servesonlymygrowth,and thatwillbegood.And because these things are good, theymust be done at any cost. ItmaybethatIâlldestroythegardenandmakearuinofit.Itmaybethatmyprogenywillteemovertheearthlikelocusts,strippingitbare,untiltheydrownintheirownfilthandhatetheverysightofoneanotherandgomad.Stilltheymustgoon,becausetogrowwithoutlimitisgoodandtoacceptthelimitsofthelawisevil.Andifanysay,âLetâsputofftheburdens of the criminal life and live in the hands of the gods once
again,âIwillkillthem,forwhattheysayisevil.Andifanysay,âLetâsturn aside from ourmisery and search for that other tree,â I will killthem,forwhattheysayisevil.Andwhenatlastallthegardenhasbeensubjugated tomyuse and all kinds that donot servemygrowthhavebeen cast aside and all the fire of life in theworld flows throughmyprogeny, still I must grow. And to the people of this land I will say,âGrow, for this isgood,âand theywillgrow.And to thepeopleof thenext land Iwill say,âGrow, for this isgood,âand theywillgrow.Andwhentheycangrownomore,thepeopleofthislandwillfalluponthepeople of the next tomurder them, so that theymay grow stillmore.Andifthegroansofmyprogenyfilltheairthroughouttheworld,Iwillsaytothem,âYoursufferingsmustbeborne,foryousufferinthecauseof good. See how great we have become!Wielding the knowledge ofgoodandevil,wehavemadeourselvesthemastersoftheworld,andthegods have no power over us. Though your groans fill the air, isnât itsweetertoliveinourownhandsthaninthehandsofthegods?âââAndwhenthegodsheardallthis,theysawthat,ofallthetreesinthe
garden,onlytheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvilcoulddestroyAdam.Andsotheysaidtohim,âYoumayeatofeverytreeinthegardensavetheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil,foronthedayyoueatofthattreeyouwillcertainlydie.â
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Isattheredazedforawhile,thenIrecalledseeingabibleinIshmaelâsoddcollectionofbooks.Infact,therewerethree.Ifetchedthem and after a fewminutes of study looked up and said, âNone ofthese has any comment to make on why this tree should have beenforbiddentoAdam.ââWereyouexpectingthemto?ââWellâŠyes.ââThe Takers write the notes, and this story has always been an
impenetrable mystery to them. Theyâve never been able to figure outwhytheknowledgeofgoodandevilshouldhavebeenforbiddentoman.Donâtyouseewhy?ââNo.ââBecause,totheTakers,thisknowledgeistheverybestknowledgeof
allâthemostbeneficialformantohave.Thisbeingso,whywouldthegodsforbidittohim?ââTrue.ââTheknowledgeofgoodandevilisfundamentallytheknowledgethe
rulersoftheworldmustexercise,becauseeverysinglethingtheydoisgoodforsomebutevil forothers.This iswhatrulingisallabout, isnâtit?ââYes.ââAndmanwasborntoruletheworld,wasnâthe?ââYes.AccordingtoTakermythology.ââThenwhywouldthegodswithholdtheveryknowledgemanneedsto
fulfill his destiny?From theTakerpoint of view, itmakesno sense atall.ââTrue.ââThe disaster occurredwhen, ten thousand years ago, the people of
yourculturesaid,Weâreaswiseas thegodsandcanrule theworldas
wellasthey.âWhentheytookintotheirownhandsthepoweroflifeanddeathovertheworld,theirdoomwasassured.ââYes.Becausetheyarenotinfactaswiseasthegods.ââThegodsruledtheworldforbillionsofyears,anditwasdoingjustfine.Afterjustafewthousandyearsofhumanrule,theworldisatthepointofdeath.ââTrue.ButtheTakerswillnevergiveitup.âIshmaelshrugged.âThentheyâlldie.Aspredicted.Theauthorsofthisstoryknewwhattheyweretalkingabout.â
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âAndyouâre saying this storywaswritten fromaLeaverpointofview?ââThatâsright.IfithadbeenwrittenfromtheTakerpointofview,the
knowledgeofgoodandevilwouldnâthavebeen forbidden toAdam, itwould have been thrust upon him. The godswould have hung aroundsaying, âCome on,Man, canât you see that youâre nothingwithout thisknowledge? Stop living off our bounty like a lion or awombat.Here,havesomeofthisfruitandyouâllinstantlyrealizethatyouârenakedâasnakedasanylionorwombat:nakedtotheworld,powerless.Comeon,havesomeofthisfruitandbecomeoneofus.Then,luckyyou,youcanleavethisgardenandbegin livingbythesweatofyourbrow, thewayhumansaresupposedtolive.âAndifpeopleofyourculturalpersuasionhadauthoredit,thiseventwouldnâtbecalledtheFall,itwouldbecalledtheAscentâorasyouputitearlier,theLiberation.ââVery trueâŠ.But Iâmnotquite surehowthis fits inwitheverything
else.ââWe are furthering your understanding of how things came to be this
way.ââIdonâtgetit.ââAminuteago,you toldme that theTakerswillnevergiveup their
tyrannyovertheworld,nomatterhowbadthingsget.Howdidtheygettobethisway?âIgoggledathim.âTheygot tobe thiswaybecause theyâve alwaysbelieved thatwhat
they were doing was rightâand therefore to be done at any costwhatever.Theyâvealwaysbelievedthat,likethegods,theyknowwhatisrighttodoandwhatiswrongtodo,andwhattheyâredoingisright.DoyouseehowtheyâvedemonstratedwhatIâmsaying?ââNotoffhand.ââTheyâvedemonstrateditbyforcingeveryoneintheworldtodowhat
theydo,tolivethewaytheylive.EveryonehadtobeforcedtoliveliketheTakers,becausetheTakershadtheonerightway.ââYes,Icanseethat.ââManypeoplesamongtheLeaverspracticedagriculture,buttheywereneverobsessedbythedelusionthatwhattheyweredoingwasright,thateveryoneintheentireworldhadtopracticeagriculture,thateverylastsquareyardoftheplanethadtobedevotedtoit.Theydidnâtsaytothepeoplearoundthem,âYoumaynolongerlivebyhuntingandgathering.This is wrong. This is evil, and we forbid it. Put your land undercultivationorweâllwipeyouout.âWhattheysaidwas,âYouwanttobehunter-gatherers? Thatâs fine with us. Thatâs great. We want to beagriculturalists.Youbehunter-gatherersandweâllbeagriculturalists.Wedonâtpretendtoknowwhichwayisright.Wejustknowwhichwayweprefer.âââYes,Isee.ââAnd if they got tired of being agriculturalists, if they found theydidnâtlikewhereitwasleadingthemintheirparticularadaptation,theywereabletogiveitup.Theydidnâtsaytothemselves,âWell,weâvegottokeepgoingatthisevenifitkillsus,becausethisistherightwaytolive.âForexample,therewasonceapeoplewhoconstructedavastnetworkofirrigationcanalsinordertofarmthedesertsofwhatisnowsoutheasternArizona. They maintained these canals for three thousand years andbuiltafairlyadvancedcivilization,butintheendtheywerefreetosay,âThisisatoilsomeandunsatisfyingwaytolive,sotohellwithit.âTheysimplywalked away from thewhole thing andput it so totally out ofmind thatwe donât even knowwhat they called themselves. The onlynamewehaveforthemisonethePimaIndiansgavethem:Hohokamâthosewhovanished.âButitâsnotgoingtobethiseasyfortheTakers.Itâsgoingtobehardashell for them togive itup,becausewhat theyâredoing is right, andtheyhave togoondoing it even if itmeansdestroying theworldandmankindwithit.ââYes,thatâsthewayitseems.ââGivingitupwouldmeanâŠwhat?ââGivingitupwouldmeanâŠItwouldmeanthatallalongtheyâdbeen
wrong.Itwouldmeanthattheyâdneverknownhowtoruletheworld.ItwouldmeanâŠrelinquishingtheirpretensionstogodhood.ââItwouldmeanspittingoutthefruitofthattreeandgivingtheruleoftheworldbacktothegods.ââYes.â
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Ishmael nodded to the stack of bibles at my feet.âAccording to the authors of that story, the people living between theTigris and Euphrates rivers had eaten at the godsâ own tree ofknowledge.Wheredoyousupposetheygotthatidea?ââWhatdoyoumean?ââWhatever gave the authors of this story the idea that the people
livingintheFertileCrescenthadeatenatthegodsâtreeofknowledge?Doyousupposetheysawitwiththeirowneyes?Doyousupposetheyweretherewhenyouragriculturalrevolutionbegan?ââIsupposethatâsapossibility.ââThink.Iftheyâdbeentheretoseeitwiththeirowneyes,whowould
theyhavebeen?ââOh ⊠right. They would have been the people of the Fall. They
wouldhavebeentheTakers.ââAndiftheyâdbeenTakers,theywouldhavetoldthestoryadifferent
way.ââYes.ââSo theauthorsof this storywerenot there to see itwith theirown
eyes. How then did they know it had happened?How did they knowthattheTakershadusurpedtheroleofthegodsintheworld?ââLord,âIsaid.âWhoweretheauthorsofthisstory?ââWellâŠtheHebrews?âIshmael shookhis head. âAmong the people known as theHebrews,
thiswasalreadyanancientstoryâandamysteriousstory.TheHebrewssteppedintohistoryasTakersâandwantednothingmorethantobeliketheir Taker neighbors. Indeed, thatâs why their prophets were alwaysbawlingthemout.ââTrue.â
âSo,thoughtheypreservedthestory,theynolongerfullyunderstoodit. To find the peoplewho understood it,we have to find its authors.Andwhowerethey?ââWellâŠtheyweretheancestorsoftheHebrews.ââButwhowerethey?ââIâmafraidIhavenoidea.âIshmaelgrunted.âLook,Icanâtforbidyoutosay,âIhavenoidea,âbutIdoinsistthatyouspendafewsecondsthinkingbeforeyousayit.âIspentafewsecondsatit,justtobepolite,thenIsaid,âIâmsorry.Mygraspofancienthistoryisfranklynegligible.ââTheancientancestorsoftheHebrewsweretheSemites.ââOh.ââYouknewthat,didnâtyou?ââYes,Iguessso.IjustâŠââYoujustwerenâtthinking.ââRight.âIshmael bestirred himself, and to be perfectly honest, my stomachclenchedasthehalftonofhimbrushedpastmychair.Ifyoudonâtknowhowgorillasmaketheirwayfromplacetoplaceontheground,youcanvisitthezooorrentaNationalGeographicvideotape;nowordsofminewillmakeyouseeit.Ishmael lumberedor shambledor shuffledover to thebookcase andreturnedwithanhistoricalatlas,whichhehandedtomeopentoamapofEuropeandtheNearEastin8500B.C.AbladelikeahandsickleverynearlycuttheArabianpeninsulaawayfromtherest.ThewordsIncipientAgriculture made it clear that the sickle blade enclosed the FertileCrescent. A handful of dots indicated sites where early farmingimplementshadbeenfound.âThismap, I feel, gives a false impression,â Ishmael said, âthough itwas not an intended impression. It gives the impression that theagricultural revolution took place in an empty world. This is why Iprefermyownmap.âHeopenedhispadandshowedittome.âAs you see, this shows the situation five hundred years later. The
agriculturalrevolutioniswellunderway.Theareainwhichfarmingistaking place is indicated by these hen-scratches.â Using a pencil as apointer, he indicated the area between the Tigris and the Euphrates.âThis, of course, is the land between the rivers, the birthplace of theTakers.Andwhatdoyousupposeallthesedotsrepresent?â
âLeaverpeoples?ââExactly. Theyâre not designed as a statement about populationdensity.Noraretheyintendedtoindicatethateveryavailablestretchoflandwas inhabited by some Leaver people.What they indicate is thatthiswasfar frombeinganemptyworld.DoyouseewhatIâmshowingyou?ââWell, I thinkso.ThelandoftheFall laywithintheFertileCrescentandwassurroundedbynonagriculturalists.ââYes,but Iâmalsopointingout thatat this time,at thebeginningofyour agricultural revolution, these early Takers, the founders of yourculture, were unknown, isolated, unimportant. The next map in thathistorical atlas is four thousandyears later.Whatwouldyouexpect toseeonit?ââIâdexpecttoseethattheTakershaveexpanded.âHenodded,indicatingthatIshouldturnthepage.Hereaprintedoval,
labeled Chalcolithic Cultures, with Mesopotamia at its center, enclosedthewholeofAsiaMinorandallthelandtothenorthandeastasfarastheCaspianSeaand thePersianGulf.TheovalextendedsouthwardasfarastheentrancetotheArabianpeninsula,whichwasacross-hatchedarealabeledSemites.âNow,âIshmaelsaid,âwehavesomewitnesses.ââHowso?ââTheSemiteswerenoteyewitnessestotheeventsdescribedinchapter
three of Genesis.â He drew a small oval in the center of the FertileCrescent. âThose events, cumulatively known as the Fall, took placehere,hundredsofmilesnorthoftheSemites,amonganentirelydifferentpeople.Doyouseewhotheywere?ââAccordingtothemap,theyweretheCaucasians.ââButnow, in4500B.C., theSemitesare eyewitnesses toanevent in
theirownfrontyard:theexpansionoftheTakers.ââYes,Isee.ââIn four thousandyears theagricultural revolution thatbegan in the
landbetweentherivershadspreadacrossAsiaMinortothewestandtothemountainsinthenorthandeast.Andtothesouthitseemstohavebeenblockedbywhat?ââBytheSemites,apparently.ââWhy?WhyweretheSemitesblockingit?ââIdonâtknow.ââWhatweretheSemites?Weretheyagriculturalists?ââNo. The mapmakes it clear that they werenât a part of what was
goingonamongtheTakers.SoIassumetheywereLeavers.ââLeavers, yes, but no longer hunter-gatherers. They had evolved
anotheradaptationthatwastobetraditionalforSemiticpeoples.ââOh.Theywerepastoralists.ââOf course. Herders.â He indicated the border between the Takersâ
ChalcolithicCultureandtheSemites.âSowhatwashappeninghere?ââIdonâtknow.â
Ishmaelnoddedtowardthebiblesatmyfeet.âReadthestoryofCainandAbelinGenesisandthenyouâllknow.âI picked up the one on top and turned to chapter four. A coupleminuteslater,Imuttered,âGoodlord.â
10
After reading the story inall threeversions, I lookedupand said, âWhat was happening along that border was that Cain waskilling Abel. The tillers of the soilwerewatering their fieldswith thebloodofSemiticherders.ââOfcourse.Whatwashappeningtherewaswhathasalwayshappened
alongthebordersofTakerexpansion:TheLeaverswerebeingkilledoffsothatmorelandcouldbeputundercultivation.âIshmaelpickeduphispadandopenedittohisownmapofthisperiod.âAsyousee,thehen-scratches of the agriculturalists have swarmed over the entire areaâexceptfortheterritoryoccupiedbytheSemites.HereattheborderthatseparatestillersofthesoilfromSemiticherders,CainandAbelconfronteachother.âIstudiedthemapforafewmomentsandthenshookmyhead.âAnd
biblicalscholarsdonâtunderstandthis?ââIcannotsay,ofcourse,thatnotasinglescholarhaseverunderstood
this.Butmostreadthestoryasifitweresetinanhistoricalnever-neverland, like one of Aesopâs fables. It would scarcely occur to them tounderstanditasapieceofSemiticwarpropaganda.â
âThatâswhat it is, all right. I know itâs alwaysbeen amystery as towhy God accepted Abel and his offering and rejected Cain and hisoffering.Thisexplainsit.Withthisstory,theSemitesweretellingtheirchildren, âGod is on our side. He loves us herders but hates thosemurderoustillersofthesoilfromthenorth.âââThatâsright.Ifyoureaditasastorythatoriginatedamongyourowncultural ancestors, itâs incomprehensible. It only begins tomake sensewhenyou realize that itoriginatedamong theenemiesofyourculturalancestors.ââYes.âIsatthereblinkingforafewmoments,thenlookedatIshmaelâsmapagain.âIfthetillersofthesoilfromthenorthwereCaucasians,âIsaid,âthenthemarkofCainisthisâIpointedtomyownfairormaggot-coloredface.âItcouldbe.Obviouslyweâllneverknowforsurewhattheauthorsofthestoryhadinmind.ââButitmakessensethisway,âIinsisted.âThemarkwasgiventoCainasawarningtoothers:âLeavethismanalone.Thisisadangerousman,onewhoexactsasevenfoldvengeance.âCertainlyalotofpeoplealloverthe world have learned that it doesnât pay to mess with people withwhitefaces.âIshmaelshrugged,unconvincedorperhapsjustuninterested.
11
âIn the previous map, I went to the trouble of layingdownhundredsofdotstorepresentLeaverpeopleslivingintheMideastwhen your agricultural revolution began. What do you supposehappenedtothesepeoplesbetweenthetimeofthatmapandthetimeofthismap?ââIwouldhavetosaythateithertheywereoverrunandassimilatedor
theytookupagricultureinimitationoftheTakers.âIshmaelnodded.âDoubtlessmanyofthesepeopleshadtheirowntales
totellofthisrevolution,theirownwaysofexplaininghowthesepeoplefromtheFertileCrescentcametobethewaytheywere,butonlyoneofthesetalessurvivedâtheonetoldbytheSemitestotheirchildrenaboutthe Fall of Adam and the slaughter of Abel by his brother Cain. ItsurvivedbecausetheTakersnevermanagedtooverruntheSemites,andtheSemitesrefusedtotakeuptheagricultural life.EventheireventualTakerdescendants, theHebrews,whopreservedthestorywithoutfullyunderstandingit,couldnâtworkupanyenthusiasmforthepeasantlife-style.Andthis ishowithappenedthat,withthespreadofChristianityandoftheOldTestament,theTakerscametoadoptastheirownastoryanenemyoncetoldtodenouncethem.â
12
âSo we come again to this question: Where did theSemitesgettheideathatthepeopleoftheFertileCrescenthadeatenatthegodsâowntreeofknowledge?ââAh,âIsaid.âIwouldsayitwasasortofreconstruction.Theylooked
atthepeopletheywerefightingandsaid,âMyGod,howdidtheygetthisway?âââAndwhatwastheiranswer?ââWell ⊠âWhatâs wrong with these people? Whatâs wrong with our
brothersfromthenorth?Whyaretheydoingthistous?TheyactlikeâŠâLetmethinkaboutthisforabit.ââTakeyourtime.ââOkay,â I saida fewminutes later.âHereâshowitwould look to the
Semites,Ithink.âWhatâsgoingonhereissomethingwhollynew.Thesearenât raiding parties. These arenât people drawing a line and baringtheir teeth at us tomake surewe know theyâre there. These guys aresayingâŠOurbrothersfromthenortharesayingthatweâvegottodie.TheyâresayingAbelhastobewipedout.Theyâresayingweârenottobeallowed to live. Now thatâs something new, andwe donât get it.Whycanâttheyliveupthereandbefarmersandletuslivedownhereandbeherders?Whydotheyhavetomurderus?âââSomethingreallyweirdmusthavehappenedupthere to turnthese
peopleintomurderers.Whatcouldithavebeen?WaitasecondâŠLookat the way these people live. Nobody has ever lived this way before.Theyârenotjustsayingthatwehavetodie.Theyâresayingthateverythinghastodie.Theyârenot justkillingus, theyârekillingeverything.Theyâresaying,âOkay, lions,youâredead.Weâvehaditwithyou.Youâreoutofhere.âTheyâresaying,âOkay,wolves,weâvehaditwithyoutoo.Youâreout of here.â Theyâre saying ⊠âNobody eats but us. All this foodbelongs to us and no one else can have anywithout our permission.âTheyâre saying, âWhatwewant to live lives andwhatwewant to diedies.â
ââThatâsit!Theyâreactingasiftheywerethegodsthemselves.Theyâreacting as if they eat at the godsâ own tree ofwisdom, as though theywereaswiseas thegodsandcould send lifeanddeathwherever theyplease.Yes, thatâs it.Thatâswhatmusthavehappenedup there.Thesepeoplefoundthegodsâowntreeofwisdomandstolesomeofitsfruit.ââAha!Right!Theseareanaccursedpeople!Youcanseethatrightoffthebat.When thegods foundoutwhat theyâddone, they said, âOkay,you wretched people, thatâs it for you! Weâre not taking care of youanymore. Youâre out. We banish you from the garden. From now on,instead of living on our bounty, you can wrest your food from theground by the sweat of your brows.â And thatâs how these accursedtillersofthesoilcametobehuntingusdownandwateringtheirfieldswithourblood.ââWhenIfinished,IsawthatIshmaelwasputtinghishandstogetherinmuteapplause.Irepliedwithasmirkandamodestnod.
13
âOne of the clearest indications that these two storieswerenotauthoredbyyourculturalancestorsisthefactthatagricultureisnotportrayedasadesirablechoice,freelymade,butratherasacurse.Itwasliterallyinconceivabletotheauthorsofthesestoriesthatanyonewouldprefertolivebythesweatofhisbrow.Sothequestiontheyaskedthemselves was not, âWhy did these people adopt this toilsome life-style?âItwas,âWhatterriblemisdeeddidthesepeoplecommittodeservesuch a punishment?What have they done tomake the godswithholdfromthemthebountythatenablestherestofustoliveacarefreelife?âââYes,thatâsobviousnow.Inourownculturalhistory,theadoptionof
agriculturewasapreludetoascent.Inthesestories,agricultureisthelotofthefallen.â
14
âIhaveaquestion,â I said. âWhydid theydescribeCainasAdamâsfirstbornandAbelasAdamâssecondborn?âIshmael nodded. âThe significance is mythological rather than
chronological.Imeanthatyouâllfindthismotifinfolktaleseverywhere:Whenyouhaveafatherwithtwosons,oneworthyandoneunworthy,the unworthy son is almost always the cherished firstborn, while theworthy son is the secondbornâwhich is to say, the underdog in thestory.ââOkay. But why would they think of themselves as descendants of
Adamatall?ââYoumustnâtconfusemetaphorical thinkingwithbiological thinking.
TheSemitesdidnâtthinkofAdamastheirbiologicalancestor.ââHowdoyouknowthat?âIshmael thought for amoment. âDoyouknowwhatAdammeans in
Hebrew?WecanâtknowthenametheSemitesgavehim,butpresumablyithadthesamemeaning.ââItmeansman.ââOfcourse.Thehumanrace.DoyousupposetheSemitesthoughtthat
thehumanracewastheirbiologicalancestor?ââNo,ofcoursenot.ââI agree. The relationships in the story have to be understood
metaphorically, not biologically. As they perceived it, the Fall dividedthe raceofman into twoâintobadguysandgoodguys, into tillersofthesoilandherders,theformerbentonmurderingthelatter.ââOkay,âIsaid.
15
âButIâmafraidIhaveanotherquestion.ââThereâsnoneedtoapologizeforit.Thatâswhatyouâreherefor.ââOkay.Myquestionis,howdoesEvefigureinallthis?ââHernamemeanswhat?ââAccordingtothenotes,itmeansLife.ââNotWoman?ââNo,notaccordingtothenotes.ââWith this name, the authors of the story have made it clear that
Adamâs temptation wasnât sex or lust or uxoriousness. Adam wastemptedbyLife.ââIdonâtgetit.ââConsider:Ahundredmenandonewomandoesnotspellahundred
babies,butonemanandahundredwomendoes.ââSo?ââIâm pointing out that, in terms of population expansion, men and
womenhavemarkedlydifferentroles.Theyârebynomeansequalinthisregard.ââOkay.ButIstilldonâtgetit.ââIâm trying to put you in the frame of mind of a nonagricultural
people, a people for whom population control is always a criticalproblem. Letme put it baldly: A band of herders that consists of fiftymen and one woman is in no danger of experiencing a populationexplosion,butabandthatconsistsofonemanandfiftywomenisinbigtrouble.Peoplebeingpeople, thatbandof fifty-oneherders isgoing tobeabandofonehundredinnotimeatall.ââTrue.But Iâmafraid I stilldonât seehowthis relates to the story in
Genesis.ââBepatient.Letâsgobacktotheauthorsofthisstory,aherdingpeople
being pushed into the desert by agriculturalists from the north. Why
weretheirbrothersfromthenorthpushing?ââTheywantedtoputtheherderâslandundercultivation.ââYes,butwhy?ââAh, I see. They were increasing food production to support anexpandedpopulation.ââOf course. Now youâre ready to do somemore reconstruction. Youcan see that these tillers of the soil haveno senseof restraintwhen itcomes to expansion. They donât control their population; when thereisnât enough food to go around, they just put some more land undercultivation.ââTrue.ââSo:Whomdidthesepeoplesayyesto?ââMm.Yes,IthinkIseeit.Asinaglass,darkly.ââThinkofitthisway:TheSemites,likemostnonagriculturalpeoples,hadtobewaryofbecomingoverbalancedbetweenthesexes.Havingtoomanymendidnât threaten the stability of their population, but havingtoomanywomendefinitelydid.Youseethat?ââYes.ââButwhattheSemitesobservedintheirbrothersfromthenorthwasthat itdidnâtmatter to them. If theirpopulationgotoutofhand, theydidnâtworry,theyjustputmorelandundercultivation.ââYes,Iseethat.ââOr try it this way: Adam and Eve spent threemillion years in thegarden, living on the bounty of the gods, and their growth was verymodest;intheLeaverlife-stylethisisthewayithastobe.LikeLeaverseverywhere, they had no need to exercise the godsâ prerogative ofdeciding who shall live and who shall die. But when Eve presentedAdamwiththisknowledge,hesaid, âYes,Isee;withthis,wenolongerhavetodependonthebountyofthegods.Withthematterofwhoshallliveandwho shalldie inourownhands,wecancreateabounty thatwill exist forus alone, and thismeans I can sayyes toLife, andgrowwithoutlimit.âWhatyoushouldunderstandisthatsayingyestoLifeandacceptingtheknowledgeofgoodandevilaremerelydifferentaspectsofasingleact,andthisisthewaythestoryistoldinGenesis.â
âYes.Itâssubtle,butIthinkIseeit.WhenAdamacceptedthefruitofthattree,hesuccumbedtothetemptationtolivewithoutlimitâandsothepersonwhoofferedhimthatfruitisnamedLife.âIshmaelnodded.âWheneveraTakercoupletalkabouthowwonderfulitwouldbetohaveabigfamily,theyârereenactingthisscenebesidetheTreeof theKnowledgeofGoodandEvil.Theyâresayingtothemselves,âOf course itâs our right to apportion life on this planet as we please.Whystopatfourkidsorsix?Wecanhavefifteenifwelike.Allwehavetodoisplowunderanotherfewhundredacresofrainforestâandwhocaresifadozenotherspeciesdisappearasaresult?ââ
16
There was still something that didnât quite fit together,butIcouldnâtfigureouthowtoarticulateit.Ishmaeltoldmetotakemytime.AfterIâdsweatedoverit forafewminutes,hesaid,âDonâtexpectto
beabletoworkitalloutintermsofourpresentknowledgeoftheworld.The Semites at this time were completely isolated on the Arabianpeninsula,cutoffinalldirectionseitherbytheseaorbythepeopleofCain. For all they knew, they and their brothers to the north wereliterallythewholeraceofman,theonlypeopleonearth.Certainlythatâstheway theysawthestory.Theycouldnâtpossiblyhaveknownthat itwasonly in that little cornerof theworld thatAdamhadeatenat thegodsâ tree, couldnât possibly have known that the Fertile Crescentwasonlyoneofmanyplaceswhereagriculturehadbegun,couldnâtpossiblyhaveknownthattherewerestillpeopleallovertheworldlivingthewayAdamhadlivedbeforetheFall.ââTrue,âIsaid.âIwastryingtomakeitfitwithalltheinformationwe
have,andthatobviouslywonâtwork.â
17
âIthinkitâssafetosaythatthestoryofAdamâsFallisbyfarthebest-knownstoryintheworld.ââAtleastintheWest,âIsaid.âOh, itâs well known in the East as well, having been carried into
every corner of theworld by Christianmissionaries. It has a powerfulattractionforTakerseverywhere.ââYes.ââWhyisthatso?ââIguessbecauseitpurportstoexplainwhatwentwronghere.ââWhatdidgowrong?Howdopeopleunderstandthestory?ââAdam,thefirstman,atethefruitoftheforbiddentree.ââAndwhatisthatunderstoodtomean?ââFrankly,Idonâtknow.Iâveneverheardanexplanationthatmadeany
sense.ââAndtheknowledgeofgoodandevil?ââAgain,Iâveneverheardanexplanationthatmadeanysense.Ithink
the way most people understand it, the gods wanted to test Adamâsobediencebyforbiddinghimsomething,anditdidnâtmuchmatterwhatitwas.AndthatâswhattheFallessentiallywasâanactofdisobedience.ââNothingreallytodowiththeknowledgeofgoodandevil.ââNo. But then I suppose there are people who think that the
knowledgeofgoodandevilis justasymbolofâŠIdonâtknowexactlywhat.TheythinkoftheFallasafallfrominnocence.ââInnocence in this context presumably being a synonym for blissful
ignorance.ââYesâŠItâssomethinglikethis:Manwasinnocentuntilhediscovered
thedifferencebetweengoodandevil.Whenhewasnolongerinnocentofthatknowledge,hebecameafallencreature.ââIâmafraidthatmeansnothingatalltome.â
âTomeeither,actually.ââAllthesame,ifyoureaditfromanotherpointofview,thestorydoesexplainexactlywhatwentwronghere,doesnâtit?ââYes.ââBut the people of your culture havenever been able to understandtheexplanation,becausetheyâvealwaysassumedthatitwasformulatedbypeoplejustlikethemâpeoplewhotookitforgrantedthattheworldwasmadeformanandmanwasmadetoconquerandruleit,peopleforwhom the sweetest knowledge in theworld is the knowledge of goodandevil,peoplewhoconsidertillingthesoiltheonlynobleandhumanway to live. Reading the story as if it had been authored by someonewith their own point of view, they didnât stand a chance ofunderstandingit.ââThatâsright.ââButwhenitâsreadanotherway,theexplanationmakesperfectlygoodsense:Mancanneverhavethewisdomthegodsusetorule theworld,and if he tries to preempt that wisdom, the result wonât beenlightenment,itwillbedeath.ââYes,â I said, âI have no doubt about thatâthatâs what the storymeans.Adamwasnâttheprogenitorofourrace,hewastheprogenitorofourculture.ââThis is why heâs always been a figure of such importance to you.Even though the story itself made no real sense to you, you couldidentify with Adam as its protagonist. From the beginning, yourecognizedhimasoneofyourown.â
TEN
1
An uncle arrived in town unannounced and expected tobeentertained.Ithoughtitwouldbeaday;itturnedouttobetwoandahalf.Ifoundmyselfbeamingthesethoughtsathim:âIsnâtitgettingtobetime foryou tomoveon?Arenâtyouhomesickbynow?Wouldnâtyouratherexplorethecityonyourown?DoesnâtiteveroccurtoyouthatImighthaveotherthingstodo?âHewasnotreceptive.AfewminutesbeforeIlefttotakehimtotheairport,Igotacalland
an ultimatum from a client: No more excuses, not one wordâdo theworknow,orsendbacktheadvance.IsaidIâddotheworknow.Itookmyvisitingrelativetotheairport,cameback,andsatdownatthewordprocessor.Itwasnâtthatbigachore,ItoldmyselfâpointlesstomakeatripdowntownjusttotellIshmaelIwasnâtgoingtobethereforanotherdayortwo.But in the water of my bones and bowels there was a tremor of
apprehension.
I pray about teethâdoesnât everyone? I donât have time to floss. Youknow.Hang in there, I tell them; Iâll get around to youbefore itâs toolate.Butduringthesecondnightamolarthatwasway,wayinthebackgave up the ghost. The nextmorning I found a dentistwho agreed totake it out andgive it adecentburial. In the chair,whilehegavemeshot after shot and fiddledwith his equipment and checkedmy bloodpressure,Ifoundmyselfthinking,âLook,Idonâthavetimeforthisâjustyankitoutandletmego.âButheturnedouttoberight.Ohmy,whatrootsthattoothhadâanditseemedtobealotclosertomyspinethanmylips.AtonepointIaskedhimifitwouldnâtbeeasiertogoinfromtheback.Whenitwasover,anothersideofhispersonalityemerged.Hebecame
a Tooth Policeman, and I had been well and truly pulled over to thecurb.Hescoldedme,mademefeelsmall,irresponsible,andimmature.Inodded and promised and nodded and promised, thinking, Please,
Officer, give me one more chance, set me loose on my own recognizance.Eventuallyhedid,butwhenIgothomemyhandswereshakingandthegauze pads that came out of my jaw werenât pretty. I spent the daygobbling pain-killers and antibiotics and drinking myself silly withbourbon.In themorning I got back towork, but that tremorof apprehensionwasstillsinginginmywater.âOnemoreday,âIsaidtomyself.âIâllbeabletogetthis inthemailtonight,andonemoredaywonâtmatter.âThegamblerwhoputshis lasthundredonoddandwatches theballhopdecisivelyintoslot18willtellyouheknew itwasalosingbettheinstantthechiplefthishand.Heknew it,feltit.Butofcourseifithadtakenonemorehopand landed in19,hewouldcheerfullyadmit thatsuchpresentimentsoftenprovetobewrong.Minewasnot.Fromtheheadofthehallway,Isawanindustrial-sizedfloorscrubberparked outside Ishmaelâs half-open door. Before I could get there, amiddle-agedmaninagrayuniformbackedoutandstartedlockingup.Icalledtohimtowait.âWhatareyoudoing?âIasked,somewhatinelegantly,whenhewasinrangeofanormaltoneofvoice.Itdidnâtreallydeserveananswer,andhedidnâtgivemeone.âLook,âIsaid,âIknowitâsnoneofmybusiness,butwouldyoumindtellingmewhatâsgoingonhere?âHelookedatmeas if Iwerearoachhewassureheâdkilledaweekago.Nonetheless,hefinallyworkedhismouthabitandletafewwordsthrough:âGettingtheplacereadyforanewtenant.ââAh,âIsaid.âBut,uh,whathappenedtotheoldtenant?âHe shrugged indifferently. âGot evicted, I guess. Wasnât paying herrent.ââHerrent?âIhadmomentarilyforgottenthatIshmaelwasnothisowncaretaker.Hegavemeadoubtfullook.âThoughtyouknewthelady.â
âNo,IknewtheuhâŠtheuhâŠâHestoodthereblinkingatme.âLook,âIsaidagain,floundering,âthereâsprobablyanoteinthereforme,orsomething.ââAinâtnothinâatallintherenow,âceptabadsmell.ââWouldyoumindifIhadalookformyself?âHe turned back to the door and locked it. âYou talk to themanagementaboutit,okay?Igotthingstodo.â
2
âThe management,â in the person of a receptionist,couldnâtthinkofanyreasonwhyIshouldbegivenaccesstothatofficeor anything else, including information of any kind, on any subject,beyondwhatIalreadyknew:thatthetenanthadfailedtokeepupwiththerentandhadaccordinglybeenevicted.Itriedtounnerveherwithapiece of truth, but she rejected scornfullymy suggestion that a gorillahadonceoccupiedthepremises.âNo such animal has ever been keptâor ever will be keptâon any
propertymanagedbythisfirm.âI toldherthatshecouldat least tellmeifRachelSokolowhadbeen
thelessorâwhatharmcouldthatdo?She said, âThatâs not the point. If your interest was legitimate, you
wouldalreadyknowwhothelessorwas.âThiswasnotyourtypicalreceptionist;ifIeverneedoneofmyown,I
hopeIfindonelikeher.
3
TherewerehalfadozenSokolowsinthephonebook,butnone was named Rachel. There was a Grace, with the right sort ofaddressforthewidowofawealthyJewishmerchant.Thenextmorning,early, I tookmy car and did a little discreet trespassing to see if thegroundssportedagazebo;theydid.I got the carwashed, polishedmy serious shoes, and dusted off the
shoulders of the one suit Imaintain in case ofweddings and funerals.Then, to be sure of not running into lunch or tea, I waited until twooâclocktomakemyappearance.TheBeaux-Arts style isnât toeveryoneâs taste,but Ihappen to like it
when it doesnât confuse itself with a wedding cake. The Sokolowmansion looked cool and majestic yet ever-so-slightly whimsical, likeroyaltyonapicnic.Afterringingthebell,Ihadplentyoftimetostudythe front door, a work of art in its own right, a bronze sculpturedepicting theRapeofEuropaor theFoundingofRomeor somedamnthing like that.Afterawhile itwasopenedbyamanIwouldpick forsecretary of state just on the basis of his clothes, his looks, and hisbearing.Hedidnâthavetosay,âYeah?âorâWell?âHeaskedmybusinessjustbytwitchinganeyebrow.ItoldhimIwantedtoseeMrs.Sokolow.HeaskedifIhadanappointment,knowingfullwellthatIdidnât.IknewthiswasnotaguyIcouldstiffwithastatementthat itwasapersonalmatterâmeaning,noneofhisbusiness.Idecidedtoopenupalittle.âTotellthetruth,Iâmtryingtogetintouchwithherdaughter.âHegavemealeisurelygoing-overwithhiseyes.âYouârenotafriend
ofhers,âhesaidatlast.âNo,frankly,Iâmnot.ââIfyouwere,youwouldknowthatshediedalmostthreemonthsago.âHiswordswentthroughmelikeadoseoficewater.Hetwitchedanothereyebrow,meaning,âAnythingelse?âIdecidedtoopenupalittlemore.
âWereyouwithMr.Sokolow?âHe frowned, letting me know that he doubted the relevance of myinquiry.âThereasonIaskisâŠmayIaskyourname?âHe doubted the relevance of this inquiry aswell, but he decided tohumorme.âMynameisPartridge.ââWell,Mr.Partridge,thereasonIaskis,didyouknowâŠIshmael?âHenarrowedhiseyesatme.âTobecompletely truthfulwithyou, Iâmnot looking forRachel, IâmlookingforIshmael.IunderstandthatRachelmoreorlesstookchargeofhimafterherfatherdied.ââHow do you come to understand that?â he asked, giving awaynothing.âMr.Partridge, if youknow theanswer to that,youâllprobablyhelpme,â I said, âand if you donât know the answer to it, you probablywonât.âItwasanelegantpoint,andheacknowledgeditwithanod.ThenheaskedwhyIwaslookingforIshmael.âHeâsmissingfromhisâŠusualplace.Evidentlyhewasevicted.ââSomeonemusthavemovedhim.Helpedhim.ââYes,âIsaid.âIdonâtsupposehewalkedintoHertzandrentedacar.âPartridgeignoredmywitticism.âIhonestlydonâtknowanything,Iâmafraid.ââMrs.Sokolow?ââIfsheknewanything,Iwouldknowitfirst.âIbelievedhimbutsaid:âGivemeaplacetostart.ââI donât knowof anyplace to start, now.Now thatMiss Sokolow isdead.âIstoodthereforawhile,chewingonit.âWhatdidshedieof?ââYoudidnâtknowheratall?ââNotfromAdam.â
âThenthatâsreallynoneofyourbusiness,âhetoldme,withoutrancor,juststatingaplainfact.
4
I considered hiring a private investigator. Then Irehearsed in my head the kind of conversation it would take to getstarted,anddecidedtoskipit.ButbecauseIcouldnâtjustupandquitonit, Imadeaphonecall to the localzooandasked if theyhappened tohavea lowlandgorilla instock.Theydidnât. I said IhappenedtohaveoneIneededtogetridofanddidtheywantit,andtheysaidno.Iaskediftheycouldsuggestsomeonewhomightwantit,andtheysaidno,notreally.Iaskedthemwhattheyâddoiftheyabsolutelyhadtogetridofagorilla.Theysaidtheremightbealaboratoryortwothatwouldtakeitasaspecimen,butIcouldtelltheywerenâtreallyconcentrating.Onethingwasobvious:IshmaelhadsomefriendsIdidnâtknowabout
âperhaps formerpupils.Theonlyway I could thinkof to reach themwas the way he had probably reached themâthrough an ad in thepersonals:FRIENDSOFISHMAEL:Anotherfriendhaslostcontact.Pleasecallandtellmewhereheis.Theadwasamistake,becauseitgavemeanexcusetoturnmybrainoff.Iwaited for it toappear, then Iwaited for it torun foraweek, then Iwaitedafewmoredaysforacallthatdidnâtcome,andinthatwaytwoweekspassedduringwhichIdidnâtliftafinger.WhenIfinallyfacedthefactthatIwasnâtgoingtogetanyresponseto
the ad, I had to look for a new heading, and it tookme about threeminutestocomeupwithit.Icalledcityhallandwassoontalkingtothepersonwhowould issueapermit toa traveling show ifone turnedupandwantedtosquatonavacantlotforaweek.Wasthereoneintownatthemoment?No.Hadtherebeenanyinthepastmonth?Yes, the Darryl Hicks Carnival, with nineteen rides, twenty-four
games,andasideshow,hadbeenhereandwasgonenowforacoupleweeksorthereabouts.
Anythinglikeamenagerie?Donâtrecollectanythinglikethatbeinglisted.Maybeananimalortwointhesideshow?Dunno.Possible.Nextstoponitsroute?Noideaatall.Itdidnâtmatter.Adozencallstrackedittoatownfortymilesnorth,whereithadstayedaweekandmovedon.Assumingitwouldkeeponmovingnorth,I locateditsnextstopandpresentlocationwithasinglecall. And yes, it now boasted of having âGargantua, the worldâs mostfamous gorillaââa critter that I personally knew had been dead forsomethinglikefortyyears.For you or anyone with reasonably modern equipment, the DarrylHicksCarnivalwouldhavebeenninetyminutesaway,butforme, inaPlymouththatcameoutthesameyearasDallas,itwastwohours.WhenIgotthere,itwasacarnival.Youknow.Carnivalsarelikebusstations:Somearebiggerthanothers,buttheyâreallalike.TheDarrylHickswastwo acres of the usual sleazemasquerading asmerriment, full of uglypeople,noise,andthestinkofbeer,cottoncandy,andpopcorn.Iwadedthroughitinsearchofthesideshow.I have the impression that sideshows as I remember them fromboyhood (ormaybe frommovies inboyhood)arenearlyextinct in themoderncarnivalworld;ifso,theDarrylHickshaselectedtoignorethetrend. When I arrived, a barker was putting a fire-eater through hispaces, but I didnât stay towatch. Therewas plenty to see insideâtheusual collection of monsters, freaks, and geeks, a bottle-biter, apincushion,atattooedfatlady,alltherest,whichIignored.Ishmaelwasinadimcornerasfarfromtheentranceasitwaspossibletobe,withtwoten-year-oldsinattendance.âIâll bet he could tear those bars right out if he wanted to,â oneobserved.âYeah,âsaidtheother.âButhedoesnâtknowthat.âIstoodtheregivinghimasmolderinglook,andhesatthereplacidlypayingnoattentiontoanythinguntiltheboysmovedoff.
As a couple minutes passed, I went on staring and he went onpretendingIwasnât there.ThenIgaveupandsaid,âTellmethis.Whydidnâtyouaskforhelp?Iknowyoucouldhave.Theydonâtevictpeopleovernight.âHegavenosignthatheâdheardme.âHowthehelldowegoaboutgettingyououtofhere?âHewentonlookingthroughmeasifIwerejustanothervolumeofair.Isaid,âLook,Ishmael,areyousoreatmeorsomething?âAtlasthegavemeaneye,butitwasnâtaveryfriendlyone.âIdidnâtinviteyoutomakeyourselfmypatron,âhesaid,âsokindlyrefrainfrompatronizingme.ââYouwantmetomindmyownbusiness.ââInaword,yes.âI looked around helplessly. âYou mean you actually want to stayhere?âOnceagainIshmaelâseyeturnedicy.âAllright,allright,âItoldhim.âButwhataboutme?ââWhataboutyou?ââWell,wewerenâtfinished,werewe.ââNo,wewerenâtfinished.ââSowhatareyougoingtodo?DoIjustbecomefailurenumberfive,orwhat?âHe sat blinking at me sullenly for a minute or two. Then he said,âThereisnoneedforyoutobecomefailurenumberfive.Wecangoonasbefore.âAt this point a family of five strolledup tohave a look at themostfamousgorillaintheworld:mom,dad,twogirls,andatoddlercomatoseinhismotherâsarms.âSowecanjustgoonasbefore,canwe?âIsaid,andnotinawhisper.âThatstrikesyouasfeasible,doesit?âThefamilyofvisitorssuddenlyfoundmemuchmoreinterestingthanâGargantua,âwho,afterall,wasjustsittingtherelookingmorose.
Isaid,âWell,whereshallwebegin?Doyourememberwhereweleftoff?âIntrigued, the visitors turned to seewhat response thiswould evoke
fromIshmael.Whenitcame,ofcourse,onlyIcouldhearit:âShutup.ââShutup?ButIthoughtweweregoingtogoonjustasbefore.âWithagrunt,heshuffledtotherearofthecageandgaveusallalook
athisback.AfteraminuteorsothevisitorsdecidedIdeservedadirtylook;theygaveittomeandambledofftoviewthemummifiedbodyofamanshottodeathintheMojavearoundtheendoftheCivilWar.âLetmetakeyouback,âIsaid.âNothanks,âhereplied,turningaroundbutnotcomingbackuptothe
frontofthecage.âIncredibleasitmayseemtoyou,Iwouldratherlivethiswaythanonanyoneâslargess,evenyours.ââItwouldonlybelargessuntilweworkedoutsomethingelse.ââSomething else being what? Doing stunts on the Tonight show? A
nightclubact?ââListen.IfIcangetintouchwiththeothers,maybewecanworkout
somekindofjointeffort.ââWhatthedevilareyoutalkingabout?ââIâmtalkingaboutthepeoplewhohelpedyougetthisfar.Youdidnât
doitbyyourself,didyou?âHe staredatmebalefully from the shadows. âGoaway,âhe snarled.
âJustgoawayandleavemealone.âIwentawayandlefthimalone.
5
Ihadnâtplannedforthisâorforanythingatall,infactâsoIdidnâtknowwhattodo. Icheckedintothecheapestmotel Icouldfindandwentoutforasteakandacoupleofdrinkstothinkthingsover.By nine oâclock, I hadnât made any progress, so I went back to thecarnival toseewhatwasgoingonout there. Iwas in luck,of sortsâacold front was moving in, and a nasty light rain was sending themerrymakershomewiththeirspiritsdampened.Doyousupposetheyârestillcalledroustabouts?IdidnâtasktheoneI
foundclosingdownthesideshowtent.Helookedtobeabouteighty,andI offered him a ten for the privilege of communingwith nature for awhile in the person of the gorillawhowas nomoreGargantua than Iwas.Hedidnâtappeartoconsideranyoftheethicalaspectsofthematterbutdistinctlysneeredatthesizeofthebribe.Iaddedanotherten,andhe left a light burning by the cage when he hobbled off. There werefoldingchairssetuponseveraloftheperformersâstages,andIdraggedoneoverandsatdown.Ishmaelgazeddownatmeforafewminutesandthenaskedwherewe
hadleftoff.âYouâdjustfinishedshowingmethatthestoryinGenesisthatbegins
withtheFallofAdamandendswiththemurderofAbelisnotwhatitâsconventionally understood to be by the people of my culture. Itâs thestory of our agricultural revolution as told by some of the earliestvictimsofthatrevolution.ââAndwhatremains,doyouthink?ââIdonâtknow.Maybewhatremainsistobringitalltogetherforme.I
donâtknowwhatitalladdsuptoyet.ââYes,Iagree.Letmethinkforabit.â
6
âWhatexactly isculture?â Ishmaelaskedat last.âAs theword iscommonlyused,not in thespecialsenseweâvegiven it for thepurposesoftheseconversations.âItseemedlikeahellofaquestiontoasksomeonesittinginacarnival
sideshowtent,butIdidmybesttogiveitsomethought.âIâdsayitâsthesumtotalofeverythingthatmakesapeopleapeople.âHenodded.âAndhowdoesthatsumtotalcomeintoexistence?ââIâmnotsurewhatyouâregettingat.Itcomesintoexistencebypeople
living.ââYes,butsparrowslive,andtheydonâthaveaculture.ââOkay,Iseewhatyoumean.Itâsanaccumulation.Thesumtotalisan
accumulation.ââWhat youâre not telling me is how the accumulation comes into
being.ââOh, I see. Okay. The accumulation is the sum total that is passed
fromonegeneration to thenext. It comes intobeingwhenâŠWhenaspecies attains a certain order of intelligence, the members of onegenerationbegin topassalong informationandtechniques to thenext.The next generation takes this accumulation, adds its own discoveriesandrefinements,andpassesthetotalontothenext.ââAndthisaccumulationiswhatiscalledculture.ââYes,Iâdsayso.ââItâs the sum total of whatâs passed along, of course, not just
informationandtechniques. Itâsbeliefs,assumptions, theories,customs,legends, songs, stories, dances, jokes, superstitions, prejudices, tastes,attitudes.Everything.ââThatâsright.ââOddlyenough,theorderofintelligenceneededfortheaccumulation
to begin is not terribly high. Chimpanzees in the wild are alreadypassingalongtool-makingandtool-usingbehaviorstotheiryoung.Isee
thatthissurprisesyou.ââNo.WellâŠIguessIâmsurprisedthatyoucitechimpanzees.ââInsteadofgorillas?ââThatâsright.âIshmael frowned. âTo tell the truth, I have deliberately avoided allfieldstudiesofgorillalife.ItisasubjectIfindIdonotcaretoexplore.âInodded,feelingstupid.âIn any case, if chimpanzees have already begun to accumulateknowledge about what works well for chimpanzees, when do yousupposepeoplebegantoaccumulateknowledgeaboutwhatworkswellforpeople?ââIâdhavetoassumeitbeganwhenpeoplebegan.ââYour paleoanthropologists would agree. Human culture beganwithhuman life, which is to say withHomo habilis. The people who wereHomo habilis passed along to their children all theyâd learned, and aseachgenerationcontributeditsmite,therewasanaccumulationofthisknowledge.Andwhoweretheheirstothisaccumulation?ââHomoerectus?ââThatâsright.AndthepeoplewhowereHomoerectuspassedalongthisaccumulation generation after generation, each adding its mite to thewhole.Andwhoweretheheirstothisaccumulation?ââHomosapiens.ââOf course.And the heirs ofHomo sapienswere the people ofHomosapiens sapiens, who passed along this accumulation generation aftergeneration,eachaddingitsmitetothewhole.Andwhoweretheheirstothisaccumulation?ââIâd have to say that the various peoples of the Leavers were theheirs.ââNottheTakers?Whyisthat?ââWhyisthat?Idonâtknow.IâdsayitâsbecauseâŠObviouslytherewasa total break with the past at the time of the agricultural revolution.There was no break with the past in the various peoples who weremigratingtotheAmericasatthistime.Therewasnobreakwiththepast
in the various peoples who inhabited New Zealand or Australia orPolynesia.ââWhatmakesyousaythat?ââIdonâtknow.Itâsmyimpression.ââYes,butwhatâsthebasisfortheimpression?ââIthinkitâsthis.Idonâtknowwhatstoryallthesepeopleareenacting,butIcanseethattheyâreallenactingthesameone.Icanâtspellthestoryoutasyet,butitâsclearlythereâindistinctiontothestorythepeopleofmy culture are enacting.Whereverwe encounter them, theyâre alwaysdoingmuchthesamesortofthing,alwayslivingmuchthesamesortoflifeâjust theway thatwhereverwe encounter us, weâre always doingmuchthesamesortofthing,alwayslivingmuchthesamesortoflife.ââButwhatâs the connection between this and the transmittal of thatculturalaccumulationthatmankindmadeduringthefirstthreemillionyearsofhumanlife?âI thought about it for a couple minutes, then said, âThis is theconnection. The Leavers are still passing that accumulation along inwhatever form it came to them. But weâre not, because ten thousandyearsagothefoundersofourculturesaid,âThisisallshit.Thisisnotthewaypeopleshouldlive,âandtheygotridofit.Theyobviouslydidgetridofit,becausebythetimetheirdescendantsstepintohistorythereâsnotrace of the attitudes and ideas you encounter among Leaver peopleseverywhere.AndthentooâŠââYes?ââThis is interesting. Iâve never noticed this beforeâŠ. Leaver peoplesarealwaysconsciousofhavingatraditionthatgoesbacktoveryancienttimes.Wehavenosuchconsciousness.For themostpart,weâreaveryânewâpeople.Everygenerationissomehownew,morethoroughlycutofffromthepastthantheonethatcamebefore.ââWhatdoesMotherCulturehavetosayaboutthis?ââAh,âIsaid,andclosedmyeyes.âMotherCulturesaysthatthisisasitshouldbe.Thereâsnothinginthepastforus.Thepastisdreck.Thepastissomethingtobeputbehindus,somethingtobeescapedfrom.âIshmael nodded. âSo you see: This is how you came to be cultural
amnesiacs.ââHowdoyoumean?ââUntilDarwinandthepaleontologistscamealongtotackthreemillion
years of human life onto your history, itwas assumed in your culturethat thebirthofmanand thebirthof your culturewere simultaneouseventsâwereinfactthesameevent.WhatImeanisthatthepeopleofyourculturethoughtthatmanwasbornoneofyou.Itwasassumedthatfarmingisasinstinctivetomanashoneyproductionistobees.ââYes,thatâsthewayitseems.ââWhenthepeopleofyourcultureencounteredthehunter-gatherersof
Africa and America, it was thought that these were people who haddegeneratedfromthenatural,agriculturalstate,peoplewhohad lostthearts theyâd been born with. The Takers had no idea that they werelooking at what they themselves had been before they becameagriculturalists. As far as the Takers knew, there was no âbefore.âCreation had occurred just a few thousand years ago, and Man theAgriculturalist had immediately set about the task of buildingcivilization.ââYes,thatâsright.ââDoyouseehowthiscameabout?ââHowwhatcameabout?ââHow it came about that the memory loss of your own pre-
revolutionary period was totalâso total that you didnât even know itexisted.ââNo,Idonât.IfeellikeIshould,butIdonât.ââItwasyourobservationthatwhatMotherCultureteachesisthatthe
pastisdreck,issomethingtobehurriedawayfrom.ââYes.ââAnd thepoint Iâmmaking is thatapparently this is something sheâs
beenteachingyoufromtheverybeginning.ââYes,Isee.Itâscomingtogetherformenow.Iwassayingthatamong
theLeaversyoualwayshavethesenseofapeoplewithapastextendingback to the dawn of time.Among the Takers you have the sense of a
peoplewithapastextendingbackto1963.âIshmael nodded, but thenwent on: âAt the same time, it should benoted that ancientness is a great validator among the people of yourcultureâso long as itâs restricted to that function. For example, theEnglish want all their institutionsâand all the pageantry surroundingthose institutionsâto be as ancient as possible (even if theyâre not).Nevertheless,theythemselvesdonâtliveastheancientBritonslived,andhavenâttheslightestinclinationtodoso.Muchthesamecanbesaidofthe Japanese. They esteem the values and traditions of wiser, noblerancestorsanddeploretheirdisappearance,buttheyhavenointerest inliving the way those wiser, nobler ancestors lived. In short, ancientcustoms are nice for institutions, ceremonies, andholidays, but Takersdonâtwanttoadoptthemforeverydayliving.ââTrue.â
7
âButof course itwasnotMotherCultureâs teaching thateverything from the past was to be discarded. What was to be saved?Whatinfactwassaved?ââIwouldsayitwasinformationabouthowtomakethings,abouthow
todothings.ââAnythingrelatedtoproductionwasdefinitelysaved.Andthatâshow
thingscametobethisway.ââYes.ââOfcoursetheLeaverssaveinformationaboutproductiontoo,though
productionforitsownsakeisrarelyafeatureoftheirlives.AmongtheLeavers,peopledonâthaveweeklyquotasofpotstomakeorarrowheadsto turnout.Theyârenotpreoccupiedwithsteppinguptheirproductionofhand-axes.ââTrue.ââSo, although they save information about production, most of the
information they save is about something else. How would youcharacterizethatinformation?ââIâdsayyougaveawaytheanswertothatquestionafewminutesago.
Iâdsayitcomestowhatworkswellforthem.ââForthem?Notforeveryone?ââNo.Iâmnotananthropologybuff,butIâvereadenoughofittoknow
thattheZuñidonâtthinktheirwayisthewayforeveryone,andthattheNavajodonâtthinktheirwayisthewayforeveryone.Eachofthemhasawaythatworkswellforthem.ââAnd that way that works well for them is what they teach their
children.ââYes.Andwhatweteachourchildrenishowtomakethings.Howto
makemorethingsandbetterthings.ââWhydonâtyouteachthemwhatworkswellforpeople?â
âIâdsayitâsbecausewedonâtknowwhatworkswellforpeople.Everygenerationhastocomeupwithitsownversionofwhatworkswellforpeople.Myparentshadtheirversion,whichwasprettywelluseless,andtheirparentshadtheirversion,whichwasprettywelluseless,andweârecurrentlyworkingonourversion,whichwillprobablyseemprettywelluselesstoourownchildren.â
8
âIâve let theconversation stray from its course,â Ishmaelsaid grumpily and shifted to a newposition, rocking thewagonon itssprings. âWhat I wanted you to see is that each Leaver culture is anaccumulationofknowledge that reachesback in anunbrokenchain tothebeginningofhumanlife.Thisiswhyitâsnogreatwonderthateachofthemisawaythatworkswell.Eachhasbeentestedandrefinedoverthousandsofgenerations.ââYes.Somethingoccurstome.ââGoahead.ââGive me a minute. This has something to do with ⊠the
unavailabilityofknowledgeabouthowpeopleoughttolive.ââTakeyourtime.ââOkay,âIsaidafewminuteslater.âBackatthebeginning,whenIsaid
that there was no such thing as certain knowledge about how peopleoughttolive,whatImeantwasthis:Certainknowledgeisknowledgeofthe one right way. Thatâs whatwe want. Thatâs what Takerswant.Wedonâtwanttoknowawaytolivethatworkswell.Wewanttoknowtheonerightway.Andthatâswhatourprophetsgiveus.Andthatâswhatourlawgiversgiveus.LetmethinkaboutthisâŠ.Afterfiveoreightthousandyearsofamnesia,theTakersreallydidnâtknowhowtolive.Theyreallymusthaveturnedtheirbacksonthepast,becauseallofasudden,herecomes Hammurabi, and everyone says, âWhat are these?â andHammurabisays,âThese,mychildren,arelaws!ââLaws?Whatarelaws?âAndHammurabisays,âLawsarethingsthattellyoutheonerightwaytolive.âWhatamItryingtosay?ââIâmnotsure.ââMaybeitâsthis.Whenyoustartedtalkingaboutourculturalamnesia,
I thoughtyouwerebeingmetaphorical.Ormaybeexaggeratinga littletomakeapoint.Becauseobviouslyyoucanâtknowwhatthoseneolithicfarmers were thinking. Nevertheless, hereâs the fact: After a fewthousand years, the descendants of these neolithic farmers were
scratching theirheadsandsaying, âGee, Iwonderhowpeopleought tolive.âButinthatverysametimeperiod,theLeaversoftheworldhadnâtforgottenhowtolive.Theystillknew,butthepeopleofmyculturehadforgotten,hadcutthemselvesofffromatraditionthattoldthemhowtolive.TheyneededaHammurabitotellthemhowtolive.TheyneededaDracoandaSolonandaMosesandaJesusandaMuhammad.AndtheLeaversdidnât,becausetheyhadawayâhadawholebunchofwaysâthatâŠHoldon.IthinkIâvegotit.ââTakeyourtime.ââEvery one of the Leaversâways came intobeingby evolution, by aprocessof testing thatbeganevenbeforepeoplehadaword for it.Noonesaid,âOkay,letâsformacommitteetowriteupasetoflawsforustofollow.âNone of these cultureswere inventions. But thatâswhat all ourlawgiversgaveusâinventions.Contrivances.Notthingsthathadprovedoutoverthousandsofgenerations,butratherarbitrarypronouncementsabouttheonerightwaytolive.Andthisisstillwhatâsgoingon.Thelawsthey make inWashington arenât put on the books because they workwellâtheyâreputonthebooksbecausetheyrepresenttheonerightwayto live. Youmay not have an abortion unless the fetus is threateningyour lifeorwasput therebya rapist.Therearea lotofpeoplewhoâdliketoseethelawreadthatway.Why?Becausethatâstheonerightwaytolive.Youmaydrinkyourselftodeath,butifwecatchyousmokingamarijuana cigarette, itâs the slammer for you, baby, because thatâs theonerightway.Noonegivesadamnaboutwhetherourlawsworkwell.WorkingwellisbesidethepointâŠ.Again,IâmnotsurewhatIâmgettingat.âIshmaelgrunted.âYouârenotnecessarilygettingatonespecificthing.Youâreexploringadeepcomplexofideas,andyoucanâtexpecttogettothebottomofitintwentyminutes.ââTrue.ââHowever,thereisapointIsetouttomakeherebeforewegoontootherthings,andIwouldliketomakeit.ââOkay.ââYouseenowthattheTakersandtheLeaversaccumulatetwoentirelydifferentkindsofknowledge.â
âYes. The Takers accumulate knowledge about what works well forthings. The Leavers accumulate knowledge about what works well forpeople.ââButnot forall people.EachLeaverpeoplehas a system thatworkswellforthembecauseitevolvedamongthem;itwassuitedtotheterraininwhichtheylived,suitedtotheclimateinwhichtheylived,suitedtothe biological community in which they lived, suited to their ownpeculiartastes,preferences,andvisionoftheworld.ââYes.ââAndthiskindofknowledgeiscalledwhat?ââIdonâtknowwhatyoumean.ââSomeonewhoknowswhatworkswellforpeoplehaswhat?ââWellâŠwisdom?ââOfcourse.Now,youknowthattheknowledgeofwhatworkswellforproduction is whatâs valued in your culture. In the same way, theknowledge of what works well for people is whatâs valued in Leavercultures. And every time the Takers stamp out a Leaver culture, awisdomultimatelytestedsincethebirthofmankinddisappearsfromtheworldbeyondrecall,justaseverytimetheystampoutaspeciesoflife,alife form ultimately tested since the birth of life disappears from theworldbeyondrecall.ââUgly,âIsaid.âYes,âIshmaelsaid.âItisugly.â
9
After a few minutes of head-scratching and earlobe-tugging,Ishmaelsentmeawayforthenight.âIâmtired,âheexplained.âAndIâmtoocoldtothink.â
ELEVEN
1
The drizzle continued, and when I arrived at noon thenextdaytherewasnâtevenanyonearoundtobribe.IhadpickeduptwoblanketsforIshmaelatanArmy-Navystoreâandoneformyselftokeephim in countenance. He accepted them with gruff thanks but seemedglad enough to put them to use.We sat for awhilewallowing in ourmisery,thenhereluctantlybegan.âShortlybeforemydepartureâIdonâtrememberwhatoccasionedthe
questionâyouaskedmewhenweweregoingtogettothestoryenactedbytheLeavers.ââYes,thatâsright.ââWhyareyouinterestedinknowingthatstory?âThe question nonplussed me. âWhy wouldnât I be interested in
knowingit?ââIâmaskingwhatthepointis,inyourmind.YouknowthatAbelisall
butdead.ââWellâŠyes.ââThenwhylearnthestoryhewasenacting?ââAgain,whynotlearnit?âIshmaelshookhishead.âIdonâtcaretoproceedonthatbasis.Thefact
that I canâtgiveyou reasons fornot learning somethingdoesnât supplymewithareasonforteachingit.âHewas clearly in a badmood. I couldnât blame him, but I couldnât
muchsympathizeeither, since itwashewhohad insistedonhaving itthisway.Hesaid:âIsitjustamatterofcuriosityforyou?ââNo, Iwouldnât say that. You said in the beginning that two stories
havebeenenactedhere.Inowknowoneofthem.ItseemsnaturalthatIâdwanttoknowtheotherone.ââNaturalâŠâhesaid,asifitwasnâtawordhemuchliked.âIwishyou
couldcomeupwithsomethingthathasabitmoreheft.SomethingthatwouldgivemethefeelingIwasnâttheonlyoneherewhowassupposedtobeusinghisbrain.ââIâmafraidIdonâtseewhatyouâregettingat.ââIknowyoudonât,andthatâswhatirksme.Youâvebecomeapassivelistenerhere,turningyourbrainoffwhenyousitdownandturningitonwhenyougetuptoleave.ââIdonâtthinkthatâstrue.ââThentellmewhyitisnâtjustawasteoftimeforyoutolearnastorythatisnowallbutextinguished.ââWell,Idonâtconsideritawasteoftime.ââThatâsnotgoodenough.Thefactthatsomethingisnotawasteoftimedoesnotinspiremetodoit.âIshruggedhelplessly.He shook his head, totally disgusted. âYou really do think thatlearningthiswouldbepointless.Thatâsobvious.ââItâsnotobvioustome.ââThenyouthinkithasapoint?ââWellâŠyes.ââWhatpoint?ââGodâŠIwanttolearnit,thatâsthepoint.ââNo.Iwonâtproceedonthatbasis.Iwanttoproceed,butnotifallIâmdoingissatisfyingyourcuriosity.Goawayandcomebackwhenyoucangivemesomeauthenticreasonforgoingon.ââWhatwouldanauthenticreasonsoundlike?Givemeanexample.ââAllright.Whybothertolearnwhatstoryisbeingenactedherebythepeopleofyourownculture?ââBecauseenactingthatstoryisdestroyingtheworld.ââTrue.Butwhybotherlearningit?ââBecausethatâsobviouslysomethingthatshouldbeknown.ââKnownbywhom?â
âByeveryone.ââWhy? Thatâs what I keep coming back to. Why, why, why? Whyshouldyourpeopleknowwhatstorytheyâreenactingastheydestroytheworld?ââSo they can stop enacting it. So they can see that theyâre not justblundering as they do what they do. So they can see that theyâreinvolved in a megalomaniac fantasyâa fantasy as insane as theThousandYearReich.ââThatâswhatmakesthestoryworthknowing?ââYes.ââIâm glad to hear it. Now go away and come back when you canexplainwhatmakestheotherstoryworthknowing.ââIdonâtneedtogoaway.Icanexplainitnow.ââGoahead.ââPeoplecanâtjustgiveupastory.Thatâswhatthekidstriedtodointhesixtiesandseventies.TheytriedtostoplivinglikeTakers,buttherewasnootherway for them to live.They failedbecauseyou canât just stopbeinginastory,youhavetohaveanotherstorytobein.âIshmael nodded. âAnd if there is such a story, people should hearaboutit?ââYes,theyshould.ââDoyouthinktheywanttohearaboutit?ââIdonâtknow.Idonâtthinkyoucanstartwantingsomethingtillyouknowitexists.ââVerytrue.â
2
âAndwhatdoyousupposethisstoryisabout?ââIhavenoidea.ââDoyousupposeitâsabouthuntingandgathering?ââIdonâtknow.ââBe honest. Havenât you been expecting some noble paean to the
mysteriesoftheGreatHunt?ââIâmnotawareofexpectinganythinglikethat.ââWell, you should at least know that itâs about the meaning of the
world, about divine intentions in the world, and about the destiny ofman.ââYes.ââAsIâvesaidhalfadozentimes,manbecamemanenactingthisstory.
Youshouldrememberthat.ââYes,Ido.ââHowdidmanbecomeman?âI examined thatone forbooby trapsandgave itback. âIâmnot sure
whatthequestionmeans,â Isaid.âOrrather Iâmnotsurewhatkindofansweryouwant.Obviouslyyoudonâtwantmetosaythatmanbecamemanbyevolving.ââThat would just mean that he became man by becoming man,
wouldnâtit?ââYes.ââSo thequestion is still therewaiting tobeanswered:Howdidman
becomeman?ââIsupposeitâsoneofthoseveryobviousthings.ââYes.IfIgaveyoutheanswer,youâdsay, âOh.Wellofcourse,butso
what?ââIshrugged,defeated.
âWeâll have to approach it obliquely thenâbut keep it inmind as aquestionthatneedsanswering.ââOkay.â
3
âAccording to Mother Culture, what kind of event wasyouragriculturalrevolution?ââWhatkind of event⊠Iâd say that, according toMother Culture, it
wasatechnologicalevent.ââNoimplicationofdeeperhumanresonances,culturalorreligious?ââNo.Thefirstfarmerswerejustneolithictechnocrats.Thatâstheway
itâsalwaysseemed.ââButafterourlookatchaptersthreeandfourofGenesis,youseethere
wasagreatdealmoretoitthanMotherCultureteaches.ââYes.ââWasandisagreatdealmoretoit,ofcourse,sincetherevolutionis
still inprogress.Adam is still chewing the fruit of that forbidden tree,and wherever Abel can still be found, Cain is there too, hunting himdown,knifeinhand.ââThatâsright.ââThereâsanotherindicationthattherevolutiongoesdeeperthanmere
technology.MotherCulture teaches that, before the revolution,humanlife was devoid of meaning, was stupid, empty, and worthless.Prerevolutionarylifewasugly.Detestable.ââYes.ââYoubelievethatyourself,donâtyou?ââYes,IsupposeIdo.ââCertainlymostofyoubelieveit,wouldnâtyousay?ââYes.ââWhowouldbetheexceptions?ââIdonâtknow.IsupposeâŠanthropologists.ââPeoplewhoactuallyhavesomeknowledgeofthatlife.ââYes.â
âBut Mother Culture teaches that that life was unspeakablymiserable.ââThatâsright.ââCan you imagine any circumstances in which you yourself wouldtradeyourlifeforthatsortoflife?ââNo.Frankly,Icanâtimaginewhyanyonewould,giventhechoice.ââThe Leavers would. Throughout history, the only way the Takershave found to tear them away from that life is by brute force, bywholesale slaughter. In most cases, they found it easiest just toexterminatethem.ââTrue,ButMotherCulturehassomethingtosayaboutthat.Whatshesays is thattheLeavers justdidnâtknowwhattheyweremissing.Theydidnât understand the benefits of the agricultural life, and thatâs whytheyclungtothehunting-gatheringlifesotenaciously.âIshmael smiled his sneakiest smile. âAmong the Indians of thiscountry, who would you say were the fiercest and most resoluteopponentsoftheTakers?ââWellâŠIâdsaythePlainsIndians.ââI think most of you would agree with that. But before theintroduction of horses by the Spanish, the Plains Indians had beenagriculturalistsforcenturies.Assoonashorsesbecamereadilyavailable,theyabandonedagricultureandresumedthehunting-gatheringlife.ââIdidnâtknowthat.ââWell,nowyoudo.DidthePlainsIndiansunderstandthebenefitsoftheagriculturallife?ââIguesstheymusthave.ââWhatdoesMotherCulturesay?âI thoughtaboutthat forawhile, thenlaughed.âShesaystheydidnâtreally understand. If they had, they would never have gone back tohuntingandgathering.ââBecausethatâsadetestablelife.ââThatâsright.ââYou can begin to see how thoroughly effective Mother Cultureâs
teachingsareonthisissue.ââTrue.ButwhatIdonâtseeiswherethisgetsus.ââWeâreonourway todiscoveringwhat lies at thevery rootofyourfear and loathing of the Leaver life.Weâre on our way to discoveringwhyyoufeelyoumustcarrytherevolutionforwardevenif itdestroysyou and the entireworld.Weâre onourway todiscoveringwhat yourrevolutionwasarevolutionagainst.ââAh,âIsaid.âAndwhenweâvedoneallthat,Iâmsureyouâllbeabletotellmewhatstory was being enacted here by the Leavers during the first threemillionyearsofhumanlifeandisstillbeingenactedbythemwherevertheysurvivetoday.â
4
Having spoken of survival, Ishmael shuddered and sankdown into his blanketswith a kind ofmoaning sigh. For aminute heseemed to lose himself in the tireless drumming of rain on the canvasoverhead,thenheclearedhisthroatandwenton.âLetâstrythis,âhesaid.âWhywastherevolutionnecessary?ââItwasnecessaryifmanwastogetsomewhere.ââYoumean ifmanwas to have central heating and universities and
operahousesandspaceships.ââThatâsright.âIshmael nodded. âThat sort of answer would have been acceptable
whenwebeganourworktogether,butIwantyoutogodeeperthanthatnow.ââOkay.ButIdonâtknowwhatyoumeanbydeeper.ââYouknowverywellthatforhundredsofmillionsofyou,thingslike
central heating, universities, opera houses, and spaceships belong to aremote and unattainable world. Hundreds of millions of you live inconditions thatmost people in this country canonly guess at. Even inthis country, millions are homeless or live in squalor and despair inslums,inprisons,inpublicinstitutionsthatarelittlebetterthanprisons.Forthesepeople,yourfacilejustificationfortheagriculturalrevolutionwouldbecompletelymeaningless.ââTrue.ââButthoughtheydonâtenjoythefruitsofyourrevolution,wouldthey
turntheirbacksonit?Wouldtheytradetheirmiseryanddespairforthesortoflifethatwaslivedinprerevolutionarytimes?ââAgain,Iâdhavetosayno.ââThisismyimpressionaswell.Takersbelieveintheirrevolution,even
when they enjoy none of its benefits. There are no grumblers, nodissidents, no counterrevolutionaries. They all believe profoundly that,however bad things are now, theyâre still infinitely preferable towhat
camebefore.ââYes,Iâdsayso.ââTodayIwantyoutogettotherootofthisextraordinarybelief.Whenyouâve done that, youâll have a completely different understanding ofyourrevolutionandoftheLeaverlifeaswell.ââOkay.ButhowdoIdothat?ââBy listening to Mother Culture. Sheâs been whispering in your earthroughoutyour life, andwhatyouâveheard isnodifferent fromwhatyour parents and grandparents heard, from what people all over theworldheardaily.Inotherwords,whatIâmlookingforisburiedinyourmindjustasitâsburiedinallyourminds.TodayIwantyoutounearthit.Mother Culture has taught you to have a horror of the life you putbehindyouwithyourrevolution,andIwantyoutotracethishorrortoitsroots.ââOkay,â I said. âItâs true that we have something amounting to ahorrorofthatlife,butthetroubleis,thisjustdoesnâtseemparticularlymysterioustome.ââItdoesnât?Why?ââIdonâtknow.Itâsalifethatleadsnowhere.ââNomoreofthesesuperficialanswers.Dig.âWith a sigh, I scrunched down insidemy blanket and proceeded todig.âThis is interesting,âIsaidafewminutes later.âIwassittingherethinking about theway our ancestors lived, and a very specific imagepoppedintomyheadfullyformed.âIshmaelwaitedformetogoon.âIt has a sort of dreamlike quality to it. Or nightmarish. A man isscrabbling along a ridge at twilight. In thisworld itâs always twilight.Themanisshort,thin,dark,andnaked.Heâsrunninginahalfcrouch,lookingfortracks.Heâshunting,andheâsdesperate.Nightisfallingandheâsgotnothingtoeat.âHeâsrunningandrunningandrunning,asifhewereonatreadmill.Itisatreadmill,becausetomorrowattwilightheâllbethererunningstillâor running again. But thereâs more than hunger and desperationdrivinghim.Heâsterrifiedaswell.Behindhimontheridge,justoutof
sight, his enemies are in pursuit to tear him to piecesâthe lions, thewolves, the tigers. And so he has to stay on that treadmill forever,foreveronestepbehindhispreyandonestepaheadofhisenemies.âTheridge,ofcourse, represents theknife-edgeof survival.Themanlives on the knife-edge of survival and has to struggle perpetually tokeepfromfallingoff.Actuallyitâsasthoughtheridgeandtheskyareinmotioninsteadofhim.Heâsrunninginplace,trapped,goingnowhere.ââInotherwords,hunter-gatherersleadaverygrimlife.ââYes.ââAndwhyisitgrim?ââBecauseitâsastrugglejusttostayalive.ââBut in fact it isnâtanythingof thekind. Iâmsureyouknow that, inanother compartment of yourmind.Hunter-gatherers nomore live onthe knife-edge of survival thanwolves or lions or sparrows or rabbits.Manwasaswelladaptedtolifeonthisplanetasanyotherspecies,andtheideathathelivedontheknife-edgeofsurvival issimplybiologicalnonsense.Asanomnivore,hisdietary range is immense.Thousandsofspecies will go hungry before he does. His intelligence and dexterityenable him to live comfortably in conditions thatwouldutterly defeatanyotherprimate.âFar from scrabbling endlessly and desperately for food, hunter-gatherersareamongthebest-fedpeopleonearth,andtheymanagethiswithonlytwoorthreehoursadayofwhatyouwouldcallworkâwhichmakes them among the most leisured people on earth as well. In hisbook on stone age economics,Marshall Sahlins described themas âtheoriginal affluent society.â And incidentally, predation of man ispracticallynonexistent.Heâssimplynotthefirstchoiceonanypredatorâsmenu.SoyouseethatyourwonderfullyhorrificvisionofyourancestorsâlifeisjustanotherbitofMotherCultureâsnonsense.Ifyoulike,youcanconfirmallthisforyourselfinanafternoonatthelibrary.ââOkay,âIsaid.âSo?ââSo now that you know that itâs nonsense, do you feel differentlyaboutthatlife?Doesitseemlessrepulsivetoyou?ââLessrepulsivemaybe.Butstillrepulsive.â
âConsiderthis.Letâssupposeyouâreoneofthisnationâshomeless.Outofwork,noskills,awifethesame,twokids.Nowheretoturn,nohope,nofuture.ButIcangiveyouaboxwithabuttononit.Pressthebuttonandyouâllallbewhiskedinstantlybacktoprerevolutionarytimes.Youâllallbeabletospeakthelanguage,youâllallhavetheskillseveryonehadthen.Youâllneveragainhavetoworryabouttakingcareofyourselfandyourfamily.Youâllhaveitmade,youâllbeapartofthatoriginalaffluentsociety.ââOkay.ââSo,doyoupressthebutton?ââIdonâtknow.Ihavetodoubtit.ââWhy?Itisnâtthatyouâdbegivingupawonderfullifehere.According
tothishypothesis,thelifeyouâvegothereiswretched,anditâsnotlikelytoimprove.Soithastobethattheotherlifeseemsevenworse.Itisnâtthat you couldnât bear giving up the life youâve gotâitâs that youcouldnâtbearembracingthatotherlife.ââYes,thatâsright.ââWhatisitthatmakesthatlifesohorrifyingtoyou?ââIdonâtknow.ââItseemsthatMotherCulturehasdoneagoodjobonyou.ââYes.ââAll right. Letâs try this.Wherever the Takers have comeup against
some hunter-gatherers taking up space they wanted for themselves,theyâvetriedtoexplaintothemwhytheyshouldabandontheirlife-styleand become Takers. Theyâve said, âThis life of yours is not onlywretched,itâswrong.Manwasnotmeanttolivethisway.Sodonâtfightus. Join our revolution andhelpus turn theworld into a paradise forman.âââRight.ââYoutakethatpartâthepartoftheculturalmissionaryâandIâlltake
thepartofahunter-gatherer.ExplaintomewhythelifethatIandmypeoplehavefoundsatisfyingforthousandsofyearsisgrimandrevoltingandrepulsive.â
âGoodlord.ââLook,IâllgetyoustartedâŠ.Bwana,youtellusthatthewayweliveiswretched and wrong and shameful. You tell us that itâs not the waypeoplearemeanttolive.Thispuzzlesus,Bwana,becauseforthousandsofyearsithasseemedtousagoodwaytolive.Butifyou,whoridetothestarsandsendyourwordsaroundtheworldatthespeedofthought,tellusthatitisnât,thenwemustinallprudencelistentowhatyouhavetosay.ââWellâŠIrealizeitseemsgoodtoyou.Thisisbecauseyouâreignorantanduneducatedandstupid.ââExactlyso,Bwana.Weawaityourenlightenment.Telluswhyourlifeiswretchedandsqualidandshameful.ââYourlifeiswretchedandsqualidandshamefulbecauseyoulivelikeanimals.âIshmaelfrowned,puzzled.âIdonâtunderstand,Bwana.Weliveasallothers live.We takewhatwe need from theworld and leave the restalone, just as the lion and the deer do.Do the lion and the deer leadshamefullives?ââNo,butthatâsbecausetheyârejustanimals.Itâsnotrightforhumanstolivethatway.ââAh,âIshmaelsaid,âthiswedidnotknow.Andwhyisitnotrighttolivethatway?ââItâsbecause,livingthatwayâŠyouhavenocontroloveryourlives.âIshmaelcockedhisheadatme.âInwhatsensedowehavenocontroloverourlives,Bwana?ââYouhavenocontrolover themostbasicnecessityofall,your foodsupply.ââYou puzzleme greatly, Bwana.Whenweâre hungry,we go off andfindsomethingtoeat.Whatmorecontrolisneeded?ââYouâdhavemorecontrolifyouplantedityourself.ââHowso,Bwana?Whatdoesitmatterwhoplantsthefood?ââIfyouplantityourself,thenyouknowpositivelythatitâsgoingtobethere.â
Ishmael cackled delightedly. âTruly you astonish me, Bwana! Wealreadyknowpositively that itâsgoing tobe there.Thewholeworldoflife is food. Do you think itâs going to sneak away during the night?Wherewoulditgo?Itâsalwaysthere,dayafterday,seasonafterseason,yearafteryear. If itwerenât,wewouldnâtbehere to talk toyouaboutit.ââYes,butifyouplantedityourself,youcouldcontrolhowmuchfood
therewas.Youâdbeabletosay, âWell, thisyearweâllhavemoreyams,thisyearweâllhavemorebeans,thisyearweâllhavemorestrawberries.ââBwana, these things grow in abundancewithout the slightest effort
onourpart.Whyshouldwe troubleourselves toplantwhat isalreadygrowing?ââYes,butâŠdonâtyouever runout?Donâtyoueverwishyouhada
yambutfindtherearenomoregrowingwild?ââYes,Isupposeso.Butisnâtitthesameforyou?Donâtyoueverwish
youhadayambutfindtherearenomoregrowinginyourfields?ââNo,becauseifwewishwehadayam,wecangotothestoreandbuy
acanofthem.ââYes,Ihaveheardsomethingofthissystem.Tellmethis,Bwana.The
canofyamsthatyoubuyinthestoreâhowmanyofyoulaboredtoputthatcanthereforyou?ââOh, hundreds, I suppose. Growers, harvesters, truckers, cleaners at
thecanningplant,peopletoruntheequipment,peopletopackthecansincases, truckers todistribute thecases,peopleat the store tounpackthem,andsoon.ââForgiveme,butyousoundlike lunatics,Bwana, todoall thiswork
just toensure thatyoucanneverbedisappointedover thematterofayam.Amongmypeople,whenwewantayam,wesimplygoanddigoneupâand if there are none to be found,we find something else just asgood, and hundreds of people donât need to labor to put it into ourhands.ââYouâremissingthepoint.ââIcertainlyam,Bwana.âIstifledasigh.âLook,hereâs thepoint.Unlessyoucontrolyourown
food supply,you liveat themercyof theworld. Itdoesnâtmatter thatthereâs alwaysbeenenough.Thatâsnot thepoint.Youcanât liveat thewhimofthegods.Thatâsjustnotahumanwaytolive.ââWhyisthat,Bwana?ââWell⊠look. One day you go out hunting, and you catch a deer.
Okay,thatâsfine.Thatâsterrific.Butyoudidnâthaveanycontroloverthedeerâsbeingthere,didyou?ââNo,Bwana.ââOkay. The next day you go out hunting and thereâs no deer to be
caught.Hasnâtthateverhappened?ââAssuredly,Bwana.ââWell,thereyouare.Becauseyouhavenocontroloverthedeer,you
havenodeer.Sowhatdoyoudo?âIshmaelshrugged.âWesnareacoupleofrabbits.ââExactly.Youshouldnâthavetosettleforrabbits ifwhatyouwantis
deer.ââAnd this is why we lead shameful lives, Bwana? This is why we
shouldsetasidealifeweloveandgotoworkinoneofyourfactories?Becauseweeat rabbitswhen it happens thatnodeerpresents itself tous?ââNo.Letmefinish.Youhavenocontroloverthedeerâandnocontrol
overtherabbitseither.Supposeyougoouthuntingoneday,andtherearenodeerandnorabbits?Whatdoyoudothen?ââThenweeatsomethingelse,Bwana.Theworldisfulloffood.ââYes,but look. Ifyouhavenocontroloveranyof itâŠâ Ibaredmy
teethathim.âLook,thereâsnoguaranteethattheworldisalwaysgoingtobefulloffood,isthere?Havenâtyoueverhadadrought?ââCertainly,Bwana.ââWell,whathappensthen?ââThegrasseswither,alltheplantswither.Thetreesbearnofruit.The
gamedisappears.Thepredatorsdwindle.ââAndwhathappenstoyou?â
âIfthedroughtisverybad,thenwetoodwindle.ââYoumeanyoudie,donâtyou?ââYes,Bwana.ââHa!Thatâsthepoint!ââItâsshamefultodie,Bwana?ââNoâŠ.Iâvegotit.Look,thisisthepoint.Youdiebecauseyouliveatthemercyofthegods.Youdiebecauseyouthinkthegodsaregoingtolookafteryou.Thatâsokayforanimals,butyoushouldknowbetter.ââWeshouldnottrustthegodswithourlives?ââDefinitelynot.Youshouldtrustyourselveswithyourlives.Thatâsthehumanwaytolive.âIshmael shook his head ponderously. âThis is sorry news indeed,Bwana.Fromtimeoutofmindweâvelivedinthehandsofthegods,anditseemedtouswelivedwell.Welefttothegodsallthelaborofsowingandgrowingand liveda carefree life, and it seemed therewasalwaysenoughintheworldforus,becauseâbehold!âwearehere!ââYes,â I told him sternly. âYou are here, and look at you. You havenothing.Youârenakedandhomeless.Youlivewithoutsecurity,withoutcomfort,withoutopportunity.ââAndthisisbecauseweliveinthehandsofthegods?ââAbsolutely. Inthehandsofthegodsyouârenomoreimportantthanlionsorlizardsorfleas.Inthehandsofthesegodsâthesegodswholookafter lions and lizards and fleasâyouâre nothing special. Youâre justanotheranimaltobefed.Waitasecond,âIsaid,andclosedmyeyesforacoupleminutes.âOkay,thisisimportant.Thegodsmakenodistinctionbetweenyouandanyothercreature.No,thatâsnotquiteit.Holdon.âIwentbacktowork,thentriedagain.âHereitis:WhatthegodsprovideisenoughforyourlifeasanimalsâIgrantyouthat.Butforyourlifeashumans,youmustprovide.Thegodsarenotgoingtodothat.âIshmael gaveme a stunned look. âYoumean there is somethingweneedthatthegodsarenotwillingtogiveus,Bwana?ââThatâsthewayitseems,yes.Theygiveyouwhatyouneedtoliveasanimalsbutnotwhatyouneedbeyondthattoliveashumans.â
âButhowcan thatbe,Bwana?Howcan itbe that thegodsarewiseenoughtoshapetheuniverseandtheworldandthelifeoftheworldbutlackthewisdomtogivehumanswhattheyneedtobehuman?ââIdonâtknowhowitcanbe,butitis.Thatâsthefact.Manlivedinthehandsof thegodsforthreemillionyearsandat theendof thosethreemillion years was no better off and no farther ahead than when hestarted.ââTruly,Bwana,thisisstrangenews.Whatkindofgodsarethese?âIsnortedalaugh.âThese,myfriend,areincompetentgods.Thisiswhyyouâvegot to takeyour livesoutof theirhandsentirely.Youâvegot totakeyourlivesintoyourownhands.ââAndhowdowedothat,Bwana?ââAsIsay,youâvegottobeginplantingyourownfood.ââButhowwillthatchangeanything,Bwana?Foodisfood,whetherweplantitorthegodsplantit.ââThatâsexactlythepoint.Thegodsplantonlywhatyouneed.Youwillplantmorethanyouneed.ââTowhatend,Bwana?Whatâsthegoodofhavingmorefoodthanweneed?ââDamn!âIshouted.âIgetit!âIshmael smiled and said, âSo whatâs the good of having more foodthanweneed?ââThatisthewholegoddamnedpoint!Whenyouhavemorefoodthanyouneed,thenthegodshavenopoweroveryou!ââWecanthumbournosesatthem.ââExactly.ââAll the same,Bwana,what arewe todowith this food ifwedonâtneedit?ââYousaveit!Yousaveittothwartthegodswhentheydecideitâsyourturntogohungry.Yousaveitsothatwhentheysendadrought,youcansay,âNotme,goddamnit!Iâmnotgoinghungry,andthereâsnothingyoucandoaboutit,becausemylifeisinmyownhandsnow!ââ
5
Ishmaelnodded,abandoninghishunter-gathererrole.âSoyourlivesarenowinyourownhands.ââThatâsright.ââThenwhatareyouallsoworriedabout?ââWhatdoyoumean?ââIf your lives are in your own hands, then itâs entirely up to you
whetheryougoonlivingorbecomeextinct.Thatâswhatthisexpressionmeans,isnâtit?ââYes.Butobviouslytherearestillsomethingsthatarenâtinourhands.
Wewouldnâtbeabletocontrolorsurviveatotalecologicalcollapse.ââSoyouârenotsafeyet.Whenwillyoufinallybesafe?ââWhenweâvetakenthewholeworldoutofthehandsofthegods.ââWhenthewholeworldisinyourown,morecompetent,hands.ââThatâsright.Thenthegodswillfinallyhavenomorepoweroverus.
Thenthegodswillhavenomorepoweroveranything,Allthepowerwillbeinourhandsandweâllbefreeatlast.â
6
âWell,âIshmaelsaid,âarewemakingprogress?ââIthinkso.ââDoyouthinkweâvefoundtherootofyourrevulsiontowardthesort
oflifethatwaslivedinprerevolutionarytimes?ââYes.FarandawaythemostfutileadmonitionChristeverofferedwas
whenhesaid, âHavenocare for tomorrow.Donâtworryaboutwhetheryouâregoingtohavesomethingtoeat.Lookatthebirdsoftheair.Theyneithersownorreapnorgatherintobarns,butGodtakesperfectcareofthem. Donât you think heâll do the same for you?â In our culture theoverwhelming answer to that question is, âHell no!â Even the mostdedicatedmonasticssawtotheirsowingandreapingandgatheringintobarns.ââWhataboutSaintFrancis?ââSaintFrancisreliedonthebountyoffarmers,notthebountyofGod.
EventhemostfundamentalofthefundamentalistsplugtheirearswhenJesus starts talking about birds of the air and lilies of the field. Theyknowdamnwellheâsjustyarning,justmakingprettyspeeches.ââSoyouthinkthisiswhatâsattherootofyourrevolution.Youwanted
andstillwanttohaveyourlivesinyourownhands.ââYes.Absolutely.Tome,livinganyotherwayisalmostinconceivable.
I can only think that hunter-gatherers live in a state of utter andunendinganxietyoverwhattomorrowâsgoingtobring.ââYettheydonât.Anyanthropologistwilltellyouthat.Theyarefarless
anxiety-riddenthanyouare.Theyhavenojobstolose.Noonecansaytothem, âShowmeyourmoneyoryoudonâtgetfed,donâtgetclothed,donâtgetsheltered.âââI believe you. Rationally speaking, I believe you. But Iâm talking
aboutmy feelings, aboutmy conditioning.My conditioning tellsmeâMotherCulturetellsmeâthatlivinginthehandsofthegodshasgottobeanever-endingnightmareofterrorandanxiety.â
âAndthisiswhatyourrevolutiondoesforyou:Itputsyoubeyondthereachof thatappallingnightmare. Itputsyoubeyond the reachof thegods.ââYes,thatâsit.ââSo.Wehaveanewpairofnamesforyou.TheTakersarethosewhoknowgoodandevil,andtheLeaversareâŠ?ââTheLeaversarethosewholiveinthehandsofthegods.â
TWELVE
1
Along about three oâclock, the rain stopped and thecarnivalyawned,stretched,andwentbacktoworkseparatingtherubesfromtheirmoney.Atlooseendsonceagain,Ihungaroundforawhile,letmyself be separated from a few bucks, and finally had the idea oftrackingdownIshmaelâsowner.Thisturnedouttobeahard-eyedblackmannamedArtOwens,whowasfiveandahalffeettallandspentmoretime lifting weights than I do at the typewriter. I told him I wasinterestedinbuyinghisgorilla.âIsthatafact,âhesaid,notscornful,notimpressed,notinterested,not
anything.Itoldhimitwasandaskedhowmuchitwouldtake.âWouldtakeaboutthreethousand.ââIâmnotthatinterested.ââHow interested are you?â Just curious, not seriously interested
himself.âWell,morelikeathousand.âHesneeredâjustalittle,almostpolitely.Forsomereason,Ilikedthis
guy.HewasthetypewhohasalawdegreefromHarvardstuckawayinadrawersomewherebecauseheneverfoundanythingtodowithitthatappealedtohim.Itoldhim:âThisisavery,veryoldanimal,youknow.Heâsbeenhere
sincethethirties.âThisgothisattention.HeaskedhowIhappenedtocomebythatpiece
ofinformation.âI know the animal,â I repliedbriefly, as if Imight know thousands
morelikehim.âMightgotwenty-fivehundred,âhesaid.âTroubleis,Idonâthavetwenty-fivehundred.ââSee,IalreadygotapainterinNewMexicoworkinâonasignforme,â
hesaid.âPaidhimtwohundredinadvance.ââUhhuh.Icouldprobablyraisefifteenhundred.ââDonâtseehowIcouldgobelowtwenty-two,thatâsafact.âThe factwas, if itwas right there inmyhand, heâd be delighted totaketwothousand.Maybeeveneighteenhundred.IsaidIâdthinkaboutit.
2
It was a Friday night, so the suckers didnât start goinghome till after eleven andmy senectuous bribee didnât come round tocollect his twenty dollars till midnight. Ishmael was asleep sitting up,still bundled up in his blankets, and I didnât feel any qualms aboutwakinghim;Iwantedhimtoreassessthecharmsoftheindependentlife.Heyawned,sneezedtwice,clearedhisthroatofamassofphlegm,and
fixedmeinableary,malevolentglare.âComebacktomorrow,âhesaidintheequivalentofamentalcroak.âTomorrowâsSaturdayâhopeless.âHewasnâthappyaboutit,butheknewIwasright.Hemanagedtoput
off the inevitable by laboriously rearranginghimself, his cage, andhisblankets.Thenhesettleddownandgavemealookofloathing.âWheredidweleaveoff?ââWeleftoffwithanewpairofnamesfortheTakersandtheLeavers:
Thosewhoknowgoodandevilandthosewholiveinthehandsofthegods.âHegrunted.
3
âWhat happens to people who live in the hands of thegods?ââWhatdoyoumean?ââImean,whathappens to peoplewho live in thehands of the gods
thatdoesnothappentopeoplewhobuildtheirlivesontheknowledgeofgoodandevil?ââWell,letâssee,âIsaid.âIdonâtsupposethisiswhatyouâregettingat,
butthisiswhatcomestomind.Peoplewholiveinthehandsofthegodsdonâtmakethemselvesrulersoftheworldandforceeveryonetolivethewaytheylive,andpeoplewhoknowgoodandevildo.ââYouâve turned the question round back to front,â said Ishmael. âI
askedwhat happens to peoplewho live in the hands of the gods thatdoesnâthappentothosewhoknowgoodandevil,andyoutoldmejusttheopposite:whatdoesnâthappentopeoplewholiveinthehandsofthegodsthatdoeshappentothosewhoknowgoodandevil.ââYou mean youâre looking for something positive that happens to
peoplewholiveinthehandsofthegods.ââThatâsright.ââWell, theydotendto let thepeoplearoundthemlive thewaythey
wanttolive.ââYouâre tellingmesomething theydo,not something thathappens to
them.Iâmtryingtofocusyourattentionontheeffectsofthislife-style.ââIâmsorry.IâmafraidIjustdonâtknowwhatyouâregettingat.ââYoudo,butyouârenotusedtothinkingaboutitintheseterms.ââOkay.ââYou remember the question we started out to answer when you
arrivedthisafternoon:Howdidmanbecomeman?Weârestillaftertheanswertothatquestion.âIgroaned,fullyandfrankly.
âWhydoyougroan?âIshmaelasked.âBecause questions of that generality intimidate me. How did manbecome man? I donât know. He just did it. He did it the way birdsbecamebirdsandthewaythathorsesbecamehorses.ââExactlyso.ââDonâtdothattome,âItoldhim.âEvidentlyyoudonâtunderstandwhatyoujustsaid.ââProbablynot.ââIâlltrytoclarifyitforyou.BeforeyouwereHomo,youwerewhat?ââAustralopithecus.ââGood.AndhowdidAustralopithecusbecomeHomo?ââBywaiting.ââPlease.Youâreheretothink.ââSorry.ââDidAustralopithecusbecomeHomobysaying,âWeknowgoodandevilaswellasthegods,sothereâsnoneedforusto liveintheirhandsthewayrabbitsandlizardsdo.Fromnowonwewilldecidewholivesandwhodiesonthisplanet,notthegods.âââNo.ââCouldtheyhavebecomemanbysayingthat?ââNo.ââWhynot?ââBecausetheywouldhaveceasedtobesubjecttotheconditionsunderwhichevolutiontakesplace.ââExactly.Nowyoucananswerthequestion:Whathappenstopeopleâtocreaturesingeneralâwholiveinthehandsofthegods?ââAh.Yes,Isee.Theyevolve.ââAndnowyoucananswerthequestionIposedthismorning:Howdidmanbecomeman?ââManbecamemanbylivinginthehandsofthegods.ââBylivingthewaytheBushmenofAfricalive.â
âThatâsright.ââBylivingthewaytheKreen-AkroreofBrazillive.ââRightagain.ââNotthewayChicagoanslive?ââNo.ââOrLondoners?ââNo.ââSonowyouknowwhathappenstopeoplewholiveinthehandsofthegods.ââYes.Theyevolve.ââWhydotheyevolve?ââBecausetheyâreinapositiontoevolve.Becausethatâswhereevolutiontakesplace.Pre-manevolved intoearlymanbecausehewasout therecompetingwithalltherest.Pre-manevolvedintoearlymanbecausehedidnât take himself out of the competition, because hewas still in theplacewherenaturalselectionisgoingon.ââYoumeanhewasstillapartofthegeneralcommunityoflife.ââThatâsright.ââAndthatâswhy itallhappenedâwhyAustralopithecusbecameHomohabilisandwhyHomohabilisbecameHomoerectusandwhyHomoerectusbecame Homo sapiens and why Homo sapiens became Homo sapienssapiens.ââYes.ââAndthenwhathappened?ââAndthentheTakerssaid,âWeâvehadenoughoflivinginthehandsofthegods.Nomorenaturalselectionforus,thanksverymuch.âââAndthatwasthat.ââAndthatwasthat.ââYourememberIsaidthattoenactastoryistolivesoastomakeitcometrue.ââYes.â
âAccordingtotheTakerstory,creationcametoanendwithman.ââYes.So?ââHowwouldyoulivesoastomake thatcometrue?Howwouldyou
livesoastomakecreationcometoanendwithman?ââOof. I seewhatyoumean.Youwould live theway theTakers live.
Weâredefinitelylivinginawaythatâsgoingtoputanendtocreation.Ifwe go on, there will be no successor to man, no successor tochimpanzees, no successor to orangutans, no successor to gorillasânosuccessortoanythingalivenow.Thewholethingisgoingtocometoanendwithus.Inordertomaketheirstorycometrue,theTakershavetoputanend tocreation itselfâand theyâredoingadamnedgood jobofit.â
4
âWhenwe began and Iwas trying to help you find thepremise of the Taker story, I told you that the Leaver story has anentirelydifferentpremise.ââYes.ââPerhapsyouârereadytoarticulatethatpremisenow.ââIdonâtknow.AtthemomentIcanâteventhinkoftheTakerpremise.ââItâllcomebacktoyou.Everystoryisaworkingoutofapremise.ââYes,okay.ThepremiseoftheTakerstoryistheworldbelongstomanâ
Ithoughtforacoupleofminutes,thenIlaughed.âItâsalmosttooneat.ThepremiseoftheLeaverstoryismanbelongstotheworld.ââMeaningwhat?ââMeaningââIbarkedalaugh.âItâsreallytoomuch.ââGoon.ââItmeans that, right from the beginning, everything that ever lived
belongedtotheworldâandthatâshowthingscametobethisway.Thosesingle-celledcreaturesthatswamintheancientoceansbelongedtotheworld,andbecausetheydid,everythingthatfollowedcameintobeing.Thoseclub-finnedfishoffshoreofthecontinentsbelongedtoworld,andbecause they did, the amphibians eventually came into being. Andbecause the amphibians belonged to theworld, the reptiles eventuallycame into being. And because the reptiles belonged to the world, themammals eventually came into being. And because the mammalsbelonged to the world, the primates eventually came into being. Andbecausetheprimatesbelongedtotheworld,Australopithecuseventuallycame into being. And becauseAustralopithecus belonged to the world,man eventually came into being. And for three million years manbelongedtotheworldâandbecausehebelongedtotheworld,hegrewanddevelopedandbecamebrighterandmoredexterousuntilonedayhewas so bright and dexterous that we had to call him Homo sapienssapiens,whichmeansthathewasus.â
âAnd thatâs theway the Leavers lived for threemillion yearsâas iftheybelongedtotheworld.ââThatâsright.Andthatâshowwecameintobeing.â
5
Ishmael said, âWe know what happens if you take theTakerpremise,thattheworldbelongstoman.ââYes,thatâsadisaster.ââAndwhathappensifyoutaketheLeaverpremise,thatmanbelongs
totheworld?ââThencreationgoesonforever.ââHowdoesthatsound?ââIthasmyvote.â
6
âSomethingoccurstome,âIsaid.âYes?ââItoccurstomethatthestoryIjusttoldisinfactthestorytheLeavers
have been enacting here for three million years. The Takersâ story is,âThegodsmadetheworldforman,buttheybotchedthejob,sowehadtotakemattersintoourown,morecompetenthands.âTheLeaversâstoryis,âThegodsmademanfortheworld,thesamewaytheymadesalmonand sparrows and rabbits for the world; this seems to have workedprettywell so far, sowecan take it easyand leave the runningof theworldtothegods.âââThatâs right. There are otherways to tell it, just as there are other
waystotellthestoryoftheTakers,butthiswayoftellingitisasgoodasany.âI sat there for a while. âIâm thinking about ⊠the meaning of the
world,divineintentionsintheworld,andthedestinyofman.Accordingtothisstory.ââGoahead.ââThemeaningoftheworldâŠIthinkthethirdchapterofGenesishad
itright.Itâsagardenâthegodsâgarden.IsaythiseventhoughImyselfverymuchdoubtthatgodshaveanythingtodowithit.Ijustfindthisawholesomeandencouragingwaytothinkofit.ââIunderstand.ââAndtherearetwotreesinthegarden,oneforthegodsandonefor
us.TheoneforthemistheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil,andtheoneforusistheTreeofLife.ButwecanonlyfindtheTreeofLifeifwestay in thegardenâandwecanonlystay in thegarden ifwekeepourhandsoffthegodsâtree.âIshmaelgavemeanodofencouragement.âDivineintentionsâŠItwouldseemâŠThereisasortoftendencyin
evolution,wouldnâtyousay?Ifyoustartwiththoseultrasimplecritters
intheancientseasandmoveupstepbysteptoeverythingweseeherenowâand beyondâthen you have to observe a tendency toward âŠcomplexity. And toward self-awareness and intelligence.Wouldnât youagree?ââYes.ââThatis,allsortsofcreaturesonthisplanetappeartobeonthevergeof attaining that self-awareness and intelligence. So itâs definitely notjusthumansthatthegodsareafter.Wewerenevermeanttobetheonlyplayers on this stage. Apparently the gods intend this planet to be agardenfilledwithcreaturesthatareself-awareandintelligent.ââSoitwouldappear.Andifthisisso,thenmanâsdestinywouldseemtobeplain.ââYes. Amazingly enough, it is plainâbecauseman is the first of allthese.Heâsthetrailblazer,thepathfinder.Hisdestinyistobethefirsttolearnthatcreatureslikemanhaveachoice:Theycantrytothwartthegodsandperishintheattemptâortheycanstandasideandmakesomeroom for all the rest. But itâsmore than that.His destiny is to be thefatherofthemallâIdonâtmeanbydirectdescent.Bygivingalltheresttheir chanceâthe whales and the dolphins and the chimps and theraccoonsâhebecomesinsomesensetheirprogenitorâŠ.Oddlyenough,itâsevengranderthanthedestinytheTakersdreamedupforus.ââHowso?ââJust think. In a billion years, whatever is around then,whoever isaround then, says, âMan?Oh yes,man!What awonderful creature hewas!Itwaswithinhisgrasptodestroytheentireworldandtotrampleallourfuturesintothedustâbuthesawthelightbeforeitwastoolateandpulledback.Hepulledbackandgavetherestofusourchance.Heshowedusallhowithad tobedone if theworldwas togoonbeingagardenforever.Manwastherolemodelforusall!âââNotashabbydestiny.ââNotashabbydestinybyanymeans.AnditoccurstomethatthisâŠââYes?ââThisgivesa little shape to the story.Theworld isavery,very fineplace.Itwasnâtamess.Itdidnâtneedtobeconqueredandruledbyman.
In otherwords, theworld doesnât need to belong tomanâbut it doesneedmantobelongtoit.Somecreaturehadtobethefirsttogothroughthis, had to see that therewere two trees in the garden, one thatwasgoodforgodsandonethatwasgoodforcreatures.Somecreaturehadtofind theway, and if thathappened, then⊠therewas justno limit towhatcouldhappenhere.Inotherwords,mandoeshaveaplaceintheworld,but itâsnothisplacetorule.Thegodshavethat inhand.Manâsplaceistobethefirst.Manâsplaceistobethefirstwithoutbeingthelast.Manâs place is to figure out how itâs possible to do thatâand then tomakesomeroomforalltherestwhoarecapableofbecomingwhatheâsbecome. Andmaybe,when the time comes, itâsmanâs place to be theteacherofall therestwhoarecapableofbecomingwhatheâsbecome.Not the only teacher, not the ultimate teacher. Maybe only the firstteacher, the kindergarten teacherâbut even that wouldnât be tooshabby.Anddoyouknowwhat?ââWhat?ââAllalong,Iâvebeensayingtomyself,âYes,thisisallveryinteresting,butwhatgoodisit?Thisisnâtgoingtochangeanything!âââAndnow?ââThisiswhatweneed.Notjuststoppingthings.Notjustlessofthings.People need something positive to work for. They need a vision ofsomethingthatâŠIdonâtknow.SomethingthatâŠââIthinkwhatyouâregropingforisthatpeopleneedmorethantobescolded,morethantobemadetofeelstupidandguilty.Theyneedmorethan a vision of doom. They need a vision of the world and ofthemselvesthatinspiresthem.ââYes.Definitely.Stoppingpollutionisnotinspiring.Sortingyourtrashisnotinspiring.Cuttingdownonfluorocarbonsisnotinspiring.ButthisâŠthinkingofourselves inanewway, thinkingof theworld inanewwayâŠThisâŠâIletitgo.Whatthehell,heknewwhatIwastryingtosay.
7
âItrustyounowseeapointImadewhenwefirstbegan.ThestorybeingenactedherebytheTakers isnot inanysensechaptertwo of the story that was being enacted here during the first threemillionyearsofhumanlife.TheLeaverstoryhasitsownchaptertwo.ââWhatisitschaptertwo?ââYouâvejustoutlinedit,havenâtyou?ââIâmnotsure.âIshmael spent a moment in thought. âWeâll never know what the
LeaversofEuropeandAsiawereuptowhenthepeopleofyourculturecame along to plow them under forever. But we do know what theywere up to here in North America. They were looking for ways toachievesettlementthatwereinaccordwiththewaytheyâdalwayslived,ways that left room for the rest of life to go on around them. I donâtmean that theydid this out of any senseof high-mindedness. I simplymeanthatitdidnâtoccurtothemtotakethelifeoftheworldintotheirown hands and to declare war on the rest of the community of life.Proceedinginthiswayforanotherfivethousandyearsortenthousandyears, a dozen civilizations might have appeared on this continent assophisticatedasyours isnow,eachwith itsownvaluesandobjectives.Itâsnotunthinkable.ââNo,itâsnot.Orrather,yesitis.AccordingtoTakermythology,every
civilization anywhere in the universe must be a Taker civilization, acivilization inwhichpeoplehave taken the lifeof theworld into theirown hands. Thatâs so obvious it doesnât need to be pointed out. Hell,everyaliencivilizationinthehistoryofsciencefictionhasbeenaTakercivilization.Everycivilizationeverencounteredby theU.S.S.EnterprisehasbeenaTakercivilization.Thisisbecauseitgoeswithoutsayingthatanyintelligentcreatureanywherewillinsistontakinghislifeoutofthehandsofthegods,willknowthattheworldbelongstohimandnottheotherwayaround.ââTrue.â
âWhichraisesanimportantquestioninmymind.Whatexactlywoulditmeantobelongtotheworldatthispoint?Obviouslyyouârenotsayingthatonlyhunter-gathererstrulybelongtotheworld.ââIâm glad you see that. Though if the Bushmen of Africa or theKalapaloofBrazil(ifthereareanyleftbynow)wanttogoonlivingthatwayforthenexttenmillionyears,Icanâtseehowthiscanbeanythinglessthanbeneficialforthemandfortheworld.ââTrue.Butthatdoesnâtanswermyquestion.Howcancivilizedpeoplebelongtotheworld?âIshmael shookhishead inwhat looked likeamixtureof impatienceand exasperation. âCivilized has nothing to do with it. How cantarantulasbelongtotheworld?Howcansharksbelongtotheworld?ââIdonâtunderstand.ââLookaroundyouandyouâllseesomecreatureswhoactasthoughtheworld belongs to them and some creatures who act as though theybelongtotheworld.Canyoutellthemapart?ââYes.ââThecreatureswhoactasthoughtheybelongtotheworldfollowthepeace-keeping law, and because they follow that law, they give thecreatures around thema chance to grow towardwhatever itâs possiblefor them to become. Thatâs how man came into being. The creaturesaroundAustralopithecusdidnâtimaginethattheworldbelongedtothem,so they lethim live andgrow.Howdoesbeing civilized come into it?Doesbeingcivilizedmeanthatyouhavetodestroytheworld?ââNo.ââDoes being civilized make you incapable of giving the creaturesaroundyoualittlespaceinwhichtolive?ââNo.ââDoes it make you incapable of living as harmlessly as sharks andtarantulasandrattlesnakes?ââNo.ââDoes itmakeyou incapableof followinga lawthatevensnailsandearthwormsmanagetofollowwithoutanydifficulty?â
âNo.ââAs I pointed out some time ago, human settlement isnâtagainst thelaw,itâssubjecttothelawâandthesameistrueofcivilization.Sowhatexactlyisyourquestion?ââI donât know, now. Obviously belonging to the world means âŠbelonging to the same club as everyone else. The club being thecommunity of life. It means belonging to the club and following thesamerulesaseveryoneelse.ââAnd if being civilized means anything at all, it should mean thatyouâreleadersoftheclub,notitsonlycriminalsanddestroyers.ââTrue,âIsaid,thensatthereblinkingforafewmoments.âSomethingyousaidamomentago.WeâllneverknowwhattheLeaversofEuropeorAsiawere up towhen the people ofmy culture arrived to plow themunder.ââYes?ââIthinksomeinformationaboutthathasbeendugupinrecentyears.âIshmaelnodded.âIfitâsrecent,thenImightwellnothaveheardofit.ââAnarcheologistnamedRianeEislerwroteaboutawidespreadLeaveragricultural society that existed in Europe until it was overrun by theTakers five or six thousand years ago. Except she didnât call themLeaversandTakers,ofcourse.Idonâtknowalotaboutit,butevidentlytheculturetheTakersplowedunderwasbasedongoddessworship.âIshmaelnodded. âOneofmy studentswas awareof thebookyouâretalkingaboutbutwasunabletoexplainitssignificanceasyouâvedone.Itâscalled,Ibelieve,TheChaliceandtheBlade.â
8
âReturning to the subject of inspiration, it seems tomethatthesedaysyouhaveanotherpromisingsourceofit,âIshmaelsaid.âWhatâsthat?ââAllmyotherpupils,whentheyreachedthispoint,said,âYes,yes,this
iswonderfulâbutpeoplearenotgoing to relinquish theirholdon theworld. It justcanâthappen.Never.Not inathousandyears.âAndIhadnothingIcouldpointtoasahopefulexampletothecontrary.NowIdo.âIttookmeaboutninetysecondstoseeit.âIassumeyoumeanwhatâs
beenhappeningintheSovietUnionandeasternEuropeinthepastfewyears.ââThatâsright.Tenyearsago,twentyyearsago,anyonepredictingthat
Marxismwouldsoonbedismantledfromthetopwouldhavebeenlabeledahopelessvisionary,anutterfool.ââYes,thatâstrue.ââBut once the people of these countries were inspired by the
possibility of a new way of life, the dismantling took place almostovernight.ââYes,Iseewhatyoumean.FiveyearsagoIwouldhavesaidthatno
amountofinspirationcouldaccomplishthatâorthis.ââAndnow?ââAnd now itâs just barely thinkable. Improbable as hell but not
unimaginable.â
9
âButIdohaveanotherquestion,âIadded.âProceed.ââYouradsaid,âMustearnestlydesiretosavetheworld.âââYes?ââWhat do I do if I earnestly desire to save the world?â Ishmael
frowned at me through the bars for a long moment. âYou want aprogram?ââOfcourseIwantaprogram.ââThenhereisaprogram:ThestoryofGenesismustbereversed.First,
CainmuststopmurderingAbel.Thisisessentialifyouâretosurvive.TheLeavers are the endangered species most critical to the worldânotbecausetheyârehumansbutbecausetheyalonecanshowthedestroyersoftheworldthatthereisnoonerightway tolive.Andthen,ofcourse,youmust spitout the fruitof that forbidden tree.Youmustabsolutelyandforeverrelinquishtheideathatyouknowwhoshouldliveandwhoshoulddieonthisplanet.ââYes, I see all that, but thatâs a program formankind, thatâs not a
programforme.WhatdoIdo?ââWhatyoudoistoteachahundredwhatIâvetaughtyou,andinspire
eachofthemtoteachahundred.Thatâshowitâsalwaysdone.ââYes,butâŠisitenough?âIshmael frowned. âOf course itâs not enough. But if you begin
anywhere else, thereâs no hope at all. You canât say, Weâre going tochangethewaypeoplebehavetowardtheworld,butâweârenotgoingtochangethewaytheythinkabouttheworldorthewaytheythinkaboutdivineintentionsintheworldorthewaytheythinkaboutthedestinyofman.âAslongasthepeopleofyourcultureareconvincedthattheworldbelongstothemandthattheirdivinely-appointeddestinyistoconquerandruleit,thentheyareofcoursegoingtogoonactingthewaytheyâvebeen acting for the past ten thousand years. Theyâre going to go on
treating theworldas if itwereapieceofhumanpropertyand theyâregoingtogoonconqueringitasifitwereanadversary.Youcanâtchangethese thingswith laws.Youmustchangepeopleâsminds.Andyoucanâtjust rootoutaharmfulcomplexof ideasand leaveavoidbehind;youhavetogivepeoplesomethingthatisasmeaningfulaswhattheyâvelostâsomething that makes better sense than the old horror of ManSupreme, wiping out everything on this planet that doesnât serve hisneedsdirectlyorindirectly.âIshookmyhead.âWhatyouâresayingisthatsomeonehastostandupand become to theworld of todaywhat Saint Paulwas to theRomanEmpire.ââYes,basically.Isthatsodaunting?âIlaughed.âDauntingisnâtnearlystrongenough.TocallitdauntingislikecallingtheAtlanticdamp.ââIs it really so impossible in an age when a stand-up comic ontelevisionreachesmorepeopleintenminutesthanPauldidinhisentirelifetime?ââIâmnotastand-upcomic.ââButyouâreawriter,arenâtyou?ââNotthatkindofwriter.âIshmael shrugged. âLucky you. You are absolved of any obligation.Self-absolved.ââIdidnâtsaythat.ââWhatwereyouexpectingtolearnfromme?Anincantation?Amagicwordthatwouldsweepallthenastinessaway?ââNo.ââUltimately,itwouldseemyouârenodifferentfromthoseyouprofesstodespise:Youjustwantedsomethingforyourself.Somethingtomakeyoufeelbetterasyouwatchtheendapproach.ââNo, it isnât that.You justdonâtknowmeVerywell. Itâs always thiswaywithmeâfirstIsay,âNo,no,itâsimpossible,completelyandutterlyimpossible,âthenIgoaheadanddoit.âIshmaelhumphed,barelymollified.
âOnethingIknowpeoplewillsaytomeisâAreyousuggestingwegobacktobeinghunter-gatherers?âââThatofcourseisaninaneidea,âIshmaelsaid.âTheLeaverlife-styleisnât about hunting and gathering, itâs about letting the rest of thecommunity liveâand agriculturalists can do that as well as hunter-gatherers.âHepausedandshookhishead.âWhat Iâvebeenatpains togiveyouisanewparadigmofhumanhistory.TheLeaverlifeisnotanantiquated thing that is âback thereâ somewhere. Your task is not toreachbackbuttoreachforward.ââButtowhat?WecanâtjustwalkawayfromourcivilizationthewaytheHohokamdid.ââThatâscertainlytrue.TheHohokamhadanotherwayof lifewaitingfor them,but youmust be inventiveâif itâsworthwhile to you. If youcare tosurvive.âHegavemeadull stare.âYouârean inventivepeople,arenâtyou?Youprideyourselvesonthat,donâtyou?ââYes.ââTheninvent.â
10
âI have neglected one small point,â Ishmael said, thengaveway to a long, groaning,wheezing sigh, as if hewere sorry heâdallowedhimselftoberemindedofit.Iwaitedinsilence.âOne of my students was an ex-convict. An armed robber, as it
happened.HaveItoldyouthat?âIsaidhehadnât.âIâm afraid our work together was more useful to me than to him.
Primarilywhat I learned from him is that, contrary to the impressiononereceives fromprisonmovies, theprisonpopulation isnotatallanundifferentiatedmass.Asintheoutsideworld,therearetherichandthepoor,thepowerfulandtheweak.Andrelativelyspeaking,therichandthepowerfulliveverywellinsidetheprisonânotaswellastheydoonthe outside, of course, but much, much better than the poor and theweak.Infact,theycanhaveverynearlyanythingtheywant,intermsofdrugs,food,sex,andservice.âIcockedaneyebrowathim.âYouwanttoknowwhatthishastodowithanything,âhesaidwitha
nod.âIthasthistodowithanything:TheworldoftheTakersisonevastprison, andexcept forahandfulofLeavers scatteredacross theworld,theentirehumanraceisnowinsidethatprison.DuringthelastcenturyeveryremainingLeaverpeopleinNorthAmericawasgivenachoice:tobeexterminatedortoacceptimprisonment.Manychoseimprisonment,butnotmanywereactuallycapableofadjustingtoprisonlife.ââYes,thatseemstobethecase.âIshmael fixedmewith a drooping,moist eye. âNaturally a well-run
prisonmusthaveaprisonindustry.Iâmsureyouseewhy.ââWell ⊠it helps to keep the inmates busy, I suppose. Takes their
mindsofftheboredomandfutilityoftheirlives.ââYes.Canyounameyours?â
âOurprisonindustry?Notoffhand.Isupposeitâsobvious.ââQuiteobvious,Iwouldsay.âIgaveitsomethought.âConsumingtheworld.âIshmaelnodded.âGotitonthefirsttry.â
11
âThere is one significantdifferencebetween the inmatesof your criminal prisons and the inmates of your cultural prison: Theformerunderstandthatthedistributionofwealthandpowerinsidetheprisonhasnothingtodowithjustice.âIblinkedathimforawhile,thenaskedhimtoexplain.âInyourculturalprison,whichinmateswieldthepower?ââAh,âIsaid.âThemaleinmates.Especiallythewhitemaleinmates.ââYes, thatâs right.Butyouunderstand that thesewhitemale inmates
areindeedinmatesandnotwarders.Foralltheirpowerandprivilegeâforallthattheylorditovereveryoneelseintheprisonânotoneofthemhasakeythatwillunlockthegate.ââYes,thatâstrue.DonaldTrumpcandoalotofthingsIcanât,buthe
cannomoregetoutoftheprisonthanIcan.Butwhatdoesthishavetodowithjustice?ââJusticedemands thatpeopleother thanwhitemaleshavepower in
theprison.ââYes,Isee.Butwhatareyousaying?Thatthisisnâttrue?ââTrue? Of course itâs true that malesâand, as you say, especially
whitemalesâhave called the shots inside the prison for thousands ofyears,perhaps even from thebeginning.Of course itâs true that this isunjust.Andofcourseitâstruethatpowerandwealthwithintheprisonshould be equitably redistributed. But it should be noted thatwhat iscrucialtoyoursurvivalasaraceisnottheredistributionofpowerandwealthwithintheprisonbutratherthedestructionoftheprisonitself.ââYes,Iseethat.ButIâmnotsuremanyotherpeoplewould.ââNo?ââNo. Among the politically active, the redistribution of wealth and
powerisâŠIdonâtknowwhattocallitthatwouldbestrongenough.Anideawhosetimehascome.TheHolyGrail.ââNonetheless,breakingoutoftheTakerprisonisacommoncauseto
whichallhumanitycansubscribe.âI shook my head. âIâm afraid itâs a cause to which almost none ofhumanity will subscribe. White or colored, male or female, what thepeopleofthisculturewantistohaveasmuchwealthandpowerintheTakerprisonas theycanget.Theydonâtgiveadamnthat itâsaprisonandtheydonâtgiveadamnthatitâsdestroyingtheworld.âIshmaelshrugged.âAsalways,youâreapessimist.Perhapsyouâreright.Ihopeyouârewrong.ââIhopesotoo,believeme.â
12
Even though weâd only been talking an hour or so,Ishmael seemed limp with exhaustion. I made tentative noises aboutleaving,butheevidentlyhadsomethingmoreonhismind.Atlasthelookedupandsaid:âYouunderstandthatIâmfinishedwith
you.âIthinkitwouldhavefeltaboutthesameifheâdplungedaknifeinto
mystomach.He closed his eyes for a moment. âPardon me. Iâm tired and not
expressingmyselfwell.Ididnâtmeanthatthewayitcameout.âIcouldnâtanswerhim,butImanagedanod.âImeanonly that Iâve finishedwhat I set out to do.As a teacher, I
havenothingmoretogiveyou.Evenso,Iwouldbepleasedtocountyouasafriend.âAgain,Icouldnâtmanagemorethananod.Ishmael shrugged and looked around bleary-eyed, as if heâd
momentarilyforgottenwherehewas.Thenherearedbackandexplodedinamagnificentlyjuicysneeze.âLook,âIsaid,gettingup,âIâllbebacktomorrow.âHegavemealong,darkstare;hewaswonderingwhatthedevilmore
Iexpectedofhimbutwastoowearytoask.Hesentmeonmywaywithagruntandavaledictorynod.
THIRTEEN
1
That night, before falling asleep in my motel bed, Ifinalizedmyplan.ItwasabadplanandIknewit,butIcouldnâtthinkofanythingbetter.Whetherhelikeditornot(andIknewhewouldnât),IhadtorescueIshmaelfromthatgoddamnedcarnival.Itwasabadplaninanothersense,inthatitdependedentirelyonme
andmymeagerresources.Ihadonlyonehole-card,andifIhadtoturnit,Ifigureditwouldprobablybeadeuce.AtninethenextmorningIwasinasmalltownabouthalfwayhome,
drivingaroundinhopesoffindingsomeplacetohavebreakfast,whenaâtoo hotâwarning lit up onmy dashboard, forcingme to pull over. Ipopped the hood and checked the oil: oil okay. Checked the waterreservoir: dry. No problemâa canny traveler, I carry extra water. Itoppedoffthereservoir,gotgoingagain,andtwominuteslaterwatchedthewarninglightblinkbackon.ImadeittoafillingstationwherethesignsaidâMechaniconDutyâbutwherenomechanicwasonduty.Evenso, theguywhowasondutyknewthirty timesasmuchas Idoaboutcarsandwaswillingtopokearoundalittle.âThe radiator fan isnât working,â he told me after about fifteen
seconds.Heshowedittomeandexplainedthatordinarilyitonlycomesonwhenstart-and-stopcitydrivingmakestheengineoverheat.âCoulditbeablownfuse?ââCouldbe,âhesaid.Butheruledthatoutbytryinganewone,which
didnobetter thantheoldone.Hesaid,âHoldon,âandfetchedapen-typeprobe,whichheusedtotesttheplugthatconnectedthefantotheelectricalsystem.âYougotfiretothefan,âhetoldme,âsoitlookslikeitâsthefanitselfthatâsshot.ââWherecanIgetanewone?ââHereintown,nowhere,âhetoldme.âNotonaSaturday.âIaskedhimifIcouldgethomewithitasitwas.âIthinkso,âhesaid,âifyoudonâthavetodoalotofcitydrivingto
get there. Or if you stop and let it cool down whenever it starts tooverheat.âImade it backandgot the car intoadealership servicegaragewellbeforenoonandleftitthere,eventhoughtheyassuredmethatnothingatallwouldhappentoitbeforeMondaymorning.Ihadonlyoneerrandto run, and thatwas to visit one of those dear littlemoneymachines,whereIproceededtoplunderallmycashresourcesâchecking,savings,creditcards.WhenIwalkedintomyapartment,Iwascarryingtwenty-fourhundreddollarsâandwasotherwiseapauper.Ididnâtintendtothinkabouttheproblemsahead,becausetheywerejust tootough.Howdoyougetahalf-tongorillaoutofacagethathedoesnâtcaretovacate?Howdoyougetahalf-tongorillaintothebackseatofacarthathedoesnâtcaretoridein?Wouldacarwithahalf-tongorillainthebackseatevenfunction?Asthisindicates,Iâmaone-step-at-a-timekindofguy.Animprovisor.Somehoworanother,IwouldgetIshmaelstashedinthebackseatofmycar,thenIâdfigureoutwhattodonext.PresumablyIâdbringhimbackto my apartmentâand then again figure out what to do next. In myexperience, you never really know how youâre going to handle aproblemuntilyouactuallyhaveit.
2
TheycalledatnineonMondaymorningto tellmewhatwas what with the car. The fan had gone out because it had beenovertaxed; it had been overtaxed because the whole damn coolingsystemwasshot.A lotofworkwasneeded,aboutsixhundreddollarsâworth.Igroanedandtoldthemtocarryon.Theysaiditâdprobablybereadyaround twooâclock, theyâdcall. I said, skip thecall, Iâdpick thecarupwhenIcould;thefactis,Iâdalreadyabandonedthecar.Icouldnâtafford the repairs, and the damn thing probably wouldnât be up tocarryingIshmaelanyway.Irentedavan.You will doubtless wonder why in hell I didnât do that in the first
place. The answer is, I just didnât think of it. Iâm limited, okay? I getused to doing things in a certainway, and that doesnât include takingtripsinrentedvans.TwohourslaterIpulledupatthecarnivallotandsaid,âDamn.âThecarnivalhadmovedon.Somethingâmaybeapremonitionâpromptedmetogetoutandpoke
around. The lot seemed much too small to have held nineteen rides,twenty-fourgames,andasideshow.IwonderedifIcouldfindthesiteofIshmaelâscagewithoutanylandmarkstoguideme.Myfeetrememberedenoughtogetmetothevicinity,andmyeyesdidtherest,fortherewasavisibletrace:theblanketsIâdboughtforhimhadbeenleftbehind,hadbeendumpedinamessypilealongwithotherthingsIrecognized:afewof his books, a pad of drawing paper, still showing the maps anddiagrams heâdmade to illustrate the stories of Cain andAbel, LeaversandTakers,andtheposterfromhisoffice,nowrolledupandsecuredbyarubberband.Iwas stirring itupandsorting itout inabewilderedwaywhenmy
agedbribeeturnedup.Hegrinnedandheldupabigblackplasticbagtoshowmewhathewasdoingthere:clearingawaysomeofthehundredsofpoundsoftrashthathadbeenleftbehind.Then,whenhesawthepile
ofstuffatmyfeet,helookedupatmeandsaid,âItwasthepneumonia.ââWhat?ââItwasthepneumoniathatgothimâyourfriendtheape.âIstoodthereblinkingathim,unabletofathomwhathewasgettingat.âVet came Saturday night and shot him full of stuff, but it was toolate.Passedoffthismorningaroundsevenoreight,Iguess.ââAreyoutellingmethatheâsâŠdead?ââDeadiswhatheis,pardner.âAnd I, the total egotist, hadonly vaguely registered the fact thatheseemedabitwan.I looked around the vast gray lot, where here and there the windraisedclumpsofpapertrashandsometimessentthemtumbling,andfeltonewithitâempty,useless,chokedwithdust,awasteland.Myancientpardnerwaited,plainly interestedtoseewhatthis friendofapeswoulddoorsaynext.âWhatdidtheydowithhim?âIasked.âHuh?ââWhatdidtheydowiththebody?ââOh.Calledthecounty, Iguess.Tookhimoff towheretheycrematetheroadkills.Youknow.ââYeah.Thanks.ââNosweat.ââAllrightifItakethisstuff?âFromthe lookhegaveme Icouldsee Iâdpresentedhimwithanewhigh-watermarkinhumanlunacy,butallhesaidwas,âSure,whynot?Justgetdumpedotherwise.âIlefttheblankets,ofcourse,buttherestallfiteasilyunderonearm.
3
Whatwastobedone?Standforamomentwithloweredgaze outside the county furnace where they cremate the roadkills?Someone else would have handled it differently, probably better,revealingagreaterheart,afinersensibility.Myself,Idrovehome.Drovehome, turned in thevan,pickedupmycar,andwentbackto
the apartment. It was empty in a new way, with a new degree ofemptiness.There was a telephone there on an end table, connecting me to a
wholeworldoflifeandactivity,butwhocouldIcall?Oddlyenough,Ithoughtofsomeone,lookedupanumber,anddialed
it. After three rings, a low, firm voice answered: âMrs. Sokolowâsresidence.ââIsthisMr.Partridge?ââYes,thisisMr.Partridge.âIsaid,âThisistheguywhovisitedyouacoupleweeksago,tryingto
locateRachelSokolow.âPartridgewaited.Isaid,âIshmaelisdead.âAfterapause:âIâmverysorrytohearit.ââWecouldhavesavedhim.âPartridgethoughtaboutthatforawhile.âAreyousurehewouldhave
letus?âIwasnâtsure,andsaidso.
4
It wasnât till I got Ishmaelâs poster to the framing shopthatIdiscoveredthereweremessagesonbothsides.Ihaditframedsothat both can be seen. The message on one side is the one Ishmaeldisplayedonthewallofhisden:
WITHMANGONE,WILLTHEREBEHOPE
FORGORILLA?
Themessageontheothersidereads:
WITHGORILLAGONE,WILLTHEREBEHOPEFORMAN?
ContactotherreadersofDanielQuinnâsbooks(Ishmael,TheStoryofB,MyIshmael,Providence,andBeyondCivilization)atwww.ishmael.org
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
DanielQuinn,theauthorofIshmael,wasborninOmaha,Nebraska,in1935,studiedatSt. Louis University, the University of Vienna in Austria, and Loyola University ofChicago. In 1975 he abandoned a long career in publishing to become a freelancewriter.
The first version of the book that ultimately became Ishmael, his award-winningnovel,waswrittenin1977andwasfollowedbysixothersbeforefindingitsfinalform,asanovel,in1990.QuinnwentontoexplorethespiritualandexperientialoriginsofIshmael in a work of innovative autobiography, Providence: The Story of a Fifty YearVisionQuest.
Ofhislatestnovel,Quinnwrites:âForyearsIworriedthatImightneverequal(muchlesssurpass)whatIachievedinIshmael.ThisworryhasbeenerasedformebyTheStoryofB. Ishmaelwoulddefinitely approveof this book.âThe Story ofB is nowavailablefromBantamBooks.
ContactotherreadersofISHMAELatwww.ishmael.com
FromtheauthorofIshmael
MYISHMAEL
Unbeknownst to the narrator of Ishmael, hewasnât the only person aroundwith âanearnestdesiretosavetheworld.âInMyIshmael,welearnthatanotherpersonansweredIshmaelâsadâatwelve-year-oldgirl!Thoughinitiallyreluctanttoacceptsuchastudent,Ishmael is finally compelled to confer upon her an extraordinary compliment: âYouhave a character very like my own.â Hers is a character that makes not only for afascinatingnew journeybut for an ending to the Ishmael saga thatwill astonishanddelightfansallovertheworld.
AvailablenowFB1412/98
ISHMAEL
ABantam/TurnerBookPUBLISHINGHISTORYBantamhardcovereditionpublishedFebruary1992Bantamtradepaperbackedition/June1995
Allrightsreserved.Copyright©1992byDanielQuinnLibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:91-25441
Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,recording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermission
inwritingfromthepublisher.Forinformationaddress:BantamBooks.
eISBN:978-0-30757480-0
BantamBooksarepublishedbyBantamBooks,adivisionofRandomHouse,Inc.Itstrademark,consisting of the words âBantam Booksâ and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S.PatentandTrademarkOfficeandinothercountries.MarcaRegistrada.BantamBooks,NewYork,NewYork.
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