FORRENNIE

ONE

1

ThefirsttimeIreadthead,Ichokedandcursedandspatandthrewthepapertothefloor.Sinceeventhisdidn’tseemtobequiteenough, I snatched itup,marched into thekitchen,and shoved it intothe trash.While Iwas there, Imademyself a littlebreakfast andgavemyselfsometimetocooldown.Iateandthoughtaboutsomethingelseentirely.That’sright.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 theworld—yes, 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? It’sa fair

question.Infact,it’saquestionIwasaskingmyself.Theanswergoesbacktoatime,acoupledecadesago,whenI’dhad

thesillynotionthatthethingImostwantedtodointheworldwas…tofind a teacher. That’s right. I imagined I wanted a teacher—needed ateacher.Toshowmehowonegoesaboutdoingsomethingthatmightbecalled…savingtheworld.Stupid, no? Childish. Naïve. Simple. Callow. Or just fundamentally

dumb.Inonesomanifestlynormalinotherrespects,itneedsexplaining.Itcameaboutinthisway.Duringthechildren’srevoltofthesixtiesandseventies,Iwasjustold

enoughtounderstandwhatthesekidshadinmind—theymeanttoturn

theworld upside down—and just young enough to believe theymightactually succeed. It’s true. Every morning when I opened my eyes, Iexpectedtoseethatthenewerahadbegun,thattheskywasabrighterblueandthegrassabrightergreen.Iexpectedtohearlaughterintheairandtoseepeopledancinginthestreets,andnotjustkids—everyone!Iwon’tapologizeformynaïveté;youonlyhavetolistentothesongstoknowthatIwasn’talone.ThenonedaywhenIwasinmymid-teensIwokeupandrealizedthatthenewerawasnevergoingtobegin.Therevolthadn’tbeenputdown,ithadjustdwindledawayintoafashionstatement.CanIhavebeentheonlypersonintheworldwhowasdisillusionedbythis?Bewilderedbythis?Itseemedso.Everyoneelseseemedtobeabletopassitoffwithacynicalgrinthatsaid,“Well,whatdidyoureallyexpect?There’sneverbeenanymorethanthisandneverwillbeanymorethanthis.Nobody’sout to save theworld, becausenobodygives adamnabout theworld,that was just a bunch of goofy kids talking. Get a job, make somemoney,worktillyou’resixty,thenmovetoFloridaanddie.”Icouldn’tshrugitawaylikethis,andinmyinnocenceIthoughttherehadtobesomeoneouttherewithanunknownwisdomwhocoulddispelmydisillusionmentandbewilderment:ateacher.Well,ofcoursetherewasn’t.Ididn’twantaguruorakungfumasteroraspiritualdirector.Ididn’twant 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; they’re all designed to benefit thepupil—nottheworld.Iwasaftersomethingelseentirely,butitwasn’tintheYellowPagesoranywhereelsethatIcoulddiscover.InHermannHesse’sThe Journey to the East,wenever findoutwhatLeo’sawesomewisdomconsistsof.ThisisbecauseHessecouldn’ttelluswhathehimselfdidn’tknow.Hewaslikeme—hejustyearnedfortheretobesomeoneintheworldlikeLeo,someonewithasecretknowledgeand a wisdom beyond his own. In fact, of course, there is no secretknowledge;nooneknowsanythingthatcan’tbefoundonashelfinthepubliclibrary.ButIdidn’tknowthatthen.So I looked. Silly as it sounds now, I looked. By comparison, going

after theGrailwouldhavemademore sense. Iwon’t talkabout it, it’stooembarrassing.I lookeduntil Iwisedup.Istoppedmakingafoolofmyself,butsomethingdiedinsideofme—somethingthatI’dalwayssortof likedandadmired. In itsplacegrewascar—atoughspotbutalsoasorespot.Andnow,yearsafterI’dgivenupthesearch,herewassomecharlatanadvertising inthenewspaper for theverysameyoungdreamerthat I’dbeenfifteenyearsago.Butthisstilldoesn’texplainmyoutrage,doesit?Try this: You’ve been in lovewith someone for a decade—someonewhobarelyknowsyou’realive.You’vedoneeverything,triedeverythingtomake this person see that you’re a valuable, estimable person, andthatyourloveisworthsomething.Thenonedayyouopenupthepaperandglanceat thePersonalscolumn,andthereyousee thatyour lovedone has placed an ad… seeking someone worthwhile to love and belovedby.Oh,Iknowit’snotexactlythesame.WhyshouldIhaveexpectedthisunknown teacher to have contacted me instead of advertising for apupil?Contrariwise, if this teacherwasacharlatan,as Iassumed,whywouldIhavewantedhimtocontactme?Letitgo.Iwasbeingirrational.Ithappens,it’sallowed.

2

Ihadtogodownthere,ofcourse—hadtosatisfymyselfthatitwasjustanotherscam.Youunderstand.Thirtysecondswoulddoit, a single look, ten words out of his mouth. Then I’d know. Then Icouldgohomeandforgetaboutit.WhenIgotthere,Iwassurprisedtofinditwasaveryordinarysortof

officebuilding,fullofsecond-rateflacks,lawyers,dentists,travelagents,achiropractor,andaprivateinvestigatorortwo.I’dexpectedsomethinga little more atmospheric—a 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 circus—no, 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-mâché? Was it the body of aUFOnautcutdownbyaNationalGuardsmanbeforehecoulddeliverhissublimemessagefromthestars(“Wearebrothers.Benice.”)?Becauseitwasbackedbydarkness,theglassinthiswindowwasblack—opaque, reflective. I made no attempt to see beyond it as Iapproached; I was the spectacle under observation. On arrival, Icontinuedtogazeintomyowneyesforamoment,thenrolledthefocusforwardbeyondtheglass—andfoundmyselflookingintoanotherpairofeyes.Ifellback,startled.Then,recognizingwhatI’dseen,Ifellbackagain,nowalittlefrightened.Thecreatureontheothersideoftheglasswasafull-growngorilla.Full-grown says nothing, of course. He was terrifyingly enormous, aboulder,asarsenofStonehenge.Hissheermasswasalarming in itself,eventhoughhewasn’tusing it inanymenacingway.Onthecontrary,hewashalf-sitting,half-recliningmostplacidly,nibblingdelicatelyonaslenderbranchhecarriedinhislefthandlikeawand.Ididnotknowwhattosay.YouwillbeabletojudgehowunnervedIwas by this fact: that it seemed tome I should speak—excusemyself,explainmypresence, justifymy intrusion, beg the creature’s 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, hewasn’twaiting; hewasmerely there,hadbeentherebeforeIarrivedandwouldbetherewhenI’dleft.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 didn’t like toleave with the feeling that I’d accomplished nothing at all. I lookedaround,thinkingI’d leaveanote, if Icouldfindsomethingtowriteon(andwith), but there was nothing. Nevertheless, this search, with thethought of written communication in mind, brought to my attentionsomethingI’doverlookedintheroomthatlaybeyondtheglass;itwasasignorposterhangingonthewallbehindthegorilla.Itread:

WITHMANGONE,WILLTHEREBEHOPE

FORGORILLA?

This sign stoppedme—or 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 koan—meant 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 couldn’t 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.

“Buthow?”Isaid,notdaringtospeakthewordsaloud.“What does it matter?” he replied as silently. “It’s so, and nothing

moreneedstobesaid.”“Butyou—”Isputtered.“Youare…”Ifoundthat,havingcometotheword,andwithnootherwordtoput

initsplace,Icouldnotspeakit.Afteramomenthenodded,asifinacknowledgmentofmydifficulty.

“Iamtheteacher.”Foratime,wegazedintoeachother’seyes,andmyheadfeltasempty

asaderelictbarn.Thenhesaid:“Doyouneedtimetocollectyourself?”“Yes!”Icried,speakingaloudforthefirsttime.Heturnedhismassiveheadtoonesidetopeeratmecuriously.“Will

ithelpyoutolistentomystory?”“Indeed it will,” I said. “But first—if you will—please tell me your

name.”Hestaredatmeforawhilewithoutreplyingand(asfarasIcouldtell

atthattime)withoutexpression.ThenheproceededasifIhadn’tspokenatall.“Iwas born somewhere in the forests of equatorialWestAfrica,” he

said.“I’venevermadeanyeffort tofindoutexactlywhere,andseenoreason to do so now. Do you happen to know anything about animalcollectingforzoosandcircuses?”Ilookedup,startled.“Iknownothingatallaboutanimalcollecting.”“At one time, or at least during the thirties, themethod commonly

usedwith gorillaswas this:On finding a band, collectorswould shootthefemalesandpickupalltheinfantsinsight.”“Howterrible,”Isaid,withoutthinking.The creature repliedwith a shrug. “I have no actualmemory of the

event—though I havememories of still earlier times. In any case, theJohnsonssoldmetoazooinsomesmallnortheasterncity—Ican’tsaywhich, for Ihadnoawarenessof such thingsasyet.There I livedandgrewforseveralyears.”

Hepausedandnibbledabsentmindedlyonhisbranchforawhile,asifgatheringhisthoughts.

3

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 don’tmean to imply thattheyacquirepowersofratiocination.Butthetigeryouseemadlypacingitscageisneverthelesspreoccupiedwithsomethingthatahumanwouldcertainly recognizeas a thought.And this thought is aquestion:Why?“Why,why,why,why,why,why?”thetigerasksitselfhourafterhour,day after day, year after year, as it treads its endless path behind thebarsofitscage.Itcannotanalyzethequestionorelaborateonit.Ifyouweresomehowabletoaskthecreature,“Whywhat?”itwouldbeunableto 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;itdidn’toccurtomethatanyonewaspreventingmefromhavinganinterestingandpleasantlife. When no answer to my question was forthcoming, I began toconsider the differences between the two life-styles. The mostfundamentaldifferencewasthatinAfricaIwasamemberofafamily—of a sort of family that the people of your culture haven’t known forthousandsofyears. Ifgorillaswerecapableofsuchanexpression,theywould tell you that their family is like a hand, ofwhich they are the

fingers.Theyarefullyawareofbeingafamilybutareverylittleawareofbeingindividuals.Hereinthezootherewereothergorillas—buttherewasnofamily.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,“Oh,I’dbetterlookforsomefood.”Foodiseverywhere,andonepicksitupalmostabsent-mindedly,asonetakesabreathofair.Infact,onedoesnotthinkoffeedingasadistinctactivityatall.Rather,it’slikea delicious music that plays in the background of all activitiesthroughouttheday. Infact, feedingbecamefeedingformeonlyat thezoo,wheretwicedailygreatmassesoftastelessfodderwerepitchedintoourcages.Itwasinpuzzlingoutsuchsmallmattersasthesethatmyinteriorlifebegan—quiteunnoticed.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,visitorshadtalkedtooneanother—nevertous.“Perhapsthesepeopleareconfused,”I said tomyself. “Perhaps they’vemistakenme foroneof themselves.”Mywondermentandperplexitygrewas,oneafteranother,everygroupthatvisitedmywagonbehaved in thesameway. I simplydidn’tknowwhattomakeofit.Thatnight,withoutthinkingofitassuch,Imademyfirstrealattempttomarshalmythoughtstosolveaproblem.Wasitpossible,Iwondered,thatchangingmylocationhadsomehowchangedme?Ididn’tfeelintheleastchanged,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, “Zsa-Zsa! Zsa-Zsa! Zsa-Zsa!” Atmywagon, they called out,“Goliath!Goliath!Goliath!”By 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 thatmoment—bornasaperson.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:“Look, Johnny, there’s a duck! Can you say duck? D-u-u-c-k! Do youknowwhataducksays?Aducksaysquackquack!”Within 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),Icouldn’tunderstandwhatmadethemnotanimals.Thenatureofourcaptivitywasnolongeramystery,forIhadheardit

explainedtohundredsofchildren.Alltheanimalsofthemenageriehadoriginally lived in somethingcalledTheWild,whichextendedallovertheworld(whatevera“world”mightbe).WehadbeentakenfromTheWild and brought together in one place, because, for some strangereason,peoplefoundus interesting.Wewerekept incagesbecausewewere “wild” and “dangerous”—terms that baffled me, because theyevidentlyreferredtoqualitiesIepitomizedinmyself.Imeanthatwhenparentswantedtoshowtheirchildrenaparticularlywildanddangerous

creature,theywouldpointatme.It’struethattheywouldalsopointatthebigcats,butsinceI’dneverseenabigcatoutsideacage, thiswasnotenlightening.Onthewhole, lifeatthemenageriewasanimprovementoverlifeatthezoo,becauseitwasnotsooppressivelyboring.Itdidn’toccurtometo be resentful of my keepers. Although they had a greater range ofmovement,theyseemedasmuchboundtothemenagerieastherestofus,andIhadnoinklingthattheylivedanentirelydifferentsortoflifeontheoutside.ItwouldhavebeenasplausibleforBoyle’s 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,asifhe’dcometosomecarefullyconsideredconclusion.“YouarenotGoliath,”hesaid.At that, he turned andmarchedback thewayhe’d come,without alooktorightorleft.

4

I was thunderstruck, as you may well imagine. NotGoliath?WhatcoulditpossiblymeantobenotGoliath?Itdidn’toccurtometosay,“Well,ifI’mnotGoliath,thenwhoamI?”

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

didn’t doubt for a moment that he spoke with an unquestionableauthority. A thousand others had calledme by the name of Goliath—eventhosewho,liketheworkersatthemenagerie,knewmewell—butthatwasclearlynotthepoint,countedfornothing.Thestrangerhadn’tsaid, “Your name is not Goliath.” He had said, “You are not Goliath.”Therewas 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 Ididn’t sleep. The rain stopped and the sun rose without my noticing.Soon there were the usual crowds of visitors calling out, “Goliath!Goliath!Goliath!”butIpaidnoattention.Severaldayspassedinthisway.Thenoneeveningafterthemenagerie

hadclosedfortheday,Itookalongdrinkfrommybowlandsoonfellasleep—a 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 didn’t even recognize it as a cage. In fact, it wascircular,andopentotheaironallsides;asIlaterunderstood,agazebohadbeenmodifiedtoservethepurpose.Exceptforalargewhitehousenearby,itstoodaloneinthemidstofanattractiveparkthatIimaginedmustextendtotheendsoftheearth.It was not long before I’d 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.Ididn’tknowwhethertobe sorry about this or not;my new homewas farmore pleasant thananythingI’dseensinceleavingAfrica,butwithoutthedailystimulationof the crowds, itwould soon become evenmore excruciatingly boringthanthezoo,whereatleastI’dhadthecompanyofothergorillas.Iwasstillponderingthesematterswhen,aroundmidmorning,Ilookedupandsaw that I was not alone. A man was standing just beyond the bars,blacklysilhouettedagainstthesunlithouseinthedistance.Iapproachedcautiouslyandwasastonishedtorecognizehim.Asifreenactingourformerencounter,wegazedintoeachother’seyesforseveralminutes,Isittingonthefloorofmycage,heleaningonhiswalkingstick.Isawthat,dryandfreshlydressed,hewasnottheelderlypersonI’dfirsttakenhimfor.Hisfacewaslonganddarkandbony,hiseyes burnedwith a strange intensity, and hismouth seemed set in anexpressionofbittermirth.Atlasthenodded,exactlyasbefore,andsaid:“Yes,Iwasright.YouarenotGoliath.YouareIshmael.”Onceagain,asifeverythingthatmatteredwasnowfinallysettled,heturnedandwalkedaway.And once again I was thunderstruck—but this time by a feeling ofprofoundrelief,forIhadbeenredeemedfromoblivion.More,theerrorthatcausedmetoliveasanunwittingimpostorforsomanyyearshadbeen corrected at last. I hadbeenmadewhole as a person—not againbutfortheveryfirsttime.I was consumed with curiosity about my savior. I didn’t 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 life—and 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 anunprecedentedway—as 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,he’dbeenoutwalkingintherain,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 thepainting—andindeednorelationtothePhilistinetormentorofhisrace.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 America’s inevitable entrance into thewar,travelingshowslikehiswereeithergoingtospendthedurationinwinterquartersorsimplybecomeextinct.

Afterlettingmesettleinforadayinmynewsurroundings,Mr.Sokolowreturnedtobegin tomakemyacquaintance.Hewantedthehandler toshowhimhoweverythingwasdone, frommixingmy feed to cleaningmycage.HeaskedhimifhethoughtIwasdangerous.ThehandlersaidIwaslikeapieceofheavymachinery—dangerousnotbydispositionbutbydintofsheersizeandpower.Afteranhourorso,Mr.Sokolowsenthimaway,andwegazedateach

other ina long silenceaswehadalreadydone twicebefore.Finally—reluctantly,asifsurmountingsomedauntinginteriorbarrier—hebegantospeaktome,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.ButatlasttherecameadaywhenIcouldn’tgoon,andinmyanguishatnot being able to tell him this, I thought him this,with all thementalpowerIpossessed.Hewasstunned—aswasIwhenIsawthathe’dheardmymentalcry.I won’t 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 toaccommodatethecivilizedhabitsI’dacquired.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 ofpleadingorcoercionwouldchangethesituationhe’dcreatedforme.A fewmonths after the wedding, he dropped in to tell me that hiswife,likeAbraham’sSarah,wassoongoingtopresenthimwithachild

ofhisoldage.“I anticipatednothing like thiswhen I namedyou Ishmael,” he told

me.“ButrestassuredthatIwon’tlethercastyououtofmyhousethewaySarahcastyournamesakeoutofAbraham’shouse.”Nevertheless,itamusedhimtosay that, if itwasaboy,hewouldnamehimIsaac.Asmattersturnedout,however,itwasagirl,andtheynamedherRachel.

5

Atthat,Ishmaelpausedforsolong,withhiseyesclosed,thatIbegantowonderifhe’dfallenasleep.Butatlasthewenton.“Wiselyorfoolishly,mybenefactordecidedthatIwouldbethegirl’s

mentor, and (wisely or foolishly) Iwas delighted to have a chance topleasehiminthisway.Inherfather’sarms,Rachelspentnearlyasmuchtime with me as with her mother—which of course did nothing toimprovemy standingwith thatperson.Because Iwasable to speak toherinalanguagemoredirectthanspeech,Icouldsootheandamuseherwhen others failed, and a bond gradually developed between us thatmightbelikenedtotheonethatexistsbetweenidenticaltwins—exceptthatIwasbrother,pet,tutor,andnurseallrolledintoone.“Mrs. Sokolow looked forward to the daywhenRachelwould begin

school, for thennewinterestswouldmakeherastranger tome.Whenthis result didn’t occur, she renewed her campaign to have me sentaway,predictingthatmypresencewouldstuntthechild’ssocialgrowth.Her social growth remained unstunted, however, even though sheskippednofewerthanthreegradesinelementaryschoolandonegradeinhighschool;shehadamaster’sdegreeinbiologybeforehertwentiethbirthday.Nonetheless,aftersomanyyearsofbeingthwartedinamatterthat pertained to themanagement of her ownhome,Mrs. Sokolownolongerneededanyparticularreasontowishmegone.“On the death ofmy benefactor in 1985,Rachel herself becamemy

protector.Therewasnoquestionofmyremaininginthegazebo.Usingfundsprovidedforthispurposeinherfather’swill,Rachelmovedmetoaretreatthathadbeenpreparedinadvance.”Onceagain Ishmael fell silent for severalminutes.Thenhewenton:

“Intheyearsthatfollowed,nothingworkedoutasithadbeenplannedor hoped for. I found I was not content to ‘retreat’ having spent alifetime in retreat, I now wanted somehow to advance into the verycenter of your culture, and I proceeded to exhaustmynewprotector’spatiencebytryingonebothersomearrangementafteranothertoachievethisend.Atthesametime,Mrs.Sokolowwasnotcontenttoleavethings

as theywere and persuaded a court to cut in half the funds that hadbeenallocatedtomysupportforlife.“Itwas not until 1989 that things came clear at last. In that year Ifinally comprehended that my unfulfilled vocation was to teach—andfinally devised a system that would enable me to exist in tolerablecircumstancesinthiscity.”Henodded to letmeknow thiswas the endofhis story—orwas asmuchofitashemeanttotell.

6

Thereare timeswhenhaving toomuchtosaycanbeasdumbfoundingashaving too little. I could thinkofnoway to respondadequatelyor gracefully to sucha tale. Finally I askedaquestion thatseemednomoreorlessinanethanthedozensofothersthatoccurredtome.“Andhaveyouhadmanypupils?”“I’vehadfour,andfailedwithallfour.”“Oh.Whydidyoufail?”He closed his eyes to think for a moment. “I failed because I

underestimatedthedifficultyofwhatIwastryingtoteach—andbecauseIdidn’tunderstandthemindsofmypupilswellenough.”“Isee,”Isaid.“Andwhatdoyouteach?”Ishmael selecteda freshbranch fromapileathis right, examined it

briefly,thenbegantonibbleatit,gazinglanguidlyintomyeyes.Atlasthesaid,“Onthebasisofmyhistory,whatsubjectwouldyousayIwasbestqualifiedtoteach?”IblinkedandtoldhimIdidn’tknow.“Ofcourseyoudo.Mysubjectis:captivity.”“Captivity.”“That’scorrect.”Isatthereforaminute,thenIsaid,“I’mtryingtofigureoutwhatthis

hastodowithsavingtheworld.”Ishmael thought for amoment. “Among the people of your culture,

whichwanttodestroytheworld?”“Whichwanttodestroyit?AsfarasIknow,noonespecificallywants

todestroytheworld.”“Andyetyoudodestroyit,eachofyou.Eachofyoucontributesdaily

tothedestructionoftheworld.”“Yes,that’sso.”“Whydon’tyoustop?”

Ishrugged.“Frankly,wedon’tknowhow.”“You’re captives of a civilizational system thatmoreor less compelsyoutogoondestroyingtheworldinordertolive.”“Yes,that’sthewayitseems.”“So. You are captives—and you have made a captive of the worlditself.That’swhat’satstake,isn’tit?—yourcaptivityandthecaptivityoftheworld.”“Yes,that’sso.I’vejustneverthoughtofitthatway.”“Andyouyourselfareacaptiveinapersonalway,areyounot?”“Howso?”Ishmaelsmiled,revealingagreatmassofivory-coloredteeth.Ihadn’tknownhecould,untilthen.Isaid:“Ihaveanimpressionofbeingacaptive,butIcan’texplainwhyIhavethisimpression.”“Afewyearsago—youmusthavebeenachildatthetime,soyoumaynot remember it—many young people of this country had the sameimpression.Theymadean ingenuousanddisorganizedeffort toescapefrom captivity but ultimately failed, because theywere unable to findthebarsofthecage.Ifyoucan’tdiscoverwhat’skeepingyouin,thewilltogetoutsoonbecomesconfusedandineffectual.”“Yes,that’sthesenseIhaveofit.”Ishmaelnodded.“Butagain,howdoesthisrelatetosavingtheworld?”“Theworldisnotgoingtosurviveforverymuchlongerashumanity’scaptive.Doesthatneedexplication?”“No.Atleastnottome.”“Ithinktherearemanyamongyouwhowouldbegladtoreleasetheworldfromcaptivity.”“Iagree.”“Whatpreventsthemfromdoingthis?”“Idon’tknow.”“This iswhat prevents them: They’re unable to find the bars of thecage.”

“Yes,”Isaid.“Isee.”Then:“Whatdowedonext?”Ishmaelsmiledagain.“SinceIhavetoldyouastorythatexplainshowIcometobehere,perhapsyouwilldothesame.”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Imean,perhapsyouwilltellmeastorythatexplainshowyoucometobehere.”“Ah,”Isaid.“Givemeamoment.”“Youmayhaveanynumberofmoments,”herepliedgravely.

7

“OncewhenIwasincollege,”Itoldhimatlast,“Iwrotea paper for a philosophy class. I don’t remember exactly what theassignmentwas—somethingtodowithepistemology.Here’swhatIsaidin thepaper, roughly:Guesswhat?TheNazisdidn’t 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 theBulgariansandtheSerbiansandtheCroatians—alltheSlavs.Thentheystarted inonthePolynesiansandtheKoreansandtheChineseandtheJapanese—allthepeoplesofAsia.Thistookalong,longtime,butwhenitwasallover,everyoneintheworldwasonehundredpercentAryan,andtheywereallvery,veryhappy.“Naturallythetextbooksusedintheschoolsnolongermentionedany

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 they’d wanted to,becausetheydidn’tknowanythingdifferent.“ButonedaytwoyoungstudentswereconversingattheUniversityof

NewHeidelberginTokyo.BothwerehandsomeintheusualAryanway,butoneof them lookedvaguelyworried andunhappy.ThatwasKurt.His friend said, ‘What’s wrong, Kurt? Why are you always mopingaroundlikethis?’Kurtsaid,‘I’lltellyou,Hans.Thereissomethingthat’stroublingme—and troublingmedeeply.’His friendaskedwhat itwas.‘It’s this,’ Kurt said. ‘I can’t shake the crazy feeling that there is somesmallthingthatwe’rebeingliedtoabout.’“Andthat’showthepaperended.”Ishmael nodded thoughtfully. “And what did your teacher think of

that?”“Hewantedtoknowif Ihadthesamecrazy feelingasKurt.WhenI

said I did, he wanted to knowwhat I thought we were being lied toabout.Isaid,‘HowcouldIknow?I’mnobetteroffthanKurt.’Ofcourse,hedidn’tthinkIwasbeingserious.Heassumeditwasjustanexerciseinepistemology.”“Anddoyoustillwonderifyou’vebeenliedto?”“Yes,butnotasdesperatelyasIdidthen.”“Notasdesperately?Whyisthat?”“BecauseI’vefoundoutthat,asapracticalmatter,itdoesn’tmakeanydifference.Whetherwe’re being lied to or not,we still have to get upandgotoworkandpaythebillsandalltherest.”“Unless,ofcourse,youallbegantosuspectyouwerebeingliedto—andallfoundoutwhattheliewas.”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Ifyoualonefoundoutwhattheliewas,thenyou’reprobablyright—itwouldmakenogreatdifference.Butifyouallfoundoutwhattheliewas,itmightconceivablymakeaverygreatdifferenceindeed.”“True.”“Thenthatiswhatwemusthopefor.”Istartedtoaskhimwhathemeantbythat,butheheldupaleatheryblackhandandtoldme:“Tomorrow.”

8

Thatevening Iwent forawalk.Towalk for the sakeofwalking is something I seldom do. Inside my apartment I’d feltinexplicably anxious. I needed to talk to someone, to be reassured.Orperhaps I needed to confess my sin: I was once again having impurethoughtsaboutsavingtheworld.Oritwasneitherofthese—IwasafraidIwasdreaming.Indeed,consideringtheeventsoftheday,itwaslikelythatIwasdreaming.Isometimesflyinmydreams,andeachtimeIsaytomyself,“Atlast—it’shappeninginrealityandnotinadream!”Inanycase,Ineededtotalktosomeone,andIwasalone.Thisismy

habitualcondition,bychoice—orsoItellmyself.Mereacquaintanceshipleavesmeunsatisfied,andfewpeoplearewillingtoaccepttheburdensandrisksoffriendshipasIconceiveofit.People say that I’m sour and misanthropic, and I tell them they’re

probablyright.Argumentofanysort,onanysubject,hasalwaysseemedlikeawasteoftimetome.ThenextmorningIwokeandthought:“Evenso,itcouldbeadream.

One can sleep in a dream, even have dreams in a dream.” As I wentthrough themotions ofmaking breakfast, eating, andwashing up,myheart was pounding furiously. It seemed to be saying, “How can youpretendnottobeterrified?”Thetimepassed.Idrovedowntown.Thebuildingwasstillthere.The

officeattheendofthehallonthegroundfloorwasstillthereandstillunlocked.WhenIopenedthedoor,Ishmael’shuge,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

“Oddly enough,” he said, “it was my benefactor whoawakened my interest in the subject of captivity and not my owncondition. As I may have indicated in yesterday’s narrative, he wasobsessedbytheeventsthentakingplaceinNaziGermany.”“Yes,that’swhatIgathered.”“FromyourstoryaboutKurtandHansyesterday,Itakeitthatyou’re

astudentofthelifeandtimesoftheGermanpeopleunderAdolfHitler.”“Astudent?No,Iwouldn’tgoasfarasthat.I’vereadsomeofthewell-

knownbooks—Speer’smemoirs,RiseandFallof theThirdReich,andsoon—andafewstudiesofHitler.”“Inthatcase,I’msureyouunderstandwhatMr.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,andsomepositivelythrivedonit—buttheywereallhiscaptives.”“IthinkIseewhatyoumean.”“Whatwasitthatheldthemcaptive?”“Well…terror,Isuppose.”Ishmael shook his head. “You must have seen films of the prewar

rallies,withhundredsofthousandsofthemsingingandcheeringasone.Itwasn’tterrorthatbroughtthemtothosefeastsofunityandpower.”“True.ThenI’dhavetosayitwasHitler’scharisma.”“He certainly had that. But charisma only wins people’s attention.

Onceyouhavetheirattention,youhavetohavesomethingtotellthem.AndwhatdidHitlerhavetotelltheGermanpeople?”Iponderedthisforafewmomentswithoutanyrealconviction.“Apart

fromtheJewishbusiness,Idon’tthinkIcouldanswerthatquestion.”“Whathehadtotellthemwasastory.”

“Astory.”“A 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.”“True.”“Itmayseemincredibletoyounowthatanypeoplecouldhavebeencaptivated 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.”“True.”“AsIsay,thereweremanyinGermanywhorecognizedthisstoryasrank mythology. They were nevertheless held captive by it simplybecause the vast majority around them thought it sounded wonderfulandwerewillingtogivetheirlivestomakeitareality.DoyouseewhatImean?”“Ithinkso.Evenifyouweren’tpersonallycaptivatedbythestory,youwereacaptiveallthesame,becausethepeoplearoundyoumadeyouacaptive.Youwere likeananimalbeingsweptalong in themiddleofastampede.”“That’s right. Even if you privately thought the whole thing wasmadness,youhadtoplayyourpart,youhadtotakeyourplace in thestory.TheonlywaytoavoidthatwastoescapefromGermanyentirely.”“True.”“DoyouunderstandwhyI’mtellingyouthis?”“Ithinkso,butI’mnotsure.”“I’m tellingyou thisbecause thepeopleofyourcultureare inmuchthe same situation. Like the people of Nazi Germany, they are thecaptivesofastory.”

Isatthereblinkingforawhile.“Iknowofnosuchstory,”Itoldhimatlast.“Youmeanyou’veneverheardofit?”“That’sright.”Ishmaelnodded.“That’sbecausethere’snoneedtohearofit.There’snoneedtonameitordiscussit.Everyoneofyouknowsitbyheartbythetimeyou’resixorseven.Blackandwhite,maleandfemale,richandpoor,ChristianandJew,AmericanandRussian,NorwegianandChinese,you all hear it. And youhear it incessantly, because everymediumofpropaganda, everymedium of education pours it out incessantly. Andhearingitincessantly,youdon’tlistentoit.There’snoneedtolistentoit.It’salwaystherehummingawayinthebackground,sothere’snoneedtoattendtoitatall.Infact,you’llfind—atleastinitially—thatit’shardtoattendtoit.It’slikethehummingofadistantmotorthatneverstops;itbecomesasoundthat’snolongerheardatall.”“This is very interesting,” I told him. “But it’s also a little hard tobelieve.”Ishmael’s eyes closed gently in an indulgent smile. “Belief is notrequired.Once you know this story, you’ll hear it everywhere in yourculture,andyou’llbeastonishedthatthepeoplearoundyoudon’thearitaswellbutmerelytakeitin.”

2

“Yesterdayyoutoldmeyouhavetheimpressionofbeingacaptive.Youhavethisimpressionbecausethereisenormouspressureonyoutotakeaplaceinthestoryyourcultureisenactingintheworld—anyplaceatall.Thispressureisexertedinallsortsofways,onallsortsof levels,but it’s exertedmostbasically thisway:Thosewho refuse totakeaplacedonotgetfed.”“Yes,that’sso.”“AGermanwhocouldn’tbringhimselftotakeaplaceinHitler’sstory

had an option: He could leave Germany. You don’t have that option.Anywhereyougointheworld,you’llfindthesamestorybeingenacted,andifyoudon’ttakeaplaceinityouwon’tgetfed.”“True.”“MotherCultureteachesyouthatthisisasitshouldbe.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.Thereisno‘somethingelse.’Tostepoutofthisstoryistofallofftheedgeoftheworld.There’snowayoutofitexceptthroughdeath.”“Yes,that’sthewayitseems.”Ishmael paused to think for a bit. “All this is just a preface to our

work. Iwantedyou tohear itbecause Iwantedyou tohaveat leastavague ideaofwhatyou’regetting intohere.Onceyou learn todiscernthe voice of Mother Culture humming in the background, telling herstoryoverandoveragaintothepeopleofyourculture,you’llneverstopbeingconsciousofit.Whereveryougofortherestofyourlife,you’llbetempted to say to the people around you, ‘How can you listen to thisstuffandnotrecognizeitforwhatitis?’Andifyoudothis,peoplewilllook at you oddly andwonderwhat the devil you’re talking about. Inotherwords,ifyoutakethiseducationaljourneywithme,you’regoing

to findyourselfalienatedfromthepeoplearoundyou—friends, family,pastassociates,andsoon.”“ThatIcanstand,”Itoldhim,andletitgoatthat.

3

“Itismymostheartfeltandunattainablefantasytotravelonceinyourworldasyoudo,freelyandunobtrusively—tostepoutontoastreetand 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,Iwillforeverbehavingtobreakmyjourneytopickupthingsalongtheway—andthatwillbeevenmoretiresome.”“True,”Isaid,justtobeagreeable.“That’s what today is for: We’re packing a bag for our journey

together. I’mgoing to throwinto thisbagsomethings Iwon’twant tostopandpickuplateron.Thesethingswillmeanlittleornothingtoyourightnow.I’lljustshowthemtoyoubrieflyandthentossthemintothebag.Thatwayyou’llrecognizethemwhenItakethemoutlateron.”“Okay.”“First,somevocabulary.Let’shavesomenamessowedon’thavetogo

ontalkingabout‘thepeopleofyourculture’and‘thepeopleofallothercultures.’ I’veusedvariousnameswithvariouspupils,butI’mgoingtotryanewpairwithyou.You’refamiliarwiththeexpression‘Takeitorleaveit.’Usingtheminthissense,dothewordstakersand leavershaveanyheavyconnotationforyou?”“I’mnotsurewhatyoumean.”“Imean, if IcallonegroupTakersandtheothergroupLeavers,will

this sound like I’msettingupone tobegoodguysandtheother tobebadguys?”“No.Theysoundprettyneutraltome.”“Good. So henceforth I’m going to call the people of your culture

TakersandthepeopleofallotherculturesLeavers.”

Ihmm’edabit.“Ihaveaproblemwiththat.”“Speak.”“I don’t see how you can lump everyone else in theworld into onecategorylikethat.”“Thisisthewayit’sdoneinyourownculture,exceptthatyouuseapair of heavily loaded terms instead of these relatively neutral terms.Youcallyourselvescivilizedandalltherestprimitive.Youareuniversallyagreedontheseterms;ImeanthatthepeopleofLondonandParisandBaghdadandSeoulandDetroitandBuenosAiresandTorontoallknowthat—whatever else separates them—they are united in being civilizedand distinct from Stone Age peoples scattered all over theworld; youconsideror recognize that,whatever theirdifferences, theseStoneAgepeoplesarelikewiseunitedinbeingprimitive.”“Yes,that’sright.”“Wouldyoubemorecomfortableifweusedtheseterms,civilizedandprimitive?”“Yes,IsupposeIwouldbe,butonlybecauseI’musedtothem.TakersandLeaversisfinewithme.”

4

“Second:themap.Ihaveit.Youdon’thavetomemorizethe route. In other words, don’t worry if, at the end of any day, yousuddenlyrealizethatyoucan’trememberawordI’vesaid.Thatdoesn’tmatter. It’s the journey itself that’s going to change you. Do you seewhatImean?”“I’mnotsure.”Ishmaelthoughtforamoment.“I’llgiveyouageneralideaofwhere

we’reheading,thenyou’llunderstand.”“Okay.”“MotherCulture,whose voicehas been in your ear since thedayof

your birth, has given you an explanation ofhow things came to be thisway.Youknowitwell;everyoneinyourcultureknowsitwell.Butthisexplanationwasn’tgiventoyouallatonce.Nooneeversatyoudownand said, ‘Here 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?”“Ithinkso.”“Thisexplanationofhowthingscametobethiswayisambientinyour

culture.Everyoneknowsitandeveryoneacceptsitwithoutquestion.”“Okay.”“As we make our journey here, we’re going to be reexamining key

piecesofthatmosaic.We’regoingtobetakingthemoutofyourmosaicand fitting them into an entirely different mosaic: into an entirelydifferentexplanationofhowthingscametobethisway”“Okay.”

“Andwhenwe’re finished,you’llhaveanentirelynewperceptionoftheworld and of all that’s happened here. And itwon’tmatter in theleastwhether you remember how that perceptionwas assembled. Thejourneyitselfisgoingtochangeyou,soyoudon’thavetoworryaboutmemorizingtheroutewetooktoaccomplishthatchange.”“Right.Iseewhatyoumeannow.”

5

“Third,” he said, “definitions. These arewords thatwillhave a specialmeaning in our discourse here. First definition: story.Astoryisascenariointerrelatingman,theworld,andthegods.”“Okay.”“Seconddefinition: toenact.Toenactastoryistolivesoastomake

thestoryareality.Inotherwords,toenactastoryistostrivetomakeitcometrue.YourecognizethatthisiswhatthepeopleofGermanyweredoingunderHitler.TheyweretryingtomaketheThousandYearReichareality. Theywere trying tomake the story hewas telling them cometrue.”“Right.”“Thirddefinition:culture.Acultureisapeopleenactingastory.”“Apeopleenactingastory.Andastoryagainis…?”“Ascenariointerrelatingman,theworld,andthegods.”“Okay. So you’re saying that the people ofmy culture are enacting

theirownstoryaboutman,theworld,andthegods.”“That’sright.”“ButIstilldon’tknowwhatthatstoryis.”“Youwill.Don’tfretaboutit.Forthemomentallyouhavetoknowis

thattwofundamentallydifferentstorieshavebeenenactedhereduringthe lifetime ofman.One began to be enacted here some two or threemillionyearsagobythepeoplewe’veagreedtocallLeaversandisstillbeingenactedbythemtoday,assuccessfullyasever.Theotherbegantobe enactedhere some tenor twelve thousandyears agoby thepeoplewe’ve agreed to call Takers, and is apparently about to end incatastrophe.”“Ah,”Isaid,meaningIknownotwhat.

6

“If Mother Culture were to give an account of humanhistoryusingtheseterms,itwouldgosomethinglikethis: ‘TheLeaverswere chapter one of human history—a long and uneventful chapter.Theirchapterofhumanhistoryendedabouttenthousandyearsagowiththe birth of agriculture in the Near East. This event marked thebeginningof chapter two, thechapterof theTakers. It’s true therearestill Leavers living in the world, but these are anachronisms, fossils—peoplelivinginthepast,peoplewhojustdon’trealizethattheirchapterofhumanhistoryisover.’”“Right.”“This is thegeneral shapeofhumanhistoryas it’sperceived inyour

culture.”“Iwouldsayso.”“As you’ll come to see,what I’m saying is quite different from this.

The Leavers are not chapter one of a story in which the Takers arechaptertwo.”“Saythatagain?”“I’ll say it differently. The Leavers and the Takers are enacting two

separatestories,basedonentirelydifferentandcontradictorypremises.This is something we’ll be looking at later, so you don’t have tounderstanditrightthissecond.”“Okay.”

7

Ishmael scratched thesideofhis jaw thoughtfully.Frommysideoftheglass, Iheardnothingofthis; in imaginationitsoundedlikeashovelbeingdraggedacrossgravel.“Ithinkourbagispacked.AsIsaid,Idon’texpectyoutoremember

everything I’ve thrown into it today.Whenyou leavehere, everythingwillprobablyalljustturnintoonegreatmuddle.”“Ibelieveyou,”Isaidwithconviction.“Butthat’sallright.IfIpullsomethingfromourbagtomorrowthatI

putintoday,you’llrecognizeitinstantly,andthat’sallthatmatters.”“Okay.I’mgladtohearit.”“We’ll make this a short session today. The journey itself begins

tomorrow.Meanwhile,youcanspendtherestof todaygroping for thestorythepeopleofyourculturehavebeenenactingintheworldforthepasttenthousandyears.Doyourememberwhatit’sabout?”“About?”“It’s about themeaning of theworld, about divine intentions in the

world,andabouthumandestiny.”“Well, I can tellyou storiesabout these things,but Idon’tknowany

onestory.”“It’stheonestorythateveryoneinyourcultureknowsandaccepts.”“I’mafraidthatdoesn’thelpmuch.”“Perhaps it’llhelp if I tellyou that it’sanexplaining story, like ‘How

theElephantGotItsTrunk’or‘HowtheLeopardGotItsSpots.’”“Okay.”“Andwhatdoyousupposethisstoryofyoursexplains?”“God,Ihavenoidea.”“ThatshouldbeclearfromwhatI’vealreadytoldyou.Itexplainshow

thingscametobethisway.Fromthebeginninguntilnow.”“Isee,” I said,andstaredout thewindowforawhile.“I’mcertainly

notawareofknowingsuchastory.AsIsaid,stories,yes,butnothinglikeasinglestory.”Ishmael pondered this for a minute or two. “One of the pupils Imentionedyesterdayfeltobligedtoexplaintomewhatshewaslookingfor,andshesaid,‘Whyisitthatnooneisexcited?Ihearpeopletalkingin the Laundromat about the end of the world, and they’re 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.’“Isaidtoher,‘Isthiswhatyouwanttoknowthen—whypeoplearen’texcitedaboutthedestructionoftheworld?’Shethoughtaboutthatforawhileandsaid,‘No,Iknowwhythey’renotexcited.They’renotexcitedbecausetheybelievewhatthey’vebeentold.’”Isaid,“Yes?”“Whathavepeoplebeentoldthatkeepsthemfrombecomingexcited,thatkeepsthemrelativelycalmwhentheyviewthecatastrophicdamagethey’reinflictingonthisplanet?”“Idon’tknow.”“They’ve been told an explaining story. They’ve been given anexplanationofhowthingscametobethisway,andthisstillstheiralarm.This explanation covers everything, including the deterioration of theozone layer, the pollution of the oceans, the destruction of the rainforests,andevenhumanextinction—anditsatisfiesthem.Orperhapsitwould be more accurate to say that it pacifies them. They put theirshoulderstothewheelduringtheday,stupefythemselveswithdrugsortelevisionatnight,andtrynottothinktoosearchinglyabouttheworldthey’releavingtheirchildrentocopewith.”“Right.”“Youyourselfweregiventhesameexplanationofhowthingscametobe this way as everyone else—but it apparently doesn’t satisfy you.You’vehearditfrominfancybuthavenevermanagedtoswallowit.Youhave the feeling something’s been left out, glossed over.Youhave the

feelingyou’vebeenliedtoaboutsomething,andifyoucan,you’dliketoknowwhatitis—andthat’swhatyou’redoinghereinthisroom.”“Let me think about this for a second. Are you saying that thisexplainingstorycontainstheliesIwastalkingaboutinmypaperaboutKurtandHans?”“That’sright.That’sitexactly.”“This bogglesmymind. I don’t knowany such story.Not any singlestory.”“It’s a single, perfectly unified story. You just have to thinkmythologically.”“What?”“I’mtalkingaboutyourculture’smythology,ofcourse.Ithoughtthatwasobvious.”“Itwasn’tobvioustome.”“Any story that explains themeaningof theworld, the intentionsofthegods,andthedestinyofmanisboundtobemythology.”“Thatmaybeso,butI’mnotawareofanythingremotelylikethat.Asfar as I know, there’s nothing in our culture that could be calledmythology, unless you’re talking about Greek mythology or Norsemythologyorsomethinglikethat.”“I’m talking about living mythology. Not recorded in any book—recordedinthemindsofthepeopleofyourculture,andbeingenactedallovertheworldevenaswesithereandspeakofit.”“Again,asfarasIknow,there’snothinglikethatinourculture.”Ishmael’starryforeheadcrinkledintofurrowsashegavemealookofamusedexasperation.“Thisisbecauseyouthinkofmythologyasasetoffanciful tales. The Greeks didn’t 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 wouldn’t knowwhat you were talkingabout.He’dsaywhatyousaid:‘AsfarasIknow,there’snothinglikethatinourculture.’ANorsemanwouldhavesaidthesame.”“Okay.Butthatdoesn’texactlyhelp.”

“Allright.Let’scuttheassignmentdowntoamoremodestsize.Thisstory,likeeverystory,hasabeginning,amiddle,andanend.Andeachofthesepartsisastoryinitself.Beforewegettogethertomorrow,seeifyoucanfindthebeginningofthestory.”“Thebeginningofthestory.”“Yes.Think…anthropologically.”Ilaughed.“Whatdoesthatmean?”“If youwere an anthropologist after the story being enacted by the

AlawaaboriginesofAustralia,youwouldexpecttohearastorywithabeginning,amiddle,andanend.”“Okay.”“Andwhatwouldyouexpectthebeginningofthestorytobe?”“Ihavenoidea.”“Ofcourseyoudo.You’rejustplayingdumb.”Isatthereforaminute,tryingtofigureouthowtostopplayingdumb.

“Okay,”Isaidatlast.“IguessI’dexpectittobetheircreationmyth.”“Ofcourse.”“ButIdon’tseehowthathelpsme.”“Then I’ll spell itout.You’re looking foryourownculture’screation

myth.”Istaredathimbalefully.“Wehavenocreationmyth,”Isaid.“That’sa

certainty.”

THREE

1

“What’s that?” I said when I arrived the followingmorning.Iwasreferringtoanobjectrestingonthearmofmychair.“Whatdoesitlooklike?”“Ataperecorder.”“That’sexactlywhatitis.”“Imean,what’sitfor?”“It’s for recording for posterity the curious folktales of a doomed

culture,whichyouaregoingtotellme.”Ilaughedandsatdown.“I’mafraidIhaven’tasyetfoundanycurious

folktalestotellyou.”“Mysuggestionthatyoulookforacreationmythborenofruit?”“Wehavenocreationmyth,”Isaidagain.“Unlessyou’retalkingabout

theoneinGenesis.”“Don’t be absurd. If an eighth-grade teacher invited you to explain

how all this began, would you read the class the first chapter ofGenesis?”“Certainlynot.”“Thenwhataccountwouldyougivethem?”“Icouldgivethemanaccount,butitcertainlywouldn’tbeamyth.”“Naturally you wouldn’t consider it a myth. No creation story is a

mythtothepeoplewhotellit.It’sjustthestory.”“Okay,butthestoryI’mtalkingaboutisdefinitelynotamyth.Partsof

it are still in question, I suppose, and I suppose later research mightmakesomerevisionsinit,butit’scertainlynotamyth.”“Turnonthetaperecorderandbegin.Thenwe’llknow.”Igavehimareproachfullook.“Youmeanyouactuallywantmeto…

uh…”“Totellthestory,that’sright.”

“Ican’tjustreelitoff.Ineedsometimetogetittogether.”“There’splentyoftime.It’saninety-minutetape.”Isighed,turnedontherecorder,andclosedmyeyes.

2

“Itallstartedalongtimeago,tenorfifteenbillionyearsago,”Ibeganafewminuteslater.“I’mnotcurrentonwhichtheoryisinthelead,thesteady-stateorthebig-bang,butineithercasetheuniversebeganalongtimeago.”AtthatpointIopenedmyeyesandgaveIshmaelaspeculativelook.Hegavemeonebackandsaid,“Isthatit?Isthatthestory?”“No, I was just checking.” I closedmy eyes and began again. “And

then, I don’t know—I guess about six or seven billion years ago—ourownsolar systemwasborn…. Ihaveapicture inmymind fromsomechildhoodencyclopediaofblobsbeingthrownoutorblobscoalescing…and thesewere the planets.Which, over the next couple billion years,cooled and solidified….Well, let’s see. Life appeared in the chemicalbrothofourancientoceansaboutwhat—fivebillionyearsago?”“Threeandahalforfour.”“Okay. Bacteria, microorganisms evolved into higher forms, more

complex forms, which evolved into still more complex forms. Lifegraduallyspreadtothe land. Idon’tknow…slimesat theedgeof theoceans … amphibians. The amphibians moved inland, evolved intoreptiles. The reptiles evolved intomammals. Thiswaswhat?A billionyearsago?”“Onlyaboutaquarterofabillionyearsago.”“Okay.Anyway,themammals…Idon’tknow.Smallcrittersinsmall

niches—underbushes,inthetrees….Fromthecrittersinthetreescametheprimates.Then,Idon’tknow—maybetenorfifteenmillionyearsago—onebranchoftheprimatesleftthetreesand…”Iranoutofsteam.“Thisisn’tatest,”Ishmaelsaid.“Thebroadoutlineswilldo—justthe

story as it’s generally known, as it’s known by bus drivers and ranchhandsandsenators.”“Okay,”Isaid,andclosedmyeyesagain.“Okay.Well,onethingledto

another. Species followed species, and finallyman appeared.Thatwas

what?Threemillionyearsago?”“Threeseemsprettysafe.”“Okay.”“Isthatit?”“That’sitinoutline.”“Thestoryofcreationasit’stoldinyourculture.”“That’sright.Tothebestofourpresentknowledge.”Ishmaelnoddedandtoldmetoturnoffthetaperecorder.Thenhesatbackwithasighthatrumbledthroughtheglass likeadistantvolcano,folded his hands over his central paunch, and gave me a long,inscrutablelook.“Andyou,anintelligentandmoderatelywell-educatedperson,wouldhavemebelievethatthisisn’tamyth.”“What’smythicalaboutit?”“I didn’t say there was anything mythical about it. I said it was amyth.”IthinkIlaughednervously.“MaybeIdon’tknowwhatyoumeanbyamyth.”“I don’t mean anything you don’t mean. I’m using the word in theordinarysense.”“Thenit’snotamyth.”“Certainlyit’samyth.Listentoit.”Ishmaeltoldmetorewindthetapeandplayitback.Afterlisteningtoit,Isattherelookingthoughtfulforaminuteortwo,forthesakeofappearances.ThenIsaid,“It’snotamyth.Youcouldputthat in an eighth-grade science text, and I don’t think there’s a schoolboard anywhere that would quibble with it—leaving aside theCreationists.”“I agreewholeheartedly. Haven’t I said that the story is ambient inyourculture?Childrenassembleit frommanymedia, includingsciencetextbooks.”“Thenwhatareyousaying?Areyoutryingtotellmethatthisisn’tafactualaccount?”

“It’sfulloffacts,ofcourse,buttheirarrangementispurelymythical.”“Idon’tknowwhatyou’retalkingabout.”“You’veobviouslyturnedoffyourmind.MotherCulturehascroonedyoutosleep.”Igavehimahardlook.“Areyousayingthatevolutionisamyth?”“No.”“Areyousayingthatmandidnotevolve?”“No.”“Thenwhatisit?”Ishmael lookedatmewitha smile.Thenhe shruggedhis shoulders.Thenheraisedhiseyebrows.Istaredathimandthought:I’mbeingteasedbyagorilla.Itdidn’thelp.“Playitagain,”hetoldme.Whenitwasover,Isaid,“Okay,Iheardonething,thewordappeared.Isaidthatfinallymanappeared.Isthatit?”“No,it’snothinglikethat.I’mnotquibblingoveraword.Itwasclearfromthecontextthatthewordappearedwasjustasynonymforevolved.”“Thenwhatthehellisit?”“You’re reallynot thinking, I’mafraid.You’ve reciteda storyyou’veheardathousandtimes,andnowyou’re listeningtoMotherCultureasshe murmurs in your ear: ‘There, there, my child, there’s nothing tothinkabout,nothingtoworryabout,don’tgetexcited,don’tlistentothenasty animal, this is nomyth, nothing I tell you is amyth, so there’snothingtothinkabout,nothingtoworryabout, just listentomyvoiceandgotosleep,gotosleep,gotosleep….’”Ichewedonalipforawhile,thenIsaid,“Thatdoesn’thelp.”“Allright,”hesaid.“I’lltellyouastoryofmyown,andmaybethat’llhelp.”Henibbled for amomentona leafywand, closedhis eyes, andbegan.

3

This story (Ishmael said) takesplacehalf a billionyearsago—aninconceivablylongtimeago,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,forhe’dbeeneverywhereonthe 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 he’d seen in all his journeys, so hewadedouttowhereitwasbobbinginthewaves.Hegreetedthecreaturepolitelyandwasgreetedinkind,andsoonthe

twoofthemweregoodfriends.Theanthropologistexplainedaswellashecouldthathewasastudentoflife-stylesandcustoms,andbeggedhisnewfriendforinformationofthissort,whichwasreadilyforthcoming.“Andnow,”he saidat last, “I’d like togeton tape inyourownwordssomeofthestoriesyoutellamongyourselves.”“Stories?”theotherasked.“Youknow,likeyourcreationmyth,ifyouhaveone.”“What isa creationmyth?” thecreatureasked. “Oh,youknow,” the

anthropologistreplied,“thefancifultaleyoutellyourchildrenabouttheoriginsoftheworld.”Well,atthis,thecreaturedrewitselfupindignantly—atleastaswell

as a squishy blob can do—and replied that his people had no suchfancifultale.

“Youhavenoaccountofcreationthen?”“Certainlywehaveanaccountofcreation,”theothersnapped.“Butitisdefinitelynotamyth.”“Oh,certainlynot,”theanthropologistsaid,rememberinghistrainingatlast.“I’llbeterriblygratefulifyoushareitwithme.”“Verywell,”thecreaturesaid.“ButIwantyoutounderstandthat,likeyou, we are a strictly rational people, who accept nothing that is notbasedonobservation,logic,andthescientificmethod.”“Ofcourse,ofcourse,”theanthropologistagreed.So at last the creature began its story. “The universe,” it said, “wasbornalong,longtimeago,perhapstenorfifteenbillionyearsago.Ourownsolarsystem—thisstar,thisplanetandalltheothers—seemtohavecome intobeing some twoor threebillionyears ago. For a long time,nothingwhatever lived here. But then, after a billion years or so, lifeappeared.”“Excuse me,” the anthropologist said. “You say that life appeared.Wheredid thathappen,according toyourmyth—Imean,according toyourscientificaccount.”The creature seemed baffled by the question and turned a palelavender.“Doyoumeaninwhatprecisespot?”“No.Imean,didthishappenonthelandorinthesea?”“Land?”theotherasked.“Whatisland?”“Oh, you know,” he said,waving toward the shore, “the expanse ofdirtandrocksthatbeginsoverthere.”The creature turned a deeper shade of lavender and said, “I can’timaginewhatyou’regibberingabout.Thedirtandrocksovertherearesimplythelipofthevastbowlthatholdsthesea.”“Oh yes,” the anthropologist said, “I seewhat youmean. Quite. Goon.”“Verywell,”theothersaid.“Formanymillionsofcenturiesthelifeoftheworldwasmerelymicroorganisms floatinghelplessly inachemicalbroth. But little by little, more complex forms appeared: single-celledcreatures,slimes,algae,polyps,andsoon.

“But finally,” the creature said, turning quite pinkwith pride as hecametotheclimaxofhisstory,“butfinallyjellyfishappeared!”

4

Nothingmuchcameoutofme forninety secondsor so,exceptmaybewavesofbaffledfury.ThenIsaid,“That’snotfair.”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Idon’texactlyknowwhat Imean.You’vemadesomesortofpoint,

butIdon’tknowwhatitis.”“Youdon’t?”“No,Idon’t.”“What did the jellyfish mean when it said, ‘But finally jellyfish

appeared’?”“Itmeant… that iswhat itwas all leading up to. This iswhat the

whole ten or fifteen billion years of creation were leading up to:jellyfish.”“I agree. And why doesn’t your account of creation end with the

appearanceofjellyfish?”I suppose I tittered. “Because there was more to come beyond

jellyfish.”“That’sright.Creationdidn’tendwithjellyfish.Stilltocomewerethe

vertebratesandtheamphibiansandthereptilesandthemammals,andofcourse,finally,man.”“Right.”“And soyouraccountof creationends, ‘And finallymanappeared.’”

“Yes.”“Meaningwhat?”“Meaningthattherewasnomoretocome.Meaningthatcreationhad

cometoanend.”“Thisiswhatitwasallleadingupto.”“Yes.”“Of course. Everyone in your culture knows this. The pinnacle was

reached in man. Man is the climax of the whole cosmic drama of

creation.”“Yes.”“When man finally appeared, creation came to an end, because itsobjectivehadbeenreached.Therewasnothinglefttocreate.”“Thatseemstobetheunspokenassumption.”“It’s certainly not always unspoken. The religions of your culturearen’t reticentabout it.Manis theendproductofcreation.Manis thecreature forwhomall therestwasmade: thisworld, thissolarsystem,thisgalaxy,theuniverseitself.”“True.”“Everyone in your culture knows that the world wasn’t created forjellyfishorsalmonoriguanasorgorillas.Itwascreatedforman.”“That’sright.”Ishmaelfixedmewithasardoniceye.“Andthisisnotmythology?”“Well…thefactsarefacts.”“Certainly.Factsarefacts,evenwhenthey’reembodiedinmythology.Butwhatabouttherest?Didtheentirecosmicprocessofcreationcometoanend threemillionyearsago, righthereon this littleplanet,withtheappearanceofman?”“No.”“Did even the planetary process of creation come to an end threemillionyearsagowiththeappearanceofman?Didevolutioncometoascreechinghaltjustbecausemanhadarrived?”“No,ofcoursenot.”“Thenwhydidyoutellitthatway?”“IguessItolditthatway,becausethat’sthewayit’stold.”“That’sthewayit’stoldamongtheTakers.It’scertainlynottheonlywayitcanbetold.”“Okay,Iseethatnow.Howwouldyoutellit?”He nodded toward the world outside his window. “Do you see theslightestevidenceanywhereintheuniversethatcreationcametoanendwiththebirthofman?Doyouseetheslightestevidenceanywhereout

therethatmanwastheclimaxtowardwhichcreationhadbeenstrainingfromthebeginning?”“No.Ican’tevenimaginewhatsuchevidencewouldlooklike.”“That should be obvious. If the astrophysicists could report that thefundamentalcreativeprocessesoftheuniversecametoahaltfivebillionyearsago,whenoursolarsystemmadeitsappearance,thatwouldofferatleastsomesupportforthesenotions.”“Yes,Iseewhatyoumean.”“Or if the biologists and paleontologists could report that speciationcametoahaltthreemillionyearsago,thistoowouldbesuggestive.”“Yes.”“Butyouknowthatneitherofthesethingshappenedinfact.Veryfarfrom it.Theuniversewentonasbefore, theplanetwentonasbefore.Man’sappearancecausednomorestirthantheappearanceofjellyfish.”“Verytrue.”Ishmaelgesturedtowardthetaperecorder.“Sowhatarewetomakeofthatstoryyoutold?”Ibaredmyteethinaruefulgrin.“It’samyth.Incrediblyenough,it’samyth.”

5

“I told you yesterday that the story the people of yourculture are enacting is about the meaning of the world, about divineintentionsintheworld,andabouthumandestiny.”“Yes.”“Andaccordingtothis firstpartofthestory,what is themeaningof

theworld?”Ithoughtaboutthatforamoment.“Idon’tquiteseehowitexplains

themeaningoftheworld.”“Alongabout themiddleofyour story, the focusofattentionshifted

fromtheuniverseatlargetothisoneplanet.Why?”“Becausethisoneplanetwasdestinedtobethebirthplaceofman.”“Of course. As you tell it, the birth of man was a central event—

indeed the central event—in the history of the cosmos itself. From thebirthofmanon,therestoftheuniverseceasestobeofinterest,ceasesto participate in the unfolding drama. For this, the earth alone issufficient;itisthebirthplaceandhomeofman,andthat’sitsmeaning.TheTakersregardtheworldasasortofhumanlife-supportsystem,asamachinedesignedtoproduceandsustainhumanlife.”“Yes,that’sso.”“Inyourtellingofthestory,younaturallyleftoutanymentionofthe

gods,becauseyoudidn’twantittobetaintedwithmythology.Sinceitsmythologicalcharacterisnowestablished,younolongerhavetoworryaboutthat.Supposingthereisadivineagencybehindcreation,whatcanyoutellmeaboutthegods’intentions?”“Well, 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.”

“Andthisisgenerallyhowit’sunderstoodinyourculture—atleastbythose who assume that the universe is an expression of divineintentions.”“Yes.”“Obviously,sincetheentireuniversewasmadesothatmancouldbemade,manmustbeacreatureofenormousimportancetothegods.Butthispartofthestorygivesnohintoftheirintentionstowardhim.Theymusthavesomespecialdestinyinmindforhim,butthat’snotrevealedhere.”“True.”

6

“Everystoryisbasedonapremise,istheworkingoutofapremise.Asawriter,I’msureyouknowthat.”“Yes.”“You’llrecognizethisone:Twochildrenofwarringfamiliesfallinlove.”“Right.RomeoandJuliet.”“The story being enacted in the world by the Takers also has a

premise,whichisembodiedinthepartofthestoryyoutoldmetoday.Seeifyoucanfigureoutwhatitis.”I closedmy eyes and pretended Iwasworking hard,when in fact I

knewIdidn’tstandachance.“I’mafraidIdon’tseeit.”“The story the Leavers have enacted in the world has an entirely

different premise, and itwouldbe impossible for you to discover it atthispoint.Butyoushouldbeabletodiscoverthepremiseofyourownstory. It’s avery simplenotionand themostpowerful inallofhumanhistory. Not necessarily the most beneficial but certainly the mostpowerful.Yourentirehistory,withallitsmarvelsandcatastrophes,isaworkingoutofthispremise.”“Truthfully,Ican’tevenimaginewhatyou’regettingat.”“Think….Look,theworldwasn’tmadeforjellyfish,wasit?”“No.”“Itwasn’tmadeforfrogsorlizardsorrabbits.”“No.”“Ofcoursenot.Theworldwasmadeforman.”“That’sright.”“Everyoneinyourcultureknowsthat,don’t they?Evenatheistswho

swearthereisnogodknowthattheworldwasmadeforman.”“Yes,I’dsayso.”“All right. That’s the premise of your story:Theworld wasmade for

man.”

“Ican’tquitegraspit.Imean,Ican’tquiteseewhyit’sapremise.”“Thepeopleofyourculturemade itapremise—took itasapremise.Theysaid:Whatiftheworldwasmadeforus?”“Okay.Keepgoing.”“Think of the consequences of taking that as your premise: If theworldwasmadeforyou,thenwhat?”“Okay, I seewhat youmean. I think. If theworldwasmade forus,thenitbelongstousandwecandowhatwedamnwellpleasewithit.”“Exactly.That’swhat’sbeenhappeninghereforthepasttenthousandyears: You’ve been doingwhat you damnwell pleasewith theworld.Andofcourseyoumeantogorightondoingwhatyoudamnwellpleasewithit,becausethewholedamnthingbelongstoyou.”“Yes,” I said, and thought for a second. “Actually, that’s prettyamazing.Imean,youhearthisfiftytimesaday.Peopletalkaboutourenvironment, our seas, our solar system. I’ve even heard people talkaboutourwildlife.”“And just yesterday you assured me with complete confidence thattherewasnothinginyourcultureremotelyresemblingmythology.”“True. I did.” Ishmael continued to stare at me morosely. “I waswrong,”Itoldhim.“Whatmoredoyouwant?”“Astonishment,”hesaid.Inodded.“I’mastonished,allright.Ijustdon’tletitshow.”“Ishouldhavegottenyouwhenyouwereseventeen.”Ishrugged,meaningthatIwishedhehad.

7

“Yesterday I told you that your story provides youwithanexplanationofhowthingscametobethisway.”“Right.”“What contribution does this first part of the story make to that

explanation?”“You mean … what contribution does it make to explaining how

thingscametobethewaytheyarerightnow?”“That’sright.”“Offhand,Idon’tseehowitmakesanycontributiontoit.”“Think.Wouldthingshavecometobethiswayiftheworldhadbeen

madeforjellyfish?”“No,theywouldn’t.”“Obviouslynot.Iftheworldhadbeenmadeforjellyfish,thingswould

beentirelydifferent.”“That’sright.Butitwasn’tmadeforjellyfish,itwasmadeforman.”“Andthispartlyexplainshowthingscametobethisway.”“Right.It’ssortofasneakywayofblamingeverythingonthegods.If

they’d made the world for jellyfish, then none of this would havehappened.”“Exactly,”Ishmaelsaid.“You’rebeginningtogettheidea.”

8

“Doyouhaveafeelingnowforwhereyoumightfindtheotherpartsofthisstory—themiddleandtheend?”Igavethissomethought.“I’dwatchNova,Ithink.”“Why?”“I’dsay that ifNovawasdoing thestoryofcreation, thestory I told

todaywouldbetheoutline.AllIhavetodonowisfigureouthowthey’ddotherest.”“Then that’s your next assignment. Tomorrow I want to hear the

middleofthestory.”

FOUR

1

“Okay,”Isaid.“IthinkIhavethemiddleandtheendofthestorydownpat.”IshmaelnoddedandIstartedthetaperecorder.“WhatIdidwasstartwiththepremise:Theworldwasmadeforman.

ThenIaskedmyselfhowIwouldwritethestoryasatreatmentforNova.Itcameoutlikethis:“Theworldwasmade 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.”“Whatexactlydoesitmeantolivelikealionorawombat?”“Itmeans…toliveatthemercyoftheworld.Itmeanstolivewithout

havinganycontroloveryourenvironment.”“Isee.Goon.”“Okay. In this condition, man could not be truly man. He couldn’t

developatrulyhumanwayof life—awayof lifethatwasdistinctivelyhuman.So,duringtheearlypartofhislife—actuallythegreaterpartofhislife—manjustfoozledalonggettingnowhereanddoingnothing.“Asithappened,therewasakeyproblemtobesolved,anditwasthis

thattookmealongtimetoworkout:whattheproblemwas.Mancouldgetnowherelivinglikealionorawombat,becauseifyou’realionorawombat….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.“Okay.Why not? I mean, well, what was stopping him from doing

that?Whatwasstoppinghimwasthefactthatifhesettleddowninoneplace formore thana fewweeks,he’dstarve.Asahunter-gatherer,he

wouldsimplycleantheplaceout—therewouldbenothing 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 didn’t occur. He had tomanipulate it so that itproducedmorehuman food. Inotherwords,hehadtobecomeanagriculturalist.“Thiswastheturningpoint.Theworldhadbeenmadeforman,buthewasunabletotakepossessionofituntilthisproblemwascracked.Andhe finally cracked it about ten thousand years ago, back there in theFertile Crescent. This was a very big moment—the biggest in humanhistory up to this point. Man was at last free of all those restraintsthat…. 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.“Andthat’sthemiddleofthestory.”

2

“Veryimpressive,”Ishmaelsaid.“I’msureyourealizethatthe ‘big moment’ you’ve just described was in fact the birth of yourculture.”“Yes.”“It should be pointed out, however, that the notion that agriculture

spreadacrosstheworldfromasinglepointoforiginisdistinctlyoldhat.Nevertheless the Fertile Crescent remains the legendary birthplace ofagriculture,at least intheWest,andthishasaspecial importancethatwe’lllookatlateron.”“Okay.”“Yesterday’spartofthestoryrevealedthemeaningoftheworldasit’s

understoodamongtheTakers:Theworldisahumanlife-supportsystem,amachinedesignedtoproduceandsustainhumanlife.”“Right.”“Today’s part of the story seems to be about the destiny of man.

Obviouslyitwasnotman’sdestinytolivelikealionorawombat.”“That’sright.”“Whatisman’sdestinythen?”“Hm,” I said. “Well. Man’s destiny is … to achieve, to accomplish

greatthings.”“Asit’sknownamongtheTakers,man’sdestinyismorespecificthan

that.”“Well,Isupposeyoucouldsaythathisdestinyistobuildcivilization.”“Thinkmythologically.”“I’mafraidIdon’tknowhowthat’sdone.”“I’lldemonstrate.Listen.”Ilistened.

3

“As we saw yesterday, creation wasn’t complete whenjellyfish appeared or when amphibians appeared or when reptilesappeared or even when mammals appeared. According to yourmythology,itwascompleteonlywhenmanappeared.”“Right.”“Whywastheworldandtheuniverseincompletewithoutman?Why

didtheworldandtheuniverseneedman?”“Idon’tknow.”“Well,thinkaboutit.Thinkabouttheworldwithoutman.Imaginethe

worldwithoutman.”“Okay,”Isaid,andclosedmyeyes.AcoupleminuteslaterItoldhimI

wasimaginingtheworldwithoutman.“What’sitlike?”“Idon’tknow.It’sjusttheworld.”“Whereareyou?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Whereareyoulookingatitfrom?”“Oh.Fromabove.Fromouterspace.”“Whatareyoudoingupthere?”“Idon’tknow.”“Whyaren’tyoudownonthesurface?”“Idon’tknow.Withoutmanonit…I’mjustavisitor,analien.”“Well,goondowntothesurface.”“Okay,”Isaid,butafteraminuteIwentontosay,“That’sinteresting.

I’drathernotgodownthere.”“Why?What’sdownthere?”Ilaughed.“Thejungleisdownthere.”“I see. Youmean, ‘Nature, red in tooth and claw…Dragons of the

primethattareeachotherintheirslime.’”“That’sit.”“Andwhatwouldhappenifyoudidgodownthere?”“I’dbeoneoftheonesthedragonsweretearingintheirslime.”I openedmy eyes in time to see Ishmael nodding. “And it is at thispoint thatwebegin toseewhereman fits into thedivinescheme.Thegodsdidn’tmeantoleavetheworldajungle,didthey?”“Youmeaninourmythology?Certainlynot.”“So:Withoutman, theworldwasunfinished,was justnature, red intoothandclaw.Itwasinchaos,inastateofprimevalanarchy.”“That’sright.That’sitexactly.”“Soitneededwhat?”“Itneededsomeone tocome inand…straighten itout.Someone toputitinorder.”“Andwhatsortofpersonisitwhostraightensthingsout?Whatsortofpersontakesanarchyinhandandputsitinorder?”“Well…aruler.Aking.”“Ofcourse.Theworldneededaruler.Itneededman.”“Yes.”“Sonowwehaveaclearerideawhatthisstoryisallabout:Theworldwasmadeforman,andmanwasmadetoruleit.”“Yes.That’sveryobviousnow.Everyoneunderstandsthat.”“Andthisiswhat?”“What?”“Isthisfact?”“No.”“Thenwhatisit?”“It’smythology,”Isaid.“Ofwhichnotraceistobefoundinyourculture.”“That’sright.”OnceagainIshmaelstaredatmeglumlythroughtheglass.

“Look,” I saidafterabit. “The thingsyou’re showingme, the thingsyou’redoing,are…almostbeyondbelief.Iknowthat.Butit’sjustnotinmeto leapupoutofmychairwhilestrikingmybrowandcrying, ‘MyGod,thisisincredible!’”He wrinkled his forehead thoughtfully for a moment before saying:“What’swrongwithyouthen?”HeseemedsogenuinelyconcernedthatIhadtosmile.“Allfrozeninside,”Itoldhim.“Aniceberg.”Heshookhishead,sorryforme.

4

“To return to our subject…. 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.”“Right.”“Itwasonlyabouttenthousandyearsagothathefinallyrealizedthat

hisplacewasnotintheslime.Hehadtolifthimselfoutoftheslimeandtakethisplaceinhandandstraightenitout.”“Right.”“Buttheworlddidn’tmeeklysubmittohumanrule,didit?”“No.”“No,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.”“True.”“Theworldwouldnotmeeklysubmit toman’s rule, sohehad todo

whattoit?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Ifthekingcomestoacitythatwillnotsubmittohisrule,whatdoes

hehavetodo?”“Hehastoconquerit.”“Ofcourse.Inordertomakehimselftheruleroftheworld,manfirst

hadtoconquerit.”

“Good lord,” I said—and nearly leaped up out of my chair whilestrikingmybrowandalltherest.“Yes?”“You hear this fifty times a day. You can turn on the radio or thetelevisionandheariteveryhour.Manisconqueringthedeserts,manisconqueringtheoceans,manisconqueringtheatom,manisconqueringtheelements,manisconqueringouterspace.”Ishmaelsmiled.“Youdidn’tbelievemewhenIsaidthat 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.”“Yes.That’sveryclearnow.”

5

“Nowthefirsttwopartsofthestoryhavecometogether:Theworldwasmadeforman,andmanwasmadetoconquerandruleit.And how does the second part contribute to your explanation of howthingscametobethisway?”“Letmethinkaboutthat….Onceagainthisisasortofsneakywayof

blamingthegods.Theymadetheworldforman,andtheymademantoconquer and rule it—which he eventually did. And this is how thingscametobethewaytheyare.”“Nailitdown.Goalittledeeper.”Iclosedmyeyesandgaveitacoupleofminutes,butnothingcame.Ishmaelnoddedtowardthewindows.“Allthis—allyourtriumphsand

tragedies,allyourmarvelsandmiseries—areadirectresultof…what?”Ichewedonitforawhile,butIstillcouldn’tseewhathewasgetting

at.“Tryitthisway,”Ishmaelsaid.“Thingswouldn’tbethewaytheyare

ifthegodshadmeantmantolivelikealionorawombat,wouldthey?”“No.”“Man’sdestinywastoconquerandruletheworld.Sothingscameto

bethiswayasadirectresultof…?”“Ofmanfulfillinghisdestiny.”“Ofcourse.Andhehadtofulfillhisdestiny,didn’the?”“Yes,absolutely.”“Sowhatistheretogetexcitedabout?”“Verytrue,verytrue.”“AstheTakersseeit,allthisissimplythepriceofbecominghuman.”“Howdoyoumean?”“Itwasn’tpossibletobecomefullyhumanlivingbesidethedragonsin

theslime,wasit?”

“No.”“Inordertobecomefullyhuman,manhadtopullhimselfoutoftheslime.Andallthisistheresult.AstheTakersseeit,thegodsgavemanthe same choice they gave Achilles: a brief life of glory or a long,uneventfullifeinobscurity.AndtheTakerschoseabrieflifeofglory.”“Yes, that’s certainlyhow it’sunderstood.People just shrugand say,‘Well, this is the price that had to be paid for indoor plumbing andcentralheatingandairconditioningandautomobilesandalltherest.’”Igavehimaquizzicallook.“Andwhatareyousaying?”“I’m saying that the price you’ve paid is not the price of becominghuman.It’snoteventhepriceofhavingthethingsyoujustmentioned.It’sthepriceofenactingastorythatcastsmankindastheenemyoftheworld.”

FIVE

1

“We have the beginning and middle of the storytogether,” Ishmael saidwhenwe started the next day. “Man is finallybeginningtofulfillhisdestiny.Theconquestoftheworldisunderway.Andhowdoesthestoryend?”“I guess I should have kept on going yesterday. I’ve sort of lost the

thread.”“Perhapsitwouldhelptolistentothewaythesecondpartends.”“Goodidea.” I rewoundaminuteorsoof tapeand let itplay:“Man

was at last free of all those restraints that…. 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.”“Right,” I said. “Okay. Man’s destiny was to conquer and rule the

world,andthisiswhathe’sdone—almost.Hehasn’tquitemadeit,andit looksas though thismaybehisundoing.Theproblem is thatman’sconquestoftheworldhasitselfdevastatedtheworld.Andinspiteofallthe mastery we’ve attained, we don’t have enough mastery to stopdevastating the world—or to repair the devastation we’ve alreadywrought.We’vepouredourpoisons intotheworldas thoughitwereabottomlesspit—andwegoonpouringourpoisonsintotheworld.We’vegobbledupirreplaceableresourcesasthoughtheycouldneverrunout—andwegoongobblingthemup.It’shardtoimaginehowtheworldcouldsurvive another century of this abuse, but nobody’s really doinganythingaboutit.It’saproblemourchildrenwillhavetosolve,ortheirchildren.“Onlyone thingcansaveus.Wehave to increaseourmasteryof the

world. All this damage has come about through our conquest of the

world,butwehavetogoonconqueringituntilourruleisabsolute.Then,whenwe’reincompletecontrol,everythingwillbefine.We’llhavefusionpower.Nopollution.We’llturntherainonandoff.We’llgrowabushelofwheatinasquarecentimeter.We’llturntheoceansintofarms.We’llcontrol theweather—nomorehurricanes,nomore tornadoes,nomoredroughts, nomoreuntimely frosts.We’llmake the clouds release theirwateroverthelandinsteadofdumpingituselesslyintotheoceans.Allthe life processes of this planetwill bewhere they belong—where thegodsmeant them tobe—inourhands.Andwe’llmanipulate them thewayaprogrammermanipulatesacomputer.“Andthat’swhereitstandsrightnow.Wehavetocarrytheconquestforward.Andcarryingitforwardiseithergoingtodestroytheworldorturn it into a paradise—into the paradise it was meant to be underhumanrule.“Andifwemanagetodothis—ifwefinallymanagetomakeourselvesthe absolute rulers of the world—then nothing can stop us. Then wemoveintotheStarTrekera.Manmovesout intospacetoconquerandruletheentireuniverse.Andthatmaybetheultimatedestinyofman:toconquerandruletheentireuniverse.That’showwonderfulmanis.”

2

Tomyastonishment,Ishmaelpickedupawandfromhispile andwaved it atme in an enthusiastic gesture of approval. “Onceagain,thatwasexcellent,”hesaid,neatlybitingoffitsleafyhead.“Butyourealize,ofcourse, that ifyou’dbeentellingthispartof the

story a hundred years ago—or even fifty years ago—you would havespokenonlyoftheparadisetocome.Theideathatman’sconquestoftheworldcouldbeanythingbutbeneficialwouldhavebeenunthinkabletoyou.Untilthelastthreeorfourdecades,thepeopleofyourculturehadnodoubtthatthingswere justgoingtogoongettingbetterandbetterandbetterforever.Therewasnoconceivableendinsight.”“Yes,that’sso.”“Thereis,however,oneelementofthestorythatyou’veleftout,and

weneedittocompleteyourculture’sexplanationofhowthingscametobethisway.”“Whatelementisthat?”“Ithinkyoucanfigureitout.Sofarwehavethismuch:Theworldwas

made forman toconquerandrule,andunderhumanrule itwasmeant tobecomeaparadise.Thisclearlyhastobefollowedbya‘but.’Ithasalwaysbeen followed by a ‘but.’ This is because the Takers have alwaysperceived that theworldwas far shortof theparadise itwasmeant tobe.”“True. Let me see … How’s this: The world was made for man to

conquer and rule, but his conquest turned out to bemore destructivethanwasanticipated.”“You’renotlistening.The‘but’waspartofthestorylongbeforeyour

conquestbecamegloballydestructive.The‘but’wastheretoexplainallthe flaws in your paradise—warfare and brutality and poverty andinjustice and corruption and tyranny. It’s still there today to explainfamine and oppression and nuclear proliferation and pollution. ItexplainedWorldWarII,andifiteverhasto,itwillexplainWorldWarIII.”

Ilookedathimblankly.“Thisisacommonplace.Anythird-gradercouldsupplyit.”“I’msureyou’reright,butIdon’tseeityet.”“Come, think.Whatwentwronghere?Whathasalways gonewronghere?Underhumanrule,theworldshouldhavebecomeaparadise,but…”“Butpeoplescreweditup.”“Ofcourse.Andwhydidtheyscrewitup?”“Why?”“Didtheyscrewitupbecausetheydidn’twantaparadise?”“No. The way it’s seen is… they were bound to screw it up. Theywantedtoturntheworldintoaparadise,but,beinghuman,theywereboundtoscrewitup.”“Butwhy?Why,beinghuman,weretheyboundtoscrewitup?”“It’s because there’s something fundamentally wrong with humans.Somethingthatdefinitelyworksagainstparadise.Somethingthatmakespeoplestupidanddestructiveandgreedyandshortsighted.”“Ofcourse.Everyoneinyourcultureknowsthis.Manwasborntoturntheworldintoaparadise,buttragicallyhewasbornflawed.Andsohisparadise has always been spoiled by stupidity, greed, destructiveness,andshortsightedness.”“That’sright.”

3

Having second thoughts, I gave him a long incredulousstare.“Areyousuggestingthatthisexplanationisfalse?”Ishmaelshookhishead.“It’spointlesstoarguewithmythology.Once

upona time, thepeopleofyourculturebelieved thatman’shomewasthe center of the universe.Manwas the reason the universe hadbeencreated in the firstplace, so itmadesense thathishomeshouldbe itscapital.ThefollowersofCopernicusdidn’targuewiththis.Theydidn’tpointatpeopleandsay,‘You’rewrong.’Theypointedattheheavensandsaid,‘Lookatwhat’sactuallythere.’”“I’mnotsurewhatyou’regettingat.”“How did the Takers come to the conclusion that there’s something

fundamentallywrongwith humans?What evidencewere they lookingat?”“Idon’tknow.”“I think you’re being purposely dense. They were looking at the

evidenceofhumanhistory.”“True.”“Andwhendidhumanhistorybegin?”“Well…threemillionyearsago.”Ishmael gave me a disgusted look. “Those three million years were

onlyvery recently tackedontohumanhistory, asyouverywell know.Before that, it was universally assumed that human history beganwhen?”“Well,justafewthousandyearsago.”“Ofcourse.Infact,amongthepeopleofyourculture,itwasassumed

that the whole of human history was your history. No one had theslightestsuspicionthathumanlifeextendedbeyondyourreign.”“That’sso.”“Sowhenthepeopleofyourcultureconcludedthatthere’ssomething

fundamentally wrong with humans, what evidence were they lookingat?”“Theywerelookingattheevidenceoftheirownhistory.”“Exactly.Theywerelookingatahalfofonepercentoftheevidence,taken fromasingleculture.Notareasonablesampleonwhich tobasesuchasweepingconclusion.”“No.”“There’snothing 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.”

4

“A few days ago,” Ishmael said, “I described yourexplanationofhow things came to be thisway as amosaic.Whatwe’velookedatsofarisonlythecartoonofthemosaic—thegeneraloutlineofthepicture.We’renotgoingtofillinthecartoonhere.That’ssomethingyoucaneasilydoforyourselfwhenwe’refinished.”“Okay.”“However,onemajorelementofthecartoonremainstobesketchedin

beforewegoon….OneofthemoststrikingfeaturesofTakercultureisitspassionateandunwaveringdependenceonprophets.TheinfluenceofpeoplelikeMoses,GautamaBuddha,Confucius,Jesus,andMuhammadinTakerhistoryissimplyenormous.I’msureyou’reawareofthat.”“Yes.”“Whatmakesitsostrikingisthefactthatthereisabsolutelynothing

like this among the Leavers—unless it occurs as a response to somedevastatingcontactwithTakerculture,asinthecaseofWovokaandtheGhostDanceorJohnFrummand theCargoCultsof theSouthPacific.Aside from these, there is no traditionwhatever of prophets rising upamongtheLeaverstostraightenouttheirlivesandgivethemnewsetsoflawsorprinciplestoliveby.”“Iwassortofvaguelyawareofthat.Isupposeeveryoneis.Ithinkit’s

…Idon’tknow.”“Goon.”“Ithinkthefeelingis,whatthehell,whocaresaboutthesepeople?I

mean, it’s no great surprise that savages haveno prophets.Goddidn’treallygetinterestedinmankinduntilthosenicewhiteneolithicfarmerscamealong.”“Yes,that’swellperceived.ButwhatIwanttolookatrightnowisnot

theabsenceofprophetsamongtheLeaversbuttheenormousinfluenceofprophetsamongtheTakers.Millionshavebeenwillingtobacktheirchoiceofprophetwiththeirverylives.Whatmakesthemsoimportant?”

“It’sahellofagoodquestion,butIdon’tthinkIknowtheanswer.”“Allright,trythis.Whatweretheprophetstryingtoaccomplishhere?Whatweretheyheretodo?”“Yousaidityourselfaminuteago.Theywereheretostraightenusoutandtellushowweoughttolive.”“Vitalinformation.Worthdyingfor,evidently.”“Evidently.”“Butwhy?Why do you need prophets to tell you how you ought tolive?Whydoyouneedanyonetotellyouhowyououghttolive?”“Ah.Okay, I seewhatyou’regettingat.Weneedprophets to tellushowweoughttolive,becauseotherwisewewouldn’tknow.”“Ofcourse.Questionsabouthowpeopleoughtto livealwaysendupbecoming religious questions among the Takers—always 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 terms—but if it ever becomes a serious possibility,people of a certain turn of mind will undoubtedly begin combingscripturestoseewhattheirprophetshavetosayonthesubject.”“Yes,that’sso.Thisissuchanautomaticresponsethatpeoplejusttakeitforgranted.”“Aminuteagoyousaid,‘Weneedprophetstotellushowweoughttolive,becauseotherwisewewouldn’tknow.’Whyisthat?Whywouldn’tyouknowhowtolivewithoutyourprophets?”“That’s a good question. I’d say it’s because… Look at the case ofabortion.Wecanargueabout it fora thousandyears,but there’snevergoingtobeanargumentpowerfulenoughtoendtheargument,becauseeveryargumenthasacounterargument.Soit’simpossibletoknowwhatweshoulddo.That’swhyweneedtheprophet.Theprophetknows.”“Yes,Ithinkthat’sit.Butthequestionremains:Whydon’tyouknow?”“IthinkthequestionremainsbecauseIcan’tanswerit.”

“You knowhow to split atoms, how to send explorers to themoon,howtosplicegenes,butyoudon’tknowhowpeopleoughttolive.”“That’sright.”“Whyisthat?WhatdoesMotherCulturehavetosay?”“Ah,”Isaid,andclosedmyeyes.Andafteraminuteortwo:“MotherCulture says it’s possible to have certain knowledge about things likeatomsand space travel andgenes,but there’sno such thingas certainknowledge about how people should live. It’s just not available, andthat’swhywedon’thaveit.”“Isee.AndhavinglistenedtoMotherCulture,whatdoyousay?”“Inthiscase,IhavetosaythatIagree.Certainknowledgeabouthowpeopleoughttoliveisjustnotoutthere.”“In other words, the best you can do—since there’s nothing ‘outthere’—istoconsulttheinsidesofyourheads.That’swhat’sbeingdoneinthedebateaboutlegalizingdrugs.Eachsideispreparingacasebasedon what’s reasonable, and whichever way you actually jump you stillwon’tknowwhetheryoudidtherightthing.”“That’sabsolutelyright.Itwon’tbeaquestionofdoingwhatoughttobe done, because there’s no way of finding that out. It’ll just be aquestionoftakingavote.”“You’requitesureaboutallthis.There’ssimplynowaytoobtainanycertainknowledgeabouthowpeopleoughttolive.”“Absolutelysure.”“Howdoyoucomebythisassurance?”“Idon’tknow.Certainknowledgeabouthowtoliveis…unobtainableinanyofthewayswederivecertainknowledge.AsIsay,it’sjustnotoutthere.”“Haveanyofyoueverlookedoutthere?”Isnickered.“Has anyone ever said, ‘Well, we have certain knowledge about alltheseotherthings,whydon’tweseeifanysuchknowledgecanbefoundabouthowtolive?’Hasanyoneeverdonethat?”“Idoubtit.”

“Doesn’tthatseemstrangetoyou?Consideringthefactthatthisisbyfarthemostimportantproblemmankindhastosolve—haseverhadtosolve—you’dthinktherewouldbeawholebranchofsciencedevotedtoit. Instead, we find that not a single one of you has ever wonderedwhetheranysuchknowledgeisevenouttheretobeobtained.”“Weknowit’snotthere.”“Inadvanceoflooking,youmean.”“That’sright.”“Notaveryscientificprocedureforsuchascientificpeople.”“True.”

5

“We now know two highly important things aboutpeople,” Ishmael said, “at least according to Taker mythology. One,there’ssomethingfundamentallywrongwiththem,and,two,theyhavenocertainknowledgeabouthowtheyoughttolive—andneverwillhaveany.Itseemsasthoughthereshouldbeaconnectionbetweenthesetwothings.”“Yes.Ifpeopleknewhowtolive,thenthey’dbeabletohandlewhat

waswrongwithhumannature.Imean,knowinghowtolivewouldhaveto include knowing how to live as flawed beings. If it didn’t, then itwouldn’tbetherealMcCoy.DoyouseewhatImean?”“Ithinkso.Ineffect,you’resayingthatifyouknewhowyououghtto

live, then the flaw inman could be controlled. If you knew how yououghttolive,youwouldn’tbeforeverscrewinguptheworld.Perhapsinfact the two things are actually one thing. Perhaps the flaw inman isexactlythis:thathedoesn’tknowhowheoughttolive.”“Yes,there’ssomethingtothat.”

6

“We now have in place all the major elements of yourculture’s explanation ofhow things came to be thisway. Theworldwasgiven to man to turn into a paradise, but he’s always screwed it up,becausehe’s fundamentally flawed.Hemight be able to do somethingaboutthisifheknewhowheoughttolive,buthedoesn’t—andheneverwill,becausenoknowledgeabout that isobtainable.So,howeverhardmanmight labor to turn theworld into a paradise, he’s probably justgoingtogoonscrewingitup.”“Yes,that’sthewayitseems.”“It’sasorrystoryyouhavethere,astoryofhopelessnessandfutility,a

storyinwhichthereisliterallynothingtobedone.Manisflawed,sohekeepsonscrewingupwhatshouldbeparadise,andthere’snothingyoucandoabout it.Youdon’tknowhowto live soas to stop screwingupparadise,and there’snothingyoucandoabout that.So thereyouare,rushing headlong toward catastrophe, and all you can do is watch itcome.”“Yes,that’sthewayitseems.”“With nothing but this wretched story to enact, it’s no wonder so

manyofyouspendyourlivesstonedondrugsorboozeortelevision.It’snowondersomanyofyougomadorbecomesuicidal.”“True.Butisthereanotherone?”“Anotherwhat?”“Anotherstorytobein.”“Yes, there is another story to be in, but the Takers are doing their

levelbesttodestroythatalongwitheverythingelse.”

7

“Have you done much sightseeing in your travels?” Iblinkedathimstupidly.“Sightseeing?”“Haveyougoneoutofyourwaytohavealookatthelocalsights?”“Iguessso.Sometimes.”“I’m sure you’ve noticed that only tourists really look at local

landmarks. For all practical purposes, these landmarks are invisible tothenatives,simplybecausethey’realwaysthereinplainsight.”“Yes,that’sso.”“This is what we’ve been doing in our journey so far. We’ve been

wanderingaroundyourculturalhomelandlookingatthelandmarksthenatives never see. A visitor from another planet would find themremarkable, even extraordinary, but the natives of your culture takethemforgrantedanddon’tevennoticethem.”“That’sright.You’vehadtoclampmyheadbetweenyourhandsand

pointitinonedirectionandsay, ‘Don’tyouseethat?’AndI’dsay, ‘Seewhat?There’snothingtheretosee.’”“We’ve spent a lot of today looking at one of yourmost impressive

monuments—anaxiomstatingthatthereisnowaytoobtainanycertainknowledge about howpeople ought to live.Mother Culture offers thisfor acceptance on its ownmerits, without proof, since it is inherentlyunprovable.”“True.”“Andtheconclusionyoudrawfromthisaxiomis…?”“Thereforethere’snopointinlookingforsuchknowledge.”“That’s 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?”“Ithinkso.”

“Tomorrowwe’llscrewupourcourageandcrossthatborder.Andasyou’ll see, we will not fall off the edge of the world. We’ll just findourselvesinnewterritory,interritoryneverexploredbyanyoneinyourculture,becauseyourmapssayitisn’tthere—andindeedcan’tbethere.”

SIX

1

“Andhowareyoufeelingtoday?”Ishmaelasked.“Palmssweating?Heartgoingpit-a-pat?”Igazedathimthoughtfully throughtheglass thatseparatedus.This

twinkle-eyedplayfulnesswassomethingnew,andIwasn’tsureIlikedit.Iwastemptedtoremindhimthathewasagorilla,forGod’ssake,butIhelditinandmuttered:“Relativelycalm,sofar.”“Good.Like theSecondMurderer,youareonewhomthevileblows

andbuffetsoftheworldhavesoincens’dthatyouarerecklesswhatyoudotospitetheworld.”“Absolutely.”“Then let’sbegin.Weconfront awall at theboundaryof thought in

your culture. Yesterday I called it a monument, but I suppose there’snothingtopreventawallfrombeingamonumentaswell.Inanycase,thiswall isanaxiomstating thatcertainknowledgeabouthowpeopleshouldliveisunobtainable.Irejectthisaxiomandclimboverthewall.We don’t need prophets to tell us how to live; we can find out forourselvesbyconsultingwhat’sactually there.”Therewasnothingtosaytothat,soIjustshrugged.“You’reskeptical,ofcourse.AccordingtotheTakers,allsortsofuseful

informationcanbefoundintheuniverse,butnoneofitpertainstohowpeopleshouldlive.Bystudyingtheuniverse,you’velearnedhowtofly,splitatoms,sendmessagestothestarsatthespeedoflight,andsoon,butthere’snowayofstudyingtheuniversetoacquirethemostbasicandneedfulknowledgeofall:theknowledgeofhowyououghttolive.”“That’sright.”“Acenturyago thewould-beaeronautsof theworldwere inexactly

thesameconditionwithregardtolearninghowtofly.Doyouseewhy?”“No.Idon’tseewhataeronautshavetodowithit.”“Itwasfarfromcertainthattheknowledgethesewould-beaeronauts

werelookingforexistedatall.Somesaiditwasn’touttheretobefound,

sotherewasnopointinlookingforit.Doyouseethesimilaritynow?”“Yes,Isuppose.”“There’smore to the similarity than that, however. At that point intime,therewasn’tasinglepieceofknowledgeaboutflyingthatcouldbeconsideredcertain.Everyonehadhisown theory.Onewould say, ‘Theonlyway to achieve flight is to imitate the bird; you’ve got to have apair of flapping wings.’ Another would say, ‘One pair isn’t enough,you’ve got to have two.’ And another would say, ‘Nonsense. Paperairplanesflywithoutflappingwings;youneedapairofrigidwingsandapowerplanttopushyouthroughtheair.’Andsoon.Theycouldarguetheirpetnotions to theirhearts’ content,because therewasn’ta singlethingthatwascertain.Alltheycoulddowasproceedbytrialanderror.”“Uhhuh.”“Whatwouldhaveenabledthemtoproceedinamoreefficientway?”“Well,asyousay,obviouslysomeknowledge.”“Butwhatknowledgeinparticular?”“Lord…Theyneeded to knowhow toproduce lift. Theyneeded toknowthatairflowingoveranairfoil…”“Whatisityou’retryingtodescribe?”“I’mtryingtodescribewhathappenswhenairflowsoveranairfoil.”“Youmeanwhatalwayshappenswhenairflowsoveranairfoil?”“That’sright.”“What’sthatcalled?Astatementthatdescribeswhatalwayshappenswhencertainconditionsaremet.”“Alaw.”“Of course. The early aeronauts had to proceed by trial and error,because theydidn’tknowthe lawsofaerodynamics—didn’tevenknowtherewerelaws.”“Okay,Iseewhatyou’regettingatnow.”“Thepeopleofyourcultureareinthesameconditionwhenitcomesto learninghow theyought to live.Theyhave toproceedby trial anderror,becausetheydon’tknowtherelevantlaws—anddon’tevenknowthattherearelaws.”

“AndIagreewiththem,”Isaid.“You’recertainthatnolawscanbediscoveredconcerninghowpeopleoughttolive.”“That’sright.Obviouslytherearemade-uplaws,likethelawsagainstdruguse,butthesecanbechangedbyavote.Youcan’tchangethelawsofaerodynamicsbyavote—andthereareno laws like thatabouthowpeopleshouldlive.”“I understand. That’swhatMother Culture teaches, and in this caseyou agree with her. That’s fine. But at last you have a clearunderstandingofwhatI’mattemptinghere:toshowyoualawthatyouwillagreeisnotsubjecttochangebyanyvote.”“Okay.Mymind is open, but I can’t imagine anyway in theworldyou’regoingtoaccomplishthat.”

2

“What’s the law of gravity?” Ishmael asked, once againstartlingmewithanapparentchangeofsubject.“Thelawofgravity?Well,thelawofgravityis…everyparticleinthe

universe is attracted to every other particle, and this attraction varieswiththedistancebetweenthem.”“Andthatexpressionofthelawwasreadwhere?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Itwasderivedbylookingatwhat?”“Well…atmatter,Isuppose.Thebehaviorofmatter.”“Itwasn’tderivedbyaclosestudyofthehabitsofbees.”“No.”“If youwant to understand the habits of bees, you study bees, you

don’tstudymountain-building.”“That’sright.”“Andifyouhadthestrangenotionthat theremightbeasetof laws

abouthowtolive,wherewouldyoulookforit?”“Idon’tknow.”“Wouldyoulookintotheheavens?”“No.”“Wouldyoudelveintotherealmofsubatomicparticles?”“No.”“Wouldyoustudythepropertiesofwood?”“No.”“Takeawildguess.”“Anthropology?”“Anthropology is a field of study, like physics.DidNewton discover

thelawofgravitybyreadingabookonphysics?Isthatwherethelawwaswritten?”

“No.”“Wherewasitwritten?”“Inmatter.Intheuniverseofmatter.”“So, again: If there is a lawpertaining to life,wherewillwe find itwritten?”“Isupposeinhumanbehavior.”“Ihaveamazingnews for you.Man isnot alone on this planet.He ispartofacommunity,uponwhichhedependsabsolutely.Haveyoueverhadanysuspicionstothateffect?”ItwasthefirsttimeI’dseenhimraiseasingleeyebrow.“Youdon’thavetobesarcastic,”Itoldhim.“What’s the name of this community, of which man is only onemember?”“Thecommunityoflife.”“Bravo.Doesitseematallplausibletoyouthatthelawwe’relookingforcouldbewritteninthiscommunity?”“Idon’tknow.”“WhatdoesMotherCulturesay?”Iclosedmyeyesandlistenedforawhile.“MotherCulturesaysthatifthereweresuchalawitwouldn’tapplytous.”“Whynot?”“Becausewe’resofarabovealltherestofthatcommunity.”“I see. And can you think of any other laws from which you areexemptbecauseyou’rehumans?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Imeanthatcowsandcockroachesaresubjecttothelawofgravity.Areyouexempt?”“No.”“Areyouexemptfromthelawsofaerodynamics?”“No.”“Genetics?”

“No.”“Thermodynamics?”“No.”“Canyouthinkofanylawsatallfromwhichhumansareexempt?”“Notoffhand.”“Letmeknowifyoudo.Thatwillberealnews.”“Okay.”“But meanwhile, if there does happen to be a law that governsbehaviorinthecommunityoflifeingeneral,humanswouldbeexemptfromit.”“Well,that’swhatMotherCulturesays.”“Andwhatdoyousay?”“Idon’tknow.Idon’tseehowalawforturtlesandbutterfliescouldbeofmuchrelevancetous. Iassumethatturtlesandbutterfliesfollowthelawyou’retalkingabout.”“That’s right, they do. As to relevance, the laws of aerodynamicsweren’talwaysrelevanttoyou,werethey?”“No.”“Whendidtheybecomerelevant?”“Well…whenwewantedtofly.”“Whenyouwanttofly,thelawsgoverningflightbecomerelevant.”“Yes,that’sright.”“Andwhen you’re on the brink of extinction andwant to live for awhile longer, the laws governing life might conceivably becomerelevant.”“Yes,Isupposetheymight.”

3

“What’s the effect of the law of gravity?What’s gravitygoodfor?”“I’dsaythatgravityiswhatorganizesthingsonthemacroscopiclevel.

It’s what keeps things together—the solar system, the galaxy, theuniverse.”Ishmaelnodded.“Andthelawwe’relookingforisthelawthatkeeps

thelivingcommunitytogether.Itorganizesthingsonthebiologicalleveljust the way the law of gravity organizes things on the macroscopiclevel.”“Okay.”IguessIshmaelcouldsenseIhadsomethingelseonmymind,

because he waited for me to go on. “It’s hard to believe our ownbiologistsaren’tawareofthislaw.”Linesofamusedastonishmentcrinkledtheblue-grayskinofhisface.

“DoyouimaginethatMotherCulturedoesn’ttalktoyourbiologists?”“No.”“Thenwhatdoesshetellthem?”“Thatifthereissuchalawitdoesn’tapplytous.”“Of course. But that doesn’t really answer your question. Your

biologistswouldcertainlynotbeastoundedtohearthatbehaviorinthenaturalcommunityfollowscertainpatterns.YouhavetorememberthatwhenNewtonarticulatedthelawofgravity,noonewasastounded.It’snot a superhuman achievement to notice that unsupported objects falltowardthecenteroftheearth.Everyonepasttheageoftwoknowsthat.Newton’sachievementwasnotindiscoveringthephenomenonofgravity,itwasinformulatingthephenomenonasalaw.”“Yes,Iseewhatyoumean.”“In the same way, nothing you discover here about life in the

communityoflifeisgoingtoastoundanyone,certainlynotnaturalistsorbiologists or animal behaviorists. My achievement, if I succeed, willsimplybeinformulatingitasalaw.”

“Okay.Gotit.”

4

“Wouldyousaythatthelawofgravityisaboutflight?”Ithoughtaboutthatforawhileandsaid,“Itisn’taboutflight,butit’s

certainlyrelevanttoflight,inasmuchasitappliestoaircraftinthesameway it applies to rocks. It makes no distinction between aircraft androcks.”“Yes.That’swellsaid.Thelawwe’relookingforhereismuchlikethat

withrespecttocivilizations.It’snotaboutcivilizations,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 wasn’tmade to produce frogs or katydids or sharks or grasshoppers. It wasmadetoproduceman.Manthereforestandsalone,uniqueandinfinitelyapartfromalltherest.”“True.”

5

Ishmael spent the next few minutes staring at a pointabouttwentyinchesinfrontofhisnose,andIbegantowonderifhe’dforgottenIwasthere.Thenheshookhisheadandcameto.Forthefirsttimeinouracquaintance,hedeliveredsomethinglikeaminilecture.“ThegodshaveplayedthreedirtytricksontheTakers,”hebegan.“In

the first place, they didn’t put theworldwhere the Takers thought itbelonged, in thecenterof theuniverse.Theyreallyhatedhearing this,but they got used to it. Even if man’s home was stuck off in theboondocks, they could still believe he was the central figure in thedramaofcreation.“Thesecondofthegods’trickswasworse.Sincemanwastheclimax

of creation, the creature forwhomall the restwasmade, they shouldhavehadthedecencytoproducehiminamannersuitedtohisdignityand importance—in a separate, special act of creation. Instead theyarranged forhim toevolve fromthecommonslime, just like ticksandliver flukes.TheTakersreallyhatedhearingthis,but they’rebeginningtoadjusttoit.Evenifmanevolvedfromthecommonslime,it’sstillhisdivinely appointed destiny to rule the world and perhaps even theuniverseitself.“Butthelastofthegods’trickswastheworstofall.ThoughtheTakers

don’t 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 thegods’other dirty tricks, they could adjust. To this one, no adjustment ispossible.”Hesatthereforawhile,ahillsideoffurandflesh,Iguesslettingthis

pronouncement sink in. Thenhewent on. “Every lawhas effects or itwouldn’tbediscoverableasalaw.Theeffectsofthelawwe’relookingfor are very simple. Species that live in compliancewith the law liveforever—environmental conditions permitting. This will, I hope, be

takenasgoodnewsformankindingeneral,becauseifmankindlivesincompliancewiththislaw,thenittoowillliveforever—orforaslongasconditionspermit.“Butofcoursethisisn’tthelaw’sonlyeffect.Thosespeciesthatdonotliveincompliancewiththelawbecomeextinct.Inthescaleofbiologicaltime,theybecomeextinctveryrapidly.Andthisisgoingtobeverybadnewsforthepeopleofyourculture—theworstthey’veeverheard.”“Ihope,”Isaid,“thatyoudon’tthinkanyofthisisshowingmewheretolookforthislaw.”Ishmaelthoughtforamoment,thentookabranchfromthepileathisright, held it up forme to see, then let it fall to the floor. “That’s theeffect Newton was trying to explain.” He waved a hand toward theworldoutside.“That’stheeffectI’mtryingtoexplain.Lookingoutthere,you see a world full of species that, environmental conditionspermitting,aregoingtogoonlivingindefinitely.”“Yes,that’swhatIassume.Butwhydoesitneedexplaining?”Ishmaelselectedanotherbranchfromhispile,helditup,andletitfalltothefloor.“Whydoesthatneedexplaining?”“Okay.Soyou’resayingthisphenomenonisnottheresultofnothing.It’stheeffectofalaw.Alawisinoperation.”“Exactly. A law is in operation, andmy task is to show you how itoperates.Atthispoint,theeasiestwaytoshowyouhowitoperatesisbyanalogywithlawsyoualreadyknow—thelawofgravityandthelawsofaerodynamics.”“Okay.”

6

“You know that, as we sit here, we are in no sensedefyingthelawofgravity.Unsupportedobjectsfalltowardthecenteroftheearth,andthesurfacesonwhichwe’resittingareoursupports.”“Right.”“Thelawsofaerodynamicsdon’tprovideuswithawayofdefyingthe

law of gravity. I’m sure you understand that. They simply provide uswithawayofusingtheairasasupport.Amansittinginanairplaneissubjecttothelawofgravityinexactlythewaywe’resubjecttoitsittinghere. Nevertheless the man sitting in the plane obviously enjoys afreedomwelack:thefreedomoftheair.”“Yes.”“The law we’re looking for is like the law of gravity: There is no

escapingit,butthereisawayofachievingtheequivalentofflight—theequivalentoffreedomoftheair.Inotherwords,itispossibletobuildacivilizationthatflies.”Istaredathimforawhile,thenIsaid,“Okay.”“YourememberhowtheTakerswentabouttryingtoachievepowered

flight. They didn’t begin with an understanding of the laws ofaerodynamics. They didn’t beginwith a theory based on research andcarefullyplannedexperimentation.Theyjustbuiltcontraptions,pushedthemoffthesidesofcliffs,andhopedforthebest.”“True.”“All right. I want to follow one of those early trials in detail. Let’s

suppose that this trial is beingmade in one of thosewonderful pedal-driven contraptions with flapping wings, based on a mistakenunderstandingofavianflight.”“Okay.”“As the flight begins, all is well. Our would-be airman has been

pushedofftheedgeofthecliffandispedalingaway,andthewingsofhis craft are flapping like crazy. He’s feeling wonderful, ecstatic. He’s

experiencingthefreedomoftheair.Whathedoesn’trealize,however,isthat this craft is aerodynamically incapable of flight. It simply isn’t incompliancewiththelawsthatmakeflightpossible—buthewouldlaughifyoutoldhimthis.He’sneverheardofsuchlaws,knowsnothingaboutthem.Hewouldpointatthoseflappingwingsandsay,‘See?Justlikeabird!’ Nevertheless, whatever he thinks, he’s not in flight. He’s anunsupported object falling toward the center of the earth. He’s not inflight,he’sinfreefall.Areyouwithmesofar?”“Yes.”“Fortunately—or, rather, unfortunately for our airman—he chose averyhighclifftolaunchhiscraftfrom.Hisdisillusionmentisalongwayoff in time and space. There he is in free fall, feeling wonderful andcongratulatinghimselfonhistriumph.He’slikethemaninthejokewhojumpsoutofaninetieth-floorwindowonabet.Ashepasses thetenthfloor,hesaystohimself,‘Well,sofarsogood!’“Thereheisinfreefall,experiencingtheexhilarationofwhathetakestobeflight.Fromhisgreatheighthecanseeformilesaround,andonethingheseespuzzleshim:Thefloorofthevalleyisdottedwithcraftjustlike his—not crashed, simply abandoned. ‘Why,’ he wonders, ‘aren’tthesecraftintheairinsteadofsittingontheground?Whatsortoffoolswouldabandontheiraircraftwhentheycouldbeenjoyingthefreedomof theair?’Ahwell, thebehavioralquirksof less talented, earthboundmortalsarenoneofhisconcern.However,lookingdownintothevalleyhas brought something else to his attention. He doesn’t seem to bemaintaininghisaltitude.Infact,theearthseemstoberisinguptowardhim.Well,he’snotveryworriedaboutthat.Afterall,hisflighthasbeenacompletesuccessuptonow,andthere’snoreasonwhyitshouldn’tgoonbeingasuccess.Hejusthastopedalalittleharder,that’sall.“So far so good. He thinkswith amusement of thosewho predictedthathisflightwouldendindisaster,brokenbones,anddeath.Hereheis,he’scomeallthisway,andhehasn’tevengottenabruise,muchlessabrokenbone.But thenhe looksdownagain,andwhatheseesreallydisturbs him. The law of gravity is catching up to him at the rate ofthirty-two feet per second per second—at an accelerating rate. Theground is now rushing up toward him in an alarming way. He’sdisturbed but far from desperate. ‘My craft has broughtme this far in

safety,’ he tells himself. ‘I just have to keep going.’ And so he startspedalingwith all hismight.Whichof coursedoeshimnogood at all,becausehiscraft simply isn’t inaccordwith the lawsofaerodynamics.Evenifhehadthepowerofathousandmeninhislegs—tenthousand,amillion—thatcraftisnotgoingtoachieveflight.Thatcraftisdoomed—andsoisheunlessheabandonsit.”“Right. I seewhatyou’re saying,but Idon’t see theconnectionwithwhatwe’retalkingabouthere.”Ishmaelnodded.“Hereistheconnection.Tenthousandyearsago,thepeople of your culture embarked on a similar flight: a civilizationalflight. Their craftwasn’t designed according to any theory at all. Likeourimaginaryairman,theyweretotallyunawarethatthereisalawthatmust be complied with in order to achieve civilizational flight. Theydidn’tevenwonderaboutit.Theywantedthefreedomoftheair,andsothey pushed off in the first contraption that came to hand: the TakerThunderbolt.“Atfirstallwaswell.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 camemarvels—all the things youmentioned the other day: urbanization, technology, literacy,mathematics,science.“Theirflightcouldneverend,itcouldonlygoonbecomingmoreandmoreexciting.Theycouldn’tknow,couldn’tevenhaveguessedthat,likeourhaplessairman,theywereintheairbutnotinflight.Theywereinfreefall,becausetheircraftwassimplynotincompliancewiththelawthatmakes flight possible. But their disillusionment is far away in thefuture,andsothey’repedalingawayandhavingawonderfultime.Likeourairman,theyseestrangesights inthecourseof their fall.Theyseethe remains of craft very like their own—not destroyed, merelyabandoned—by the Maya, by the Hohokam, by the Anasazi, by thepeoplesoftheHopewellcult,tomentiononlyafewofthosefoundherein theNewWorld. ‘Why,’ theywonder, ‘are 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?’ It’s beyond

comprehension,anunfathomablemystery.“Ah well, the vagaries of such foolish people are nothing to the

Takers.They’repedalingawayandhavingawonderfultime.They’renotgoingtoabandon theircraft.They’regoingtoenjoythefreedomoftheairforever.Butalas,alawiscatchinguptothem.Theydon’tknowsuchalawevenexists,butthisignoranceaffordsthemnoprotectionfromitseffects. This is a law as unforgiving as the law of gravity, and it’scatchinguptotheminexactlythesamewaythelawofgravitycaughtuptoourairman:atanacceleratingrate.“Some gloomy nineteenth-century thinkers, like RobertWallace and

ThomasRobertMalthus,lookdown.Athousandyearsbefore,evenfivehundred years before, theywould probably have noticed nothing. Butnowwhattheyseealarmsthem.It’sasthoughthegroundisrushinguptomeetthem—asthoughtheyaregoingtocrash.Theydosomefiguringandsay, ‘Ifwegoon thisway,we’regoing tobe inbig trouble in thenot-too-distant future.’ The other Takers shrug their predictions off.‘We’vecomeallthisenormouswayandhaven’tevenreceivedsomuchasascratch. It’s true thegroundseemstoberisinguptomeetus,butthat just means we’ll have to pedal a little harder. Not to worry.’Nevertheless, just as was predicted, famine soon becomes a routineconditionoflifeinmanypartsoftheTakerThunderbolt—andtheTakershave topedal evenharder andmore efficiently thanbefore.Butoddlyenough,theharderandmoreefficientlytheypedal,theworseconditionsbecome. Very strange. Peter Farb calls it a paradox: ‘Intensification ofproduction to feed an increased population leads to a still greaterincreaseinpopulation.’‘Nevermind,’theTakerssaid.‘We’lljusthavetoput some people pedaling away on a reliablemethod of birth control.ThentheTakerThunderboltwillflyforever.’“Butsuchsimpleanswersaren’tenoughtoreassurethepeopleofyour

culturenowadays.Everyone is lookingdown, and it’s obvious that theground is rushing up toward you—and rushing up faster every year.BasicecologicalandplanetarysystemsarebeingimpactedbytheTakerThunderbolt, and that impact increases in intensity every year. Basic,irreplaceable resources are being devoured every year—and they’rebeing devoured more greedily every year. Whole species aredisappearingasaresultofyourencroachment—andthey’redisappearing

in greater numbers every year. Pessimists—or it may be that they’rerealists—lookdownandsay,‘Well,thecrashmaybetwentyyearsofformaybe as much as fifty years off. Actually it could happen anytime.There’snowaytobesure.’Butofcoursethereareoptimistsaswell,whosay,‘Wemusthavefaithinourcraft.Afterall,ithasbroughtusthisfarin safety.What’s ahead isn’t doom, it’s just a little hump thatwe canclearifwealljustpedalalittleharder.Thenwe’llsoarintoaglorious,endless future,andtheTakerThunderboltwill takeus to thestarsandwe’llconquertheuniverseitself.’Butyourcraftisn’tgoingtosaveyou.Quitethecontrary,it’syourcraftthat’scarryingyoutowardcatastrophe.Fivebillionofyoupedalingaway—ortenbillionortwentybillion—can’tmakeitfly.It’sbeeninfreefallfromthebeginning,andthatfallisabouttoend.”AtlastIhadsomethingofmyowntoaddtothis.“Theworstpartofitisthis,”Isaid,“thatthesurvivors,ifthereareany,willimmediatelysetaboutdoingitalloveragain,exactlythesameway.”“Yes, I’mafraidyou’reright.Trialanderror isn’tabadwayto learnhowtobuildanaircraft,butitcanbeadisastrouswaytolearnhowtobuildacivilization.”

SEVEN

1

“Hereisapuzzleforyoutoconsider,”saidIshmael.“Youareinafarawaylandandfindyourselfinastrangecityisolatedfromallothers. You’re immediately impressed by the people you find there.They’refriendly,cheerful,healthy,prosperous,vigorous,peaceable,andwelleducated,andtheytellyouthingshavebeenthiswayforaslongasanyonecanremember.Well,you’regladtobreakyourjourneyhere,andonefamilyinvitesyoutostaywiththem.“Thatnightyousample their foodatdinnerand, finding itdelicious

but unfamiliar, ask them what it is, and they say, ‘Oh, it’s? meat, ofcourse.That’sallweeat.’Thisnaturallypuzzlesyouandyouaskiftheymean themeat of the little insects that gather honey. They laugh andtakeyoutothewindow.‘TherearesomeB’sthere,’theysay,pointingtotheirneighborsinthenexthouse.“‘Good lord!’ you exclaim in horror, ‘you don’t mean that you eat

people!’Andtheylookatyouinapuzzledwayandsay,‘WeeatB’s.’“‘Howatrocious,’youreply.‘Aretheyyourslavesthen?Doyoukeep

thempennedup?’“‘Whyonearthshouldwekeepthempennedup?’yourhostsask.“‘Tokeepthemfromrunningaway,ofcourse!’“Bynowyourhostsarebeginningtothinkyou’realittleweakinthe

head,andtheyexplainthattheB’swouldneverthinkofrunningaway,becausetheirownfood,theA’s,liverightacrossthestreet.“Well, I won’t weary you with all your outraged exclamations and

their baffled explanations. Eventually you piece together the wholeghastlyscheme.TheA’sareeatenbytheB’sandtheB’sareeatenbytheC’sandtheC’sinturnareeatenbytheA’s.Thereisnohierarchyamongthesefoodclasses.TheC’sdon’tlorditovertheB’sjustbecausetheB’saretheirfood,becauseafteralltheythemselvesarethefoodoftheA’s.It’sallperfectlydemocraticandfriendly.Butofcourse it’sallperfectlydreadful to you, and you ask themhow they can stand to live in thislawlessway.Onceagain they lookatyou inbafflement. ‘Whatdoyou

mean,lawless?’theyask.‘Wehavealaw,andweallfollowitinvariably.This is why we’re friendly and cheerful and peaceable and all thoseother thingsyou find soattractive inus.This law is the foundationofoursuccessasapeopleandhasbeensofromthebeginning.’“Hereatlastisthepuzzle.Withoutaskingthem,howcanyoudiscoverwhatlawitistheyfollow?”Iblinkedathimforamoment.“Ican’timagine.”“Thinkaboutit.”“Well…obviouslytheirlawisthatA’seatC’sandB’seatA’sandC’seatB’s.”Ishmael shook his head. “These are food preferences. No law isrequired.”“I need something more to go on then. All I’ve got is their foodpreferences.”“Youhavethreeotherthingstogoon.Theyhavealaw,theyfollowitinvariably, and because they follow it invariably, they have a highlysuccessfulsociety.”“It’sstillverytenuous.Unlessit’ssomethinglike…‘Becool.’”“I’mnotaskingyoutoguesswhatthelawis.I’maskingyoutodeviseamethodfordiscoveringwhatthelawis.”Isliddowninmychair,foldedmyhandsonmystomach,andstaredattheceiling.AfterafewminutesIhadanidea.“Isthereapenaltyforbreakingthislaw?”“Death.”“ThenI’dwaitforanexecution.”Ishmael smiled. “Ingenious, but hardly a method. Besides, you’reoverlookingthefactthatthelawisobeyedinvariably.Therehasneverbeenanexecution.”Isighedandclosedmyeyes.AfewminuteslaterIsaid:“Observation.Carefulobservationoveralongperiod.”“That’smorelikeit.Whatwouldyoubelookingfor?”“Forwhattheydidn’tdo.Forwhattheyneverdid.”

“Good.Buthowwouldyoueliminateirrelevancies?Forexample,youmight find that they never slept standing on their heads or that theynever threw rocks at themoon. Therewould be amillion things theyneverdid,butthesewouldn’tnecessarilybeprohibitedbythelaw.”“True.Well,let’ssee.Theyhavealaw,theyfollowitinvariably,andaccording to them … ah. According to them, following this law hasgiven themasociety thatworksverywell.AmI supposed to take thatseriously?”“Certainly.It’spartofthehypothesis.”“Then this would eliminate most of the irrelevancies. The fact thattheyneversleepstandingontheirheadswouldn’thaveanything todowith having a society that works well. Let’s see. In effect … What Iwouldactuallybelookingforis…Iwouldbeclosinginonitfromtwosides. From one side I would be saying: ‘What is it that makes thissocietywork?’ And from the other side Iwould be saying: ‘What is ittheydon’tdothatmakesthissocietywork?’”“Bravo.Now,sinceyou’veworkedthisoutsobrilliantly,I’mgoingtogiveyouabreak:There’sgoingtobeanexecutionafterall.Forthefirsttime in history, someone has broken the law that is the foundation oftheir society. They’re outraged, horrified, astounded. They take theoffender,cuthimintolittlebits,andfeedhimtothedogs.Thisshouldbeabighelptoyouindiscoveringtheirlaw.”“Yes.”“I’lltakethepartofyourhost.We’vejustbeentotheexecution.Youmayaskquestions.”“Okay.Justwhatdidthisguydo?”“Hebrokethelaw.”“Yes,butspecificallywhatdidhedo?”Ishmaelshrugged.“Helivedcontrarytothelaw.Hedidthethingsweneverdo.”Iglaredathim.“That’snotfair.You’renotansweringmyquestions.”“Itellyouthewholesorrytaleispublicrecord,youngman.Hisbiography,completeineverydetail,isavailableatthelibrary.”

Igrunted.“Sohowareyougoing touse thisbiography? Itdoesn’t sayhowhe

brokethelaw.It’sjustacompleterecordofhowhelived,andmuchofitisboundtobeirrelevant.”“Okay,butIcanseethatitgivesmeanotherguide.Inowhavethree:

whatmakes their societyworkwell,what theyneverdo, andwhathedidthattheyneverdo.”

2

“Verygood.Thesearepreciselythethreeguidesyouhavetothelawwe’relookingforhere.Thecommunityoflifeonthisplanethasworkedwellforthreebillionyears—hasworkedbeautifully,infact.TheTakersdrawbackinhorrorfromthiscommunity,thinkingittobeaplaceof lawless chaos and savage, relentless competition,where everycreaturegoesinterrorofitslife.Butthoseofyourspecieswhoactuallylive inthiscommunitydon’t findit tobeso,andtheywill fight tothedeathratherthanbeseparatedfromit.“Itisinfactanorderlycommunity.Thegreenplantsarefoodforthe

plant eaters, which are food for the predators, and some of thesepredatorsarefoodforstillotherpredators.Andwhat’sleftoverisfoodfor the scavengers, who return to the earth nutrients needed by thegreenplants.It’sasystemthathasworkedmagnificentlyforbillionsofyears. Filmmakers understandably love footage of gore and battle, butanynaturalistwilltellyouthatthespeciesarenotinanysenseatwarwithoneanother.Thegazelleandthelionareenemiesonlyinthemindsof the Takers. The lion that comes across a herd of gazelles doesn’tmassacrethem,asanenemywould.Itkillsone,nottosatisfyitshatredof gazelles but to satisfy its hunger, and once it hasmade its kill thegazellesareperfectlycontenttogoongrazingwiththelionrightintheirmidst.“Allthiscomesaboutbecausethereisalawthatisfollowedinvariably

within the community, and without this law the community wouldindeedbe inchaosandwouldveryquicklydisintegrateanddisappear.Manoweshisveryexistencetothislaw.Ifthespeciesaroundhimhadnotobeyedit,hecouldnothavecomeintobeingorsurvived.It’salawthatprotectsnotonlythecommunityasawholebutspecieswithinthecommunityandevenindividuals.Doyouunderstand?”“Iunderstandwhatyou’resaying,butIhavenoideawhatthelawis.”“I’mpointingtoitseffects.”“Oh.Okay.”

“It is thepeace-keepinglaw,the lawthatkeepsthecommunityfromturningintothehowlingchaostheTakersimagineittobe.It’sthelawthatfosterslifeforall—lifeforthegrasses,lifeforthegrasshopperthatfeedsonthegrasses,lifeforthequailthatfeedsonthegrasshopper,lifefor the fox that feeds on the quail, life for the crows that feed on thedeadfox.“Theclub-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.“Andthenabouttenthousandyearsagoonebranchof thefamilyofHomosapienssapienssaid,‘Manisexemptfromthislaw.Thegodsnevermeantmantobeboundbyit.’Andsotheybuiltacivilizationthatfloutsthelawateverypoint,andwithinfivehundredgenerations—inaneye-blinkinthescaleofbiologicaltime—thisbranchofthefamilyofHomosapienssapienssawthattheyhadbroughttheentireworldtothepointofdeath.Andtheirexplanationforthiscalamitywas…what?”“Huh?”“Manlivedharmlesslyonthisplanetforsomethreemillionyears,buttheTakershavebroughtthewholethingtothepointofcollapseinonlyfivehundredgenerations.Andtheirexplanationforthisiswhat?”“I see what you mean. Their explanation is that something isfundamentallywrongwithpeople.”“NotthatyouTakersmaybedoingsomethingwrongbutratherthatthereissomethingfundamentallywrongwithhumannatureitself.”“That’sright.”“Howdoyoulikethatexplanationnow?”

“I’mbeginningtohavemydoubtsaboutit.”“Good.”

3

“At 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: ‘Is there a way to achievesettlementthatisinaccordwiththelawthatwe’vebeenfollowingfromthe beginning of time?’ I don’t 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, it’s slow work.Proceedingsimplybytrialanderror,itmighthavetakenthemanotherten thousand years—or another fifty thousand years. They apparentlyhadthewisdomtoknowtherewasnohurry.Theydidn’thavetogetintothe air. It made no sense to them to commit themselves to onecivilizational craft that was clearly headed for disaster, the way theTakershavedone.”Ishmaelstoppedthere,andwhenhedidn’tgoon,Isaid,“Whatnow?”Hischeekscrinkledinasmile.“Nowyouleaveandcomebackwhen

you’repreparedtotellmewhatlaworsetoflawshasbeenatworkinthecommunityoflifefromthebeginning.”“I’mnotsureI’mreadyforthat.”“That’swhatwe’vebeendoinghereforthelasthalfweek,ifnotfrom

theverybeginning:gettingyouready.”“ButIwouldn’tknowwheretobegin.”“Youdoknow.Youhavethesamethreeguidesas inthecaseof the

A’s, the B’s, and the C’s. The law you’re looking for has been obeyedinvariablyinthelivingcommunityforthreebillionyears.”Henoddedtotheworldoutside.“Andthisishowthingscametobethisway.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 law—and it wasn’t an entirespecies,itwasonlyonepeople,thoseI’venamedTakers.Tenthousandyears ago, this one people said, ‘No more. Man was not meant to beboundbythislaw,’andtheybegantoliveinawaythatfloutsthelawatevery 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.”Ishmaelturnedoverahand.“Thatshouldbeguideenoughforyou.”

4

Thedoorclosedbehindme,andthereIwas.Icouldn’tgobackinandIdidn’twanttogohome,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,andsolitarydrinkersareluckyinthisregard—theyalwayshavesomeonetotalkto.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.That’sright.Thiswasthesourceofmyfeelingofdepression.Ishmael had a curriculum. Well, of course, why wouldn’t he? He’d

developedhiscurriculumoveraperiodofyears,workingwithonepupilafter another.Makes sense. You’ve got to have a plan. You start here,move to this point, then to this point, this point, and this point, andthen,voila!Onefinedayyou’refinished.Thanksforyourattention,haveanicelife,andclosethedoorbehindyouwhenyouleave.How far alongwas I, at thispoint?Halfway?A thirdof theway?A

quarter?Whatever,everyadvanceImadetookmeastepclosertobeingoutofIshmael’slife.What’s the best bad word that describes this way of taking the

situation? Selfishness? Possessiveness? Stinginess? Whatever it is, I’ll

owntoitandmakenoexcuses.Ihad to face it: Ididn’t justwanta teacher—Iwanteda teacher forlife.

EIGHT

1

Thesearchforthelawtookmefourdays.IspentonedaytellingmyselfIcouldn’tdoit,twodaysdoingit,and

one day making sure I’d done it. On the fifth day I went back. As IwalkedintoIshmael’soffice,IwasmentallyrehearsingwhatIwasgoingtosay,whichwas,“IthinkIseewhyyouinsistedIdoitmyself.”Ilookedupfrommythoughtsandwasmomentarilydisoriented.Ihad

forgotten what was waiting for me there: the empty room, the lonechair,theslabofglasswithapairofglowingeyesbehindit.Foolishly,Iquaveredahellointotheair.Then Ishmael did something he’d never done before. By way of

greeting,heliftedhisupperliptogivemealookatarowofamberteethasmassiveaselbows.Iscurriedtomychairandwaitedlikeaschoolboyforhisnod.“IthinkIseewhyyouinsistedIdoitmyself,”Itoldhim.“Ifyouhad

donetheworkformeandpointedoutthethingstheTakersdothatareneverdoneinthenaturalcommunity,Iwouldhavesaid,‘Well,sure,sowhat,bigdeal.’”Ishmaelgrunted.“Okay.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 theircompetitors’ territories and preempt their kills. Some species evenincludecompetitorsamongtheirprey,buttheyneverhuntcompetitorsdown just tomake them dead, theway ranchers and farmers dowithcoyotesandfoxesandcrows.Whattheyhunt,theyeat.”Ishmaelnodded.“Itshouldbenoted,however,thatanimalswillalso

kill in self-defense, or even when they merely feel threatened. Forexample,baboonsmayattacka leopard thathasn’tattacked them.Thepointtoseeisthat,althoughbaboonswillgolookingforfood,theywill

nevergolookingforleopards.”“I’mnotsureIseewhatyoumean.”“Imeanthatintheabsenceoffood,baboonswillorganizethemselvesto findameal,but in theabsenceof leopards theywillneverorganizethemselves to find a leopard. In other words, it’s as you say: whenanimalsgohunting—evenextremelyaggressiveanimals likebaboons—it’stoobtainfood,nottoexterminatecompetitorsorevenanimalsthatpreyonthem.”“Yes,Iseewhatyou’regettingatnow.”“And how can you be sure this law is invariably followed? Imean,asidefromthefactthatcompetitorsareneverseentobeexterminatingeachother,inwhatyoucallthewild.”“If itweren’t invariably followed, then,asyousay, thingswouldnothavecometobethisway.Ifcompetitorshuntedeachotherdownjusttomake them dead, then there would be no competitors. There wouldsimplybeonespeciesateachlevelofcompetition:thestrongest.”“Goon.”“Next, the Takers systematically destroy their competitors’ food tomake room for their own. Nothing like this occurs in the naturalcommunity.The rule there is: Takewhat youneed, and leave the restalone.”Ishmaelnodded.“Next, theTakersdeny theircompetitorsaccess to food. In thewild,theruleis:Youmaydenyyourcompetitorsaccesstowhatyou’reeating,butyoumaynotdeny themaccess to food ingeneral. Inotherwords,youcansay,‘Thisgazelleismine,’butyoucan’tsay,‘Allthegazellesaremine.’Theliondefendsitskillasitsown,butitdoesn’tdefendtheherdasitsown.”“Yes,that’strue.Butsupposeyouraisedupaherdofyourown,fromscratch,sotospeak.Couldyoudefendthatherdasyourown?”“Idon’tknow.Isupposeso,solongasitwasn’tyourpolicythatalltheherdsintheworldwereyourown.”“And what about denying competitors access to what you’regrowing?”

“Again…Ourpolicyis:Everysquarefootofthisplanetbelongstous,so if we put it all under cultivation, then all our competitors are justplainoutofluckandwillhavetobecomeextinct.Ourpolicyistodenyourcompetitorsaccesstoall thefoodintheworld,andthat’ssomethingnootherspeciesdoes.”“Beeswilldenyyouaccesstowhat’sinsidetheirhiveintheappletree,buttheywon’tdenyyouaccesstotheapples.”“That’sright.”“Good.Andyousaythere’safourththingtheTakersdothatisneverdoneinthewild,asyoucallit.”“Yes. In thewild, the lionkillsagazelleandeats it. Itdoesn’tkillasecondgazelletosavefortomorrow.Thedeereatsthegrassthat’sthere.It doesn’t cut the grassdownand save it for thewinter.But these arethingstheTakersdo.”“Youseemlesscertainaboutthisone.”“Yes,Iamlesscertain.Therearespeciesthatstorefood,likebees,butmostdon’t.”“In thiscase,you’vemissed theobvious.Every livingcreature storesfood.Most simply store it in their bodies, theway lions anddeer andpeopledo.Forothers,thiswouldbeinadequatetotheiradaptations,andtheymuststorefoodexternallyaswell.”“Yes,Isee.”“There’s no prohibition against food storage as such. There couldn’tbe,becausethat’swhatmakesthewholesystemwork:thegreenplantsstore food for the plant eaters, the plant eaters store food for thepredators,andsoon.”“True.Ihadn’tthoughtofitthatway.”“IsthereanythingelsetheTakersdothatisneverdoneintherestofthecommunityoflife?”“Not that I can see. Not that seems relevant to what makes thatcommunitywork.”

2

“This law that you have so admirably described definesthelimitsofcompetitioninthecommunityoflife.Youmaycompetetothe full extent of your capabilities, but youmay not hunt down yourcompetitorsordestroytheirfoodordenythemaccesstofood.Inotherwords,youmaycompetebutyoumaynotwagewar.”“Yes.Asyousaid,it’sthepeace-keepinglaw.”“Andwhat’stheeffectofthelaw?Whatdoesitpromote?”“Well…itpromotesorder.”“Yes,butI’maftersomethingelsenow.Whatwouldhavehappenedif

this law had been repealed ten million years ago? What would thecommunitybelike?”“Onceagain, I’dhave tosay therewouldonlybeone formof lifeat

eachlevelofcompetition.Ifallthecompetitorsforthegrasseshadbeenwaging war on each other for tenmillion years, I’d have to think anoverallwinnerwouldhaveemergedbynow.Ormaybe there’dbeoneinsect winner, one avian winner, one reptile winner, and so on. Thesamewouldbetrueatalllevels.”“So the law promotes what? What’s the difference between this

communityandthecommunityasitis?”“I suppose thecommunity I’ve justdescribedwouldconsistof a few

dozenorafewhundreddifferentspecies.Thecommunityasitisconsistsofmillionsofspecies.”“Sothelawpromoteswhat?”“Diversity.”“Ofcourse.Andwhat’sthegoodofdiversity?”“Idon’tknow.It’scertainlymore…interesting.”“What’swrongwithaglobalcommunity thatconsistsofnothingbut

grass, gazelles, and lions? Or a global community that consists ofnothingbutriceandhumans?”

Igazedintospaceforawhile.“I’dhavetothinkthatacommunitylikethatwould be ecologically fragile. Itwould be highly vulnerable. Anychange at all in existing conditions, and the whole thing wouldcollapse.”Ishmaelnodded.“DiversityisasurvivalfactorforthecommunityitselfAcommunityofahundredmillionspeciescansurvivealmostanythingshort of total global catastrophe. Within that hundred million will bethousands that could survive a global temperature drop of twentydegrees—whichwouldbealotmoredevastatingthanitsounds.Withinthat hundred million will be thousands that could survive a globaltemperature rise of twenty degrees. But a community of a hundredspeciesorathousandspecieshasalmostnosurvivalvalueatall.”“True. And diversity is exactly what’s under attack here. Every daydozens of species disappear as a direct result of the way the Takerscompeteoutsidethelaw.”“Nowthatyouknowthere’salawinvolved,doesitmakeadifferenceinthewayyouviewwhat’sgoingon?”“Yes. I no longer thinkofwhatwe’redoing as ablunder.We’renotdestroyingtheworldbecausewe’reclumsy.We’redestroyingtheworldbecauseweare,inaveryliteralanddeliberateway,atwarwithit.”

3

“As you’ve explained, the community of life would bedestroyed if all species exempted themselves from the rules ofcompetitionlaiddownbythis law.Butwhatwouldhappenifonlyonespeciesexempteditself?”“Youmeanotherthanman?”“Yes. Of course it would have to possess an almost human cunning

anddetermination.Supposethatyou’reahyena.Whyshouldyousharethe game with those lazy, domineering lions? It happens again andagain:Youkillazebra,andalioncomesalong,drivesyouoff,andhelpshimselfwhileyousitaroundwaitingfortheleavings.Isthatfair?”“I thought itwas theotherwayaround—the lionsmakethekilland

thehyenasdotheharassing.”“Lionsmaketheirownkills,ofcourse,butthey’reperfectlycontentto

appropriatesomeoneelse’siftheycan.”“Okay.”“Soyou’refedup.Whatareyougoingtodoaboutit?”“Exterminatethelions.”“Andwhat’stheeffectofthis?”“Well…nomorehassles.”“Whatwerethelionslivingon?”“Thegazelles.Thezebras.Thegame.”“Nowthelionsaregone.Howdoesthisaffectyou?”“Iseewhatyou’regettingat.There’smoregameforus.”“Andwhenthere’smoregameforyou?”Ilookedathimblankly.“All right. I was assuming you knew the ABC’s of ecology. In the

naturalcommunity,wheneverapopulation’sfoodsupplyincreases,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.”“Ididknowit.Ijustwasn’tthinking.”“Well,”Ishmaelsaidwithabaffledfrown,“think.”I laughed. “Okay. So, with the lions gone, there’s more food forhyenas, and our population grows. It grows to the point where gamebecomesscarce,thenitbeginstoshrink.”“It would in ordinary circumstances, but you’ve changed thosecircumstances. You’ve decided the law of limited competition doesn’tapplytohyenas.”“Right.Sowekilloffourothercompetitors.”“Don’tmakemedragitoutofyouonewordatatime.Iwantyoutoworkitout.”“Okay.Let’ssee.Afterwekilloffourcompetitorsforthegame…ourpopulationgrowsuntilthegamebeginstogetscarce.Therearenomorecompetitorstokilloff,sowehavetoincreasethegamepopulation….Ican’tseehyenasgoinginforanimalhusbandry.”“You’vekilledoffyourcompetitors for thegame,butyourgamehascompetitors as well—competitors for the grasses. These are yourcompetitorsonce removed.Kill themoffand there’llbemoregrass foryourgame.”“Right.Moregrassforthegamemeansmoregame,moregamemeansmorehyenas,morehyenasmeans…What’slefttokilloff?”Ishmaeljustraisedhiseyebrowsatme.“There’snothinglefttokilloff.”“Think.”I thought. “Okay. We’ve killed off our direct competitors and ourcompetitors once removed.Nowwe can kill off our competitors twiceremoved—the plants that compete with the grasses for space andsunlight.”“That’sright.Thentherewillbemoreplantsforyourgameandmoregameforyou.”“Funny…. This is considered almost holy work by farmers andranchers. Kill off everything you can’t eat. Kill off anything that eats

whatyoueat.Killoffanythingthatdoesn’tfeedwhatyoueat.”“It isholywork,inTakerculture.Themorecompetitorsyoudestroy,themorehumansyoucanbring into theworld,and thatmakes it justabouttheholiestworkthereis.Onceyouexemptyourselffromthelawoflimitedcompetition,everythingintheworldexceptyourfoodandthefoodofyourfoodbecomesanenemytobeexterminated.”

4

“As you see, one species exempting itself from this lawhas the same ultimate effect as all species exempting themselves. Youendupwithacommunity inwhichdiversity isprogressivelydestroyedinordertosupporttheexpansionofasinglespecies.”“Yes.YouhavetoendupwheretheTakershaveendedup—constantly

eliminating competitors, constantly increasing your food supply, andconstantly wondering what you’re going to do about the populationexplosion. How did you put it the other day? Something aboutincreasingfoodproductiontofeedanincreasedpopulation.”“‘Intensificationofproductiontofeedanincreasedpopulationleadsto

astillgreaterincreaseinpopulation.’PeterFarbsaiditinHumankind.”“Yousaiditwasaparadox?”“No,hesaiditwasaparadox.”“Why?”Ishmaelshrugged.“I’msureheknowsthatanyspeciesinthewildwill

invariablyexpandtotheextentthatitsfoodsupplyexpands.But,asyouknow,MotherCultureteachesthatsuchlawsdonotapplytoman.”

5

“Ihaveaquestion,”Isaid.“Aswe’vegonethroughthesethings, I keepwondering if agriculture itself is contrary to this law. Imean,itseemscontrarytothelawbydefinition.”“Itis—iftheonlydefinitionyouhaveistheTakerdefinition.Butthere

areotherdefinitions.Agriculturedoesn’thavetobeawarwagedonalllifethatdoesn’tsupportyourgrowth.”“Iguessmyproblemisthis.Thebiologicalcommunityisaneconomy,

isn’tit?Imean,ifyoustarttakingmoreforyourself,thenthere’sgottobelessforsomeoneelse,forsomethingelse.Isn’tthatso?”“Yes.Butwhatareyougettingatbytakingmoreforyourself?Whydo

it?”“Well,thisisthebasisforsettlement.Ican’thavesettlementunlessI

haveagriculture.”“Areyousurethat’swhatyouwant?”“WhatelsewouldIwant?”“Doyouwanttogrowtothepointwhereyoucantakeovertheworld

and put every square foot of it under cultivation and force everyonealivetobeanagriculturalist?”“No.”“That’swhat theTakershavebeendoing—andarestilldoing.That’s

whattheiragriculturalsystemisdesignedtosupport:notjustsettlement—growth.Unlimitedgrowth.”“Okay.ButallIwantissettlement.”“Thenyoudon’thavetogotowar.”“Buttheproblemremains.IfI’mgoingtoachievesettlement,Ihaveto

have more than I had before, and that more has got to come fromsomewhere.”“Yes,that’strue,andIseeyourdifficulty.Inthefirstplace,settlement

isnotbyanymeansauniquelyhumanadaptation.OffhandIcan’tthink

of any species that is an absolute nomad. There’s 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 aren’tabsolute nomads, and there are intermediate states between them andpureagriculturalists.Therearehunter-gathererswhopractice intensivecollection,whocollectandstorefoodsurplusesthatenablethemtobeabitmore settled.Then thereare semi-agriculturalistswhogrowa littleandgatheralot.Andthentherearenear-agriculturalistswhogrowalotandgatheralittle.Andsoon.”“Butthisisnotgettingtothecentralproblem,”Isaid.“It is getting to the central problem, but your vision is locked onseeing the problem in one way and one way only. The point you’remissing is this:WhenHomo habilis appeared on the scene—when thatparticular adaptation thatwe callHomo habilis appeared on the scene—something had to make way for him. I don’t mean that some otherspecies had to become extinct. Imean simply that,with his very firstbite,Homohabiliswasincompetitionwithsomething.Andnotwithonething,withathousandthings—whichallhadtobediminishedinsomesmalldegreeifHomohabiliswasgoingtolive.Thisistrueofeverysinglespeciesthatevercameintobeingonthisplanet.”“Okay.ButIstilldon’tseewhatthishastodowithsettlement.”“You’renotlistening.Settlementisabiologicaladaptationpracticedtosomedegreebyeveryspecies,includingthehuman.Andeveryadaptationsupports itself in competitionwith the adaptations around it. In brief,humansettlementisn’tagainstthelawsofcompetition,it’ssubjecttothelawsofcompetition.”“Ah.Yes.Okay,Iseeitnow.”

6

“So,whathavewediscoveredhere?”“We’vediscoveredthatanyspeciesthatexempts itself fromtherules

ofcompetitionendsupdestroyingthecommunityinordertosupportitsownexpansion.”“Anyspecies?Includingman?”“Yes,obviously.That’sinfactwhat’shappeninghere.”“So you see that this—at least this—is not some mysterious

wickednesspeculiartothehumanrace.Itisn’tsomeimponderableflawinman thathasmade thepeopleofyour culture thedestroyersof theworld.”“No.Thesamethingwouldhappenwithanyspecies,atleastwithany

species strong enough to bring it off. Provided that every increase infoodsupplyisansweredbyanincreaseinpopulation.”“Givenanexpandingfoodsupply,anypopulationwillexpand.Thisis

trueofanyspecies,includingthehuman.TheTakershavebeenprovingthis here for ten thousand years. For ten thousand years they’ve beensteadilyincreasingfoodproductiontofeedanincreasedpopulation,andeverytimethey’vedonethis,thepopulationhasincreasedstillmore.”Isatthereforaminutethinking.ThenIsaid,“MotherCulturedoesn’t

agree.”“Certainlynot.I’msureshedisagreesmoststrenuously.Whatdoesshe

say?”“She says it’s within our power to increase food productionwithout

increasingourpopulation.”“Towhatend?Whyincreasefoodproduction?”“Tofeedthemillionswho’restarving.”“Andasyou feed themwillyouextractapromise that theywillnot

reproduce?”“Well…no,that’snotpartoftheplan.”

“Sowhatwillhappenifyoufeedthestarvingmillions?”“They’llreproduceandourpopulationwillincrease.”“Withoutfail.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.”“Even so…” I thought somemore. “Mother Culture says that, if itcomestothat,birthcontrolwillsolvetheproblem.”“Yes. If you’re ever so foolish as to get into a conversation on thissubjectwithsomeofyourfriends,you’llfindtheyheaveagreatsighofreliefwhentheyremembertomakethispoint.‘Whew!Offthehook!’It’slikethealcoholicwhoswearshe’llgiveupdrinkbeforeitruinshislife.Globalpopulationcontrolisalwayssomethingthat’sgoingtohappeninthe future. It was something that was going to happen in the futurewhenyouwerethreebillionin1960.Now,whenyou’refivebillion,it’sstillsomethingthat’sgoingtohappeninthefuture.”“True.Nevertheless,itcouldhappen.”“Itcouldindeed—butnotaslongasyou’reenactingthisstory.Aslongas you’re enacting this story, you will go on answering famine withincreased food production. You’ve seen the ads for sending food tostarvingpeoplesaroundtheworld?”“Yes.”“Haveyoueverseenadsforsendingcontraceptives?”“No.”“Never.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.”“True.”“Withinyourcultureasawhole,thereis infactnosignificantthrust

toward global population control. The point to see is that there neverwillbesuchathrustsolongasyou’reenactingastorythatsaysthegodsmade theworld forman. For as long as you enact that story,MotherCulture will demand increased food production today—and promisepopulationcontroltomorrow.”“Yes,Icanseethat.ButIhaveaquestion.”“Proceed.”“IknowwhatMotherCulturesaysaboutfamine.Whatdoyousay?”“I? I say nothing, except that your species is not exempt from thebiologicalrealitiesthatgovernallotherspecies.”“Buthowdoesthatapplytofamine?”“Famine isn’t unique to humans. All species are subject to iteverywhere in theworld.Whenthepopulationofanyspeciesoutstripsits food resources, that population declines until it’s 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.”“Yes.A fewyearsago I reada story in thepaperaboutanecologistwhomadethesamepointatsomeconferenceonhunger.Boy,didhegetjumpedon.Hewaspracticallyaccusedofbeingamurderer.”“Yes, I can imagine. His colleagues all over the world understandperfectlywellwhathewassaying,buttheyhavethegoodsensenottoconfrontMotherCulturewithitinthemidstofherbenevolence.Ifthereare forty thousand people in an area that can only support thirtythousand,it’snokindnesstobringinfoodfromtheoutsidetomaintainthem at forty thousand. That just guarantees that the famine willcontinue.”“True.Butallthesame,it’shardjusttositbyandletthemstarve.”“This is precisely how someone speakswho imagines that he is theworld’sdivinelyappointedruler:‘Iwillnotletthemstarve.Iwillnotlet

thedrought come. Iwill not let the river flood.’ It is the godswho letthesethings,notyou.”“Avalid point,” I said. “Even so I have onemore question on this.”

Ishmael nodded me on. “We increase food production in the U.S.tremendouslyeveryyear,butourpopulationgrowthisrelativelyslight.Ontheotherhand,populationgrowthissteepestincountrieswithpooragricultural production. This seems to contradict your correlation offoodproductionwithpopulationgrowth.”Heshookhisheadinmilddisgust.“Thephenomenonasit’sobserved

is this: ‘Every increase in food production to feed an increasedpopulation is answered by another increase in population.’ This saysnothingaboutwheretheseincreasesoccur.”“Idon’tgetit.”“An increase in food production in Nebraska doesn’t necessarily

produceapopulationincreaseinNebraska.ItmayproduceapopulationincreasesomewhereinIndiaorAfrica.”“Istilldon’tgetit.”“Every increase in food production is answered by an increase in

populationsomewhere.Inotherwords,someoneisconsumingNebraska’ssurpluses—andiftheyweren’t,Nebraska’sfarmerswouldstopproducingthosesurpluses,pronto.”“True,” I said, and spent a few moments in thought. “Are you

suggesting that First World farmers are fueling the Third Worldpopulationexplosion?”“Ultimately,”hesaid,“whoelseistheretofuelit?”Isattherestaringathim.“Youneedtotakeastepbackfromtheprobleminordertoseeit in

global perspective. At present there are five and a half billion of youhere,and,thoughmillionsofyouarestarving,you’reproducingenoughfood to feed sixbillion.Andbecause you’reproducingenough food forsixbillion,it’sabiologicalcertaintythatinthreeorfouryearstherewillbesixbillionofyou.Bythattime,however(eventhoughmillionsofyouwillstillbestarving),you’llbeproducingenoughfoodforsixandahalfbillion—whichmeansthatinanotherthreeorfouryearstherewillbesix

andahalfbillion.Butbythattimeyou’llbeproducingenoughfoodforsevenbillion(eventhoughmillionsofyouwillstillbestarving),whichagainmeansthatinanotherthreeorfouryearstherewillbesevenbillionof you. In order to halt this process, you must face the fact thatincreasingfoodproductiondoesn’t feedyourhungry, itonly fuelsyourpopulationexplosion.”“Iseethat.Buthowdowestopincreasingfoodproduction?”“You do it the same way you stop destroying the ozone layer, thesamewayyoustopcuttingdowntherainforests.Ifthewillisthere,themethodwillbefound.”

7

“Asyousee,Ileftabookbesideyourchair,”Ishmaelsaid.ItwasTheAmericanHeritageBookofIndians.“Whilewe’re on or near the subject of population control, there’s a

map of tribal locations there in the front that you may findilluminating.”AfterI’dstudieditforaminute,heaskedmewhatImadeofit.“Ididn’trealizethereweresomany.Somanydifferentpeoples.”“Notallofthemwerethereatthesametime,butmostofthemwere.

WhatI’dlikeyoutothinkaboutiswhatservedtolimittheirgrowth.”“Howisthemapsupposedtohelp?”“I wanted you to see that this was far from an empty continent.

Populationcontrolwasn’taluxury,itwasanecessity.”“Okay.”“Anyideas?”“Youmeanfromlookingatthemap?No,I’mafraidnot.”“Tellmethis:Whatdothepeopleofyourculturedoiftheygettired

oflivinginthecrowdedNortheast?”“That’seasy.TheymovetoArizona.NewMexico.Colorado.Thewide

openspaces.”“AndhowdotheTakersinthewideopenspaceslikethat?”“Theydon’t.Theyputbumper stickerson theircars that say, ‘Ifyou

loveNewMexico,gobackwhereyoucamefrom.’”“Buttheydon’tgoback.”“No,theyjustkeepcoming.”“Whycan’t theTakersof theseareasstemtheflood?Whycan’t they

limitthepopulationgrowthoftheNortheast?”“Idon’tknow.Idon’tseehowtheycould.”“Sowhatyouhaveisagushingwellspringofgrowthinonepartofthe

country thatnoonebothers to turnoff,because theexcesscanalwaysflowintothewideopenspacesoftheWest.”“That’sright.”“Yeteachofthesestateshasaboundary.Whydon’tthoseboundarieskeepthemout?”“Becausethey’rejustimaginarylines.”“Exactly.AllyouhavetodototransformyourselfintoanArizonanistocrossthatimaginarylineandsettledown.ButthepointtonoteisthataroundeachoftheLeaverpeoplesonthatmapwasaboundarythatwasdefinitely not imaginary: a cultural boundary. If the Navajo startedfeelingcrowded,theycouldn’tsaytothemselves,‘Well,theHopihavealotofwideopen space.Let’sgoover thereandbeHopi.’ Sucha thingwouldhavebeenunthinkabletothem.Inshort,NewYorkerscansolvetheir population problems by becoming Arizonans, but the Navajocouldn’t solve their population problems by becoming Hopi. Thoseculturalboundarieswereboundariesthatnoonecrossedbychoice.”“True.Ontheotherhand,theNavajocouldcrosstheHopi’sterritorialboundarywithoutcrossingtheirculturalboundary.”“YoumeantheycouldinvadeHopiterritory.Yes,absolutely.Butthepoint I’m making still stands. If you crossed over into Hopi territory,theydidn’tgiveyouaformtofillout,theykilledyou.Thatworkedverywell.Thatgavepeopleapowerfulincentivetolimittheirgrowth.”“Yes,thereisthat.”“These 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 don’t mean to suggest that this was thepeaceablekingdomofaUtopiandream.InaworldwherenoBigBrothermonitorseveryone’sbehaviorandguaranteeseveryone’spropertyrights,itworkswelltohaveareputationforfearlessnessandferocity—andyoudon’t acquire such a reputation by sending your neighbors curt notes.Youwantthemtoknowexactlywhatthey’llbeinforiftheydon’tlimittheirgrowthandstayintheirownterritory.”

“Yes,Isee.Theylimitedeachother.”“But not just by erecting uncrossable territorial boundaries. Theirculturalboundarieshadtobeuncrossabletoo.Theexcesspopulationofthe Narraganset couldn’t just pack up and move out west to beCheyenne.TheNarragansethadtostaywheretheywereandlimittheirpopulation.”“Yes. It’s another case where diversity seems to work better thanhomogeneity.”

8

“Aweekago,”Ishmaelsaid,“whenweweretalkingaboutlaws,yousaidthatthere’sonlyonekindoflawabouthowpeopleshouldlive—thekindthatcanbechangedbyavote.Whatdoyouthinknow?Canthelawsthatgoverncompetitioninthecommunitybechangedbyavote?”“No. But they’re not absolutes, like the laws of aerodynamics. They

canbebroken.”“Can’tthelawsofaerodynamicsbebroken?”“No.Ifyourplaneisn’tbuiltaccordingtothelaw,itdoesn’tfly.”“Butifyoupushitoffacliff,itstaysintheair,doesn’tit?”“Forawhile.”“Thesameis trueofacivilizationthat isn’tbuilt inaccordancewith

thelawoflimitedcompetition.Itstaysintheairforawhile,andthenitcomesdownwithacrash.Isn’tthatwhatthepeopleofyourculturearefacinghere?Acrash?”“Yes.”“I’ll 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?”“Yes.”“Thenwhathavewediscoveredhere?”“We’ve discovered a piece of certain knowledge about how people

oughttolive.Mustlive,infact.”“Knowledgethataweekagoyousaidwasunobtainable.”“Yes.But…”“Yes?”“Idon’tseehow…Holdonforaminute.”“Takeyourtime.”

“Idon’tseehowtomakethisasourceofknowledgeingeneral.Imean,Idon’tseeanywaytoapplythisknowledgeinageneralway,tootherissues.”“Do the laws of aerodynamics show you how to repair damagedgenes?”“No.”“Thenwhatgoodarethey?”“They’regoodfor…Theyenableustofly.”“Thelawwe’veoutlinedhereenablesspeciestolive—enablesspeciestosurvive,includingthehuman.Itwon’ttellyouwhethermood-alteringdrugsshouldbelegalizedornot.Itwon’ttellyouwhetherpremaritalsexisgoodorbad.Itwon’ttellyouwhethercapitalpunishmentisrightorwrong. It will tell you how you have to live if you want to avoidextinction,andthat’sthefirstandmostfundamentalknowledgeanyoneneeds.”“True.Allthesame…”“Yes?”“Allthesame,thepeopleofmyculturewillnotacceptit.”“You mean the people of your culture will not accept what you’velearnedhere.”“That’sright.”“Let’sbeclearaboutwhattheywillandwillnotaccept.Thelawitselfisbeyondargument.It’sthere,plainlyinplaceinthecommunityoflife.WhattheTakerswilldenyisthatitappliestomankind.”“That’sright.”“Thathardlycomesasasurprise.MotherCulturecouldacceptthefactthatmankind’shomeisnotthecenteroftheuniverse.Shecouldacceptthe fact thatman evolved from the common slime. But shewill neveracceptthefactthatmanisnotexemptfromthepeace-keepinglawofthecommunityoflife.Toacceptthatwouldfinishheroff.”“Sowhatareyousaying?Thatit’shopeless?”“Not at all. ObviouslyMother Culturemust be finished off if you’regoingtosurvive,andthat’ssomethingthepeopleofyourculturecando.

Shehasnoexistenceoutsideyourminds.Onceyoustoplisteningtoher,sheceasestoexist.”“True.ButIdon’tthinkpeoplewillletthathappen.”Ishmaelshrugged.“Thenthelawwilldoitforthem.Iftheyrefusetoliveunderthelaw,thentheysimplywon’tlive.Youmightsaythatthisisoneofthelaw’sbasicoperations:Thosewhothreatenthestabilityofthecommunitybydefyingthelawautomaticallyeliminatethemselves.”“TheTakerswillneveracceptthat.”“Acceptancehasnothingtodowithit.Youmayaswell talkaboutamansteppingofftheedgeofacliffnotacceptingtheeffectsofgravity.The Takers are in the process of eliminating themselves, and whenthey’vedoneso,thestabilityofthecommunitywillberestoredandthedamageyou’vedonecanbegintoberepaired.”“True.”“On the other hand, I think you’re being unreasonably pessimisticaboutthis.Ithinktherearealotofpeopleouttherewhoknowthejigisupandarereadytohearsomethingnew—whowanttohearsomethingnew,justlikeyou.”“Ihopeyou’reright.”

9

“I’m not quite satisfied with the way we’ve formulatedthislaw,”Isaid.“No?”“Werefertoitasa law,but it’sactuallythreelaws.OratanyrateI

describeditasthreelaws.”“The three laws are branches.What you’re looking for is the trunk,

whichissomethinglike,‘Noonespeciesshallmakethelifeoftheworlditsown.’”“Yes,that’swhattherulesofcompetitionensure.”“That’soneexpressionofthelaw.Here’sanother:‘Theworldwasnot

madeforanyonespecies.’”“Yes.Thenmanwascertainlynotmadetoconquerandruleit.”“That’stoobiga leap.InTakermythology,theworldneededaruler

because the gods had made a mess of it. What they’d created was ajungle,ahowlingchaos,ananarchy.Butwasitthatinfact?”“No,everythingwasingoodorder.ItwastheTakerswhointroduced

disorderintotheworld.”“Theruleofthatlawwasandissufficient.Mankindwasnotneededto

bringordertotheworld.”

10

“Thepeopleofyourcultureclingwith fanatical tenacitytothespecialnessofman.Theywantdesperatelytoperceiveavastgulfbetween man and the rest of creation. This mythology of humansuperiorityjustifiestheirdoingwhatevertheypleasewiththeworld,justthe way Hitler’s 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.”“That’strue.Butwhatareyougettingat?”Insteadofansweringmyquestion,Ishmaelsaid,“AmongtheLeavers,

crime,mentalillness,suicide,anddrugaddictionaregreatrarities.HowdoesMotherCultureaccountforthis?”“I’d say it’s because…Mother Culture says it’s because the Leavers

arejusttooprimitivetohavethesethings.”“Inotherwords,crime,mentalillness,suicide,anddrugaddictionare

featuresofanadvancedculture.”“That’s right.Nobody says it thatway,of course,but that’show it’s

understood.Thesethingsarethepriceofadvancement.”“There’s an almost opposite opinion that has had wide currency in

your culture for a century or so.An opposite opinion as towhy thesethingsarerareamongtheLeavers.”I thought for aminute. “Youmean theNoble Savage theory. I can’t

sayIknowitinanydetail.”“But you have an impression of it. That’s what’s current in your

culture—notthetheoryindetailbutanimpressionofit.”“True.It’stheideathatpeoplelivingclosetonaturetendtobenoble.

It’s seeing all those sunsets that does it. You can’twatch a sunset andthengooffandsetfiretoyourneighbor’stepee.Livingclosetonatureiswonderfulforyourmentalhealth.”

“YouunderstandthatI’mnotsayinganythinglikethis.”“Yes.Butwhatareyousaying?”“We’vehadalookatthestorytheTakershavebeenenactinghereforthepasttenthousandyears.TheLeaverstooareenactingastory.Notastorytoldbutastoryenacted.”“Whatdoyoumeanbythat?”“If you go among the various peoples of your culture—if you go toChina and Japan andRussia andEngland and India—eachpeoplewillgive 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.”“Iseewhatyou’regettingat.Itisn’tthetaleyoutellthatcounts,it’sthewayyouactuallylive.”“That’scorrect.ThestorytheTakershavebeenenactinghereforthepast ten thousandyears isnotonlydisastrous formankindand for theworld, it’s fundamentally unhealthy and unsatisfying. It’s amegalomaniac’s fantasy,andenacting ithasgiven theTakersacultureriddledwithgreed,cruelty,mentalillness,crime,anddrugaddiction.”“Yes,thatseemstobeso.”“The story the Leavers have been enacting here for the past threemillionyearsisn’tastoryofconquestandrule.Enactingitdoesn’tgivethem power. Enacting it gives them lives that are satisfying andmeaningful to them. This is what you’ll find if you go among them.They’re 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.And—Irepeat—thisis

notbecausethey liveclosetonatureorhavenoformalgovernmentorbecausethey’reinnatelynoble.Thisissimplybecausethey’reenactingastory that works well for people—a story that worked well for threemillion years and that still works well where the Takers haven’t yetmanagedtostampitout.”“Okay.Thatsoundsterrific.Whendowegettothatstory?”“Tomorrow.Atleastwe’llbegintomorrow.”“Good,” I said. “But before we quit today, I have a question. WhyMotherCulture?Ipersonallyhavenodifficultywithit,butIcanimaginesomewomenwould,onthegroundsthatyouseemtobesinglingoutafigureofspecificallyfemalegendertoserveasaculturalvillain.”Ishmaelgrunted.“Idon’tconsiderheravillaininanysensewhatever,butIunderstandwhatyou’regettingat.Hereismyanswer:Cultureisamother everywhere and at every time, because culture is inherently anurturer—thenurturerofhumansocietiesandlifestyles.AmongLeaverpeoples,MotherCultureexplainsandpreservesalifestylethatishealthyand self-sustaining.AmongTakerpeoples she explains andpreserves alifestylethathasproventobeunhealthyandself-destructive.”“Okay.So?”“Sowhat’syourquestion?IfcultureisamotheramongtheAlawaofAustraliaandtheBushmenofAfricaandtheKayapoofBrazil,thenwhywouldn’tshebeamotheramongtheTakers?”

NINE

1

WhenIarrivedthenextday,Ifoundthatanewplanwasineffect:Ishmaelwasnolongerontheothersideoftheglass,hewasonmy side of it, sprawled on some cushions a few feet frommy chair. Ihadn’t 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.“Beforewegoon,”Ishmaelsaidafterafewmoments,“Iwanttoclear

upamisconception.”Heheldupapadofdrawingpaperwithadiagramonit.

“Notaparticularlydifficultvisualization.ItrepresentsthestorylineoftheLeavers,”hesaid.“Yes,Isee.”Headdedsomethingandhelditupagain.

“Thisoffshoot,beginningatabout8000B.C.,representsthestorylineoftheTakers.”“Right.”“Andwhateventdoesthisrepresent?”heasked,touchingthepointof

hispenciltothedotlabeled8000B.C.

“Theagriculturalrevolution.”“Didthiseventoccuratapointintimeoroveraperiodoftime?”“Iassumeoveraperiodoftime.”“Thenthisdotat8000B.C.representswhat?”“Thebeginningoftherevolution.”“WhereshallIputthedottoshowwhenitended?”“Ah,” I said witlessly. “I don’t really know. It must have lasted acouplethousandyears.”“Whateventmarkedtheendoftherevolution?”“Again, I don’t know. I don’t know that any particular eventwouldhavemarkedit.”“Nopoppingchampagnecorks?”“Idon’tknow.”“Think.”I thought, and after a while said, “Okay. It’s strange that this isn’ttaught.Irememberbeingtaughtabouttheagriculturalrevolution,butIdon’trememberthis.”“Goon.”“It didn’t end. It just spread. It’s been spreading ever since it beganbacktheretenthousandyearsago.Itspreadacrossthiscontinentduringtheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies. It’sstill spreadingacrosspartsofNewZealandandAfricaandSouthAmericatoday.”“Ofcourse.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. It’s thefoundationofyourvastcivilizationtodayinexactlythesamewaythatitwasthefoundationoftheveryfirstfarmingvillage.”“Yes,Iseethat.”“Thisshouldhelpyouunderstandwhythestoryyoutellyourchildrenabout themeaning of theworld, about divine intentions in theworld,

and about the destiny of man is of such profound importance to thepeopleofyourculture.It’sthemanifestooftherevolutiononwhichyourcultureisbased.It’stherepositoryofallyourrevolutionarydoctrineandthedefinitiveexpressionofyourrevolutionaryspirit.Itexplainswhytherevolutionwasnecessaryandwhyitmustbecarriedforwardatanycostwhatever.”“Yes,”Isaid.“That’squiteathought.”

2

“About two thousand years ago,” Ishmael went on, “aneventofexquisiteironyoccurredwithinyourculture.TheTakers—oratleast avery large segmentof them—adoptedas theirowna story thatseemed to thempregnantwithmeaning andmystery. It came to themfromaTaker people of theNear Eastwhohadbeen telling it to theirownchildrenforcountlessgenerations—forsomanygenerationsthatithadbecomeamysteryeventothem.Doyouknowwhy?”“Whyithadbecomeamystery?No.”“Ithadbecomeamysterybecausethosewhofirsttoldthestory—their

ancientancestors—werenotTakersbutLeavers.”Isatthereforawhileblinkingathim.ThenIaskedhimifhe’dmind

runningthatpastmeagain.“About two thousand years ago, the Takers adopted as their own a

storythathadoriginatedamongLeaversmanycenturiesbefore.”“Okay.What’stheironyinthat?”“The irony is that it was a story that had once been told among

LeaversabouttheoriginsoftheTakers.”“So?”“TheTakersadoptedastheirownaLeaverstoryabouttheirorigins.”“I’mafraidIjustdon’tgetit.”“WhatsortofstorywouldaLeaverpeopletellabouttheappearanceof

theTakersintheworld?”“God,Ihavenoidea.”Ishmaelpeeredatmeowlishly. “You seem tohave forgotten to take

your brainy pill this morning. Nevermind, I’ll tell you a story of myown,andthenyou’llseeit.”“Okay.”Ishmael shifted his mountainous bulk into a new position on his

pillows,andinvoluntarilyIclosedmyeyes,thinking,Ifastrangerwereto

openthedoorandwalkinatthismoment,whatonearthwouldhethink?

3

“There is a very special knowledge you must have ifyou’regoingtoruletheworld,”Ishmaelsaid.“I’msureyourealizethat.”“Frankly,I’veneverthoughtaboutit.”“TheTakerspossessthisknowledge,ofcourse—atleasttheyimagine

they do—and they’re very, very proud of it. This is the mostfundamentalknowledgeofall,andit’sabsolutelyindispensabletothosewhowould rule theworld. Andwhat do you suppose the Takers findwhentheygoamongtheLeavers?”“Idon’tknowwhatyoumean.”“They find that the Leavers do not have this knowledge. Isn’t that

remarkable?”“Idon’tknow.”“Considerit.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.”“Idon’tevenknowwhatknowledgeyou’retalkingabout.”“It’stheknowledgethat’sneededtoruletheworld.”“Okay,butspecificallywhatknowledgeisthat?”“You’lllearnthatfromthestory.WhatI’mlookingatrightnowiswho

hasthisknowledge.I’vetoldyouthattheTakershaveit,andthatmakessense,doesn’tit?TheTakersaretherulersoftheworld,aren’tthey?”“Yes.”“AndtheLeaversdon’thaveit,andthattoomakessense,doesn’tit?”“Iguessso.”“Nowtellme this:Whoelsewouldhave thisknowledge,besides the

Takers?”“Ihavenoidea.”

“Thinkmythologically.”“Okay….Thegodswouldhaveit.”“Ofcourse.Andthat’swhatmystoryisabout:Howthegodsacquiredtheknowledgetheyneededtoruletheworld.”

4

One day (Ishmael began) the godswere considering theadministration of the world in the ordinary way, and one them said,“Here’s a spot I’ve been thinking about for a while—awide, pleasantsavannah.Let’ssendagreatmultitudeoflocustsintothisland.Thenthefireof lifewill growprodigiously in themand in thebirdsand lizardsthatwillfeedonthem,andthatwillbeveryfine.”Theothersthoughtaboutthisforawhile,thenonesaid,“It’scertainly

truethat,ifwesendthelocustsintothisland,thefireoflifewillblazeinthemandinthecreaturesthatfeedonthem—butattheexpenseofalltheothercreaturesthatlivethere.”Theothersaskedhimwhathispointwas, andhewenton. “Surely itwouldbe a great crime todeprive alltheseothercreaturesofthefireoflifesothatthelocustsandthebirdsandthelizardscanflourishforatime.Forthelocustswillstripthelandbare,andthedeerandthegazellesandthegoatsandtherabbitswillgohungryanddie.Andwiththedisappearanceofthegame,thelionsandthewolves and the foxeswill soon be dying too.Won’t they curse usthenandcalluscriminalsforfavoringthelocustsandthebirdsandthelizardsoverthem?”Now the gods had to scratch their heads over this, because they’d

neverlookedatmattersinthisparticularlightbefore.Butfinallyoneofthemsaid,“Idon’tseethatthispresentsanygreatproblem.Wesimplywon’tdoit.Wewon’traiseamultitudeoflocuststosendintothisland,then thingswill go on as before, and no onewill have any reason tocurseus.”Mostofthegodsthoughtthismadesense,butoneofthemdisagreed.

“Surelythiswouldbeasgreatacrimeastheother,”hesaid.“Fordon’tthelocustsandthebirdsandthelizardsliveinourhandsaswellastherest?Isitnevertobetheirtimetoflourishgreatly,asothersdo?”Whilethegodsweredebatingthispoint,afoxcameouttohunt,and

theysaid,“Let’ssendthefoxaquailforits life.”Butthesewordswerehardlyspokenwhenoneofthemsaid,“Surelyitwouldbeacrimetoletthefoxliveatthequail’sexpense.Thequailhasitslifethatwegaveit

andlivesinourhands.Itwouldbeinfamoustosenditintothejawsofthefox!”Thenanothersaid,“Lookhere!Thequailisstalkingagrasshopper!Ifwe don’t give the quail to the fox, then the quail will eat thegrasshopper. Doesn’t the grasshopper have its life thatwe gave it anddoesn’t it live inourhandsas trulyas thequail?Surely itwouldbeacrimenottogivethequailtothefox,sothatthegrasshoppermaylive.”Well, as you can imagine, the gods groaned heavily over this anddidn’tknowwhattodo.Andwhiletheywerewranglingoverit,springcame,andthesnowwatersofthemountainsbegantoswellthestreams,and one of them said, “Surely itwould be a crime to let thesewatersfloodtheland,forcountlesscreaturesareboundtobecarriedofftotheirdeaths.” But then another said, “Surely itwould be a crime not to letthese waters flood the land, for without them the ponds andmarsheswilldryup,andall thecreatures that live in themwilldie.”Andoncemorethegodswerethrownintoconfusion.Finallyoneofthemhadwhatseemedtobeanewthought.“It’sclearthatanyactionwetakewillbegoodforsomeandevilforothers,solet’stakenoactionatall.Thennoneofthecreaturesthat liveinourhandscancalluscriminals.”“Nonsense,” another snapped. “If we take no action at all, this willalsobegood for someandevil forothers,won’t it?Thecreatures thatliveinourhandswillsay,‘Look,wesuffer,andthegodsdonothing!’”Andwhilethegodsbickeredamongthemselves,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. “We’ve made thegarden a place of terror, and all that live in it hate us as tyrants andcriminals.Andthey’rerighttodothis,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,knowingevenaswedoitthatwedon’tknowwhatoughttobedone.”Well,thegodsweresinkingrightintothesloughofdespondwhenoneof them looked up and said, “Say, didn’t we make for the garden acertaintreewhosefruitistheknowledgeofgoodandevil?”“Yes,”criedtheothers.“Let’sfindthattreeandeatofitandseewhatthis knowledge is.” And when the gods had found this tree and hadtasteditsfruit,theireyeswereopened,andtheysaid,“Nowindeedwehave the knowledge we need to tend the garden without becomingcriminalsandwithoutearningthecursesofallwholiveinourhands.”Andastheyweretalkinginthisway,alionwentouttohunt,andthegodssaidtothemselves,“Todayisthelion’sdaytogohungry,andthedeeritwouldhavetakenmayliveanotherday.”Andsothelionmisseditskill,andas itwas returninghungry to itsden itbegan tocurse thegods.But theysaid,“Beatpeace, forweknowhowto rule theworld,andtodayisyourdaytogohungry.”Andthelionwasatpeace.Andthenextdaythelionwentouttohunt,andthegodssent it thedeertheyhadsparedthedaybefore.Andasthedeerfeltthelion’sjawsonitsneck, itbegantocursethegods.Buttheysaid,“Beatpeace,forwe know how to rule theworld, and today is your day to die just asyesterdaywasyourdaytolive.”Andthedeerwasatpeace.Then the gods said to themselves, “Certainly 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 lion’s jaws without thisknowledge,thenindeedthistoowouldhavebeenacrime.Butwiththisknowledgewehavedonebothofthesethings,oneseeminglyopposedtotheother,andhavecommittednocrime.”Nowithappened thatoneof thegodswasawayonanerrandwhen

theotherswereeatingatthetreeofknowledge,andwhenhereturnedandheardwhatthegodshaddoneinthematterofthelionandthedeer,hesaid,“Indoingthesetwothingsyouhavesurelycommittedacrimeinone instance or the other, for these two things are opposed, and onemusthavebeenrighttodoandtheotherwrong.Ifitwasgoodfortheliontogohungryonthefirstday,thenitwaseviltosenditthedeeronthesecond.Orifitwasgoodtosenditthedeeronthesecondday,thenitwaseviltosenditawayhungryonthefirst.”Theothersnoddedandsaid,“Yes,thisisjustthewaywewouldhave

reasonedbeforeweateofthistreeofknowledge.”“Whatknowledgeisthis?”thegodasked,noticingthetreeforthefirst

time.“Taste its fruit,” they told him. “Then you’ll know exactly what

knowledgeitis.”So the god tasted, and his eyes were opened. “Yes, I see,” he said.

“Thisisindeedtheproperknowledgeofthegods: theknowledgeofwhoshallliveandwhoshalldie.”

5

“Anyquestionssofar?”Ishmaelasked.I jumped, startled by this break in the narrative. “No. This is

fascinating.”Ishmaelwenton.

6

WhenthegodssawthatAdamwasawakening,theysaidtothemselves,“Nowhereisacreaturesolikeusthathemightalmostbeoneofourcompany.Whatspanoflifeandwhatdestinyshallwefashionforhim?”Oneofthemsaid,“Heissofair,let’sgivehimlifeforthelifetimeof

thisplanet.Inthedaysofhischildhoodlet’scareforhimaswecareforallothersinthegarden,sothathelearnsthesweetnessoflivinginourhands. But in adolescence he will surely begin to realize that he’scapableofmuchmorethanothercreaturesandwillbecomerestless inourcare.Shallwethenleadhimtotheothertreeinthegarden,theTreeofLife?”Butanothersaid,“ToleadAdamlikeachildtotheTreeofLifebefore

hehadevenbeguntoseek it forhimselfwoulddeprivehimofagreatundertakingbywhichhemaygainanimportantwisdomandprovehismettle tohimself.Aswewouldgivehim thecareheneedsasa child,let’sgivehimthequestheneedsasanadolescent.Let’smakethequestfortheTreeofLifetheoccupationofhisadolescence. Inthiswayhe’lldiscoverforhimselfhowhemayhavelifeforthelifetimeofthisplanet.”Theothersagreedwiththisplan,butonesaid,“Weshouldtakenote

that this might well be a long and baffling quest for Adam. Youth isimpatient,andafterafewthousandyearsofsearching,hemightdespairoffindingtheTreeofLife.Ifthisshouldhappen,hemightbetemptedtoeatoftheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvilinstead.”“Nonsense,”theothersreplied.“Youknowverywellthatthefruitof

thistreenourishesonlythegods.ItcannomorenourishAdamthanthegrassesoftheoxen.Hemighttakeitintohismouthandswallowit,butit would pass through his body without benefit. Surely you don’timagine that he might actually gain our knowledge by eating of thistree?”“Ofcoursenot,” theother replied. “Thedanger isnot thathewould

gainourknowledgebutratherthathemightimaginethathe’dgainedit.

Havingtastedthefruitofthistree,hemightsaytohimself,‘Ihaveeatenatthegods’owntreeofknowledgeandthereforeknowaswellastheyhowtoruletheworld.ImaydoasIwilldo.’”“This is absurd,” said the other gods. “How 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.”Buttheotherwasnotdisconcertedbythisargument.“IfAdamshouldeatofour tree,”hepersisted,“there’sno tellinghowhemightdeceivehimself.Notknowingthetruth,hemightsaytohimself,‘WhateverIcanjustifydoingisgoodandwhateverIcannotjustifydoingisevil.’”But the others scoffed at this, saying, “This is not the knowledge ofgoodandevil.”“Of course it’s not,” the other replied, “but howwouldAdam knowthis?”The others shrugged. “Perhaps in childhood Adammight believe hewas wise enough to rule the world, but what of it? Such arrogantfoolishnesswouldpasswithmaturity.”“Ah,”saidtheother,“butpossessedofthisarrogantfoolishness,wouldAdam survive intomaturity? Believing himself our equal, hewould becapableofanything.Inhisarrogance,hemightlookaroundthegardenandsaytohimself,‘Thisisallwrong.WhyshouldIhavetosharethefireoflifewithallthesecreatures?Lookhere,thelionsandthewolvesandthefoxestakethegameIwouldhaveformyself.Thisisevil.Iwillkillallthesecreatures,andthiswillbegood.Andlookhere,therabbitsandthe grasshoppers and the sparrows take the fruits of the land that Iwouldhaveformyself.Thisisevil.Iwillkillallthesecreatures,andthiswillbegood.Andlookhere,thegodshavesetalimitonmygrowthjustasthey’vesetalimitonthegrowthofallothers.Thisisevil.Iwillgrowwithout limit, taking all the fire of life that flows through this gardenintomyself,andthatwillbegood.’Tellme—ifthisshouldhappen,howlongwouldAdamlivebeforehehaddevouredtheentireworld?”

“If this should happen,” the others said, “Adam would devour theworld in a single day, and at the end of that day he would devourhimself.”“Just so,” the other said, “unless he managed to escape from thisworld.Thenhewoulddevourtheentireuniverseashehaddevouredtheworld. But even so he would inevitably end by devouring himself, asanythingmustthatgrowswithoutlimit.”“Thiswould indeed be a terrible end for Adam,” another said. “Butmight 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?”“He might,” the others agreed. “But what would be the result? Hewouldbecomeacriminal,anoutlaw,a thiefof life,andamurdererofthecreaturesaroundhim.Withoutthedelusionthatwhathewasdoingwasgood—andthereforetobedoneatanycost—hewouldsoonwearyoftheoutlaw’slife.IndeedthisisboundtohappenduringhisquestfortheTreeofLife.Butifheshouldeatofthetreeofourknowledge,thenhewillshrugoffhisweariness.Hewillsay,WhatdoesitmatterthatI’mwearyoflivingasamurdererofallthelifearoundme?Iknowgoodandevil,andthiswayoflivingisgood.ThereforeImustlivethiswayeventhoughI’mwearyuntodeath,eventhoughIdestroytheworldandevenmyself.Thegodswroteintheworldalawforalltofollow,butitcannotapply tome because I’m 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. ItmaybethatI’lldestroythegardenandmakearuinofit.Itmaybethatmyprogenywillteemovertheearthlikelocusts,strippingitbare,untiltheydrownintheirownfilthandhatetheverysightofoneanotherandgomad.Stilltheymustgoon,becausetogrowwithoutlimitisgoodandtoacceptthelimitsofthelawisevil.Andifanysay,“Let’sputofftheburdens of the criminal life and live in the hands of the gods once

again,”Iwillkillthem,forwhattheysayisevil.Andifanysay,“Let’sturn aside from ourmisery and search for that other tree,” 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,“Grow, for this isgood,”and theywillgrow.And to thepeopleof thenext land Iwill say,“Grow, for this isgood,”and theywillgrow.Andwhentheycangrownomore,thepeopleofthislandwillfalluponthepeople of the next tomurder them, so that theymay grow stillmore.Andifthegroansofmyprogenyfilltheairthroughouttheworld,Iwillsaytothem,“Yoursufferingsmustbeborne,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, isn’t itsweetertoliveinourownhandsthaninthehandsofthegods?”‘”Andwhenthegodsheardallthis,theysawthat,ofallthetreesinthe

garden,onlytheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvilcoulddestroyAdam.Andsotheysaidtohim,“YoumayeatofeverytreeinthegardensavetheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil,foronthedayyoueatofthattreeyouwillcertainlydie.”

7

Isattheredazedforawhile,thenIrecalledseeingabibleinIshmael’soddcollectionofbooks.Infact,therewerethree.Ifetchedthem and after a fewminutes of study looked up and said, “None ofthese has any comment to make on why this tree should have beenforbiddentoAdam.”“Wereyouexpectingthemto?”“Well…yes.”“The Takers write the notes, and this story has always been an

impenetrable mystery to them. They’ve never been able to figure outwhytheknowledgeofgoodandevilshouldhavebeenforbiddentoman.Don’tyouseewhy?”“No.”“Because,totheTakers,thisknowledgeistheverybestknowledgeof

all—themostbeneficialformantohave.Thisbeingso,whywouldthegodsforbidittohim?”“True.”“Theknowledgeofgoodandevilisfundamentallytheknowledgethe

rulersoftheworldmustexercise,becauseeverysinglethingtheydoisgoodforsomebutevil forothers.This iswhatrulingisallabout, isn’tit?”“Yes.”“Andmanwasborntoruletheworld,wasn’the?”“Yes.AccordingtoTakermythology.”“Thenwhywouldthegodswithholdtheveryknowledgemanneedsto

fulfill his destiny?From theTakerpoint of view, itmakesno sense atall.”“True.”“The disaster occurredwhen, ten thousand years ago, the people of

yourculturesaid,We’reaswiseas thegodsandcanrule theworldas

wellasthey.’Whentheytookintotheirownhandsthepoweroflifeanddeathovertheworld,theirdoomwasassured.”“Yes.Becausetheyarenotinfactaswiseasthegods.”“Thegodsruledtheworldforbillionsofyears,anditwasdoingjustfine.Afterjustafewthousandyearsofhumanrule,theworldisatthepointofdeath.”“True.ButtheTakerswillnevergiveitup.”Ishmaelshrugged.“Thenthey’lldie.Aspredicted.Theauthorsofthisstoryknewwhattheyweretalkingabout.”

8

“Andyou’re saying this storywaswritten fromaLeaverpointofview?”“That’sright.IfithadbeenwrittenfromtheTakerpointofview,the

knowledgeofgoodandevilwouldn’thavebeen forbidden toAdam, itwould have been thrust upon him. The godswould have hung aroundsaying, ‘Come on,Man, can’t you see that you’re nothingwithout thisknowledge? Stop living off our bounty like a lion or awombat.Here,havesomeofthisfruitandyou’llinstantlyrealizethatyou’renaked—asnakedasanylionorwombat:nakedtotheworld,powerless.Comeon,havesomeofthisfruitandbecomeoneofus.Then,luckyyou,youcanleavethisgardenandbegin livingbythesweatofyourbrow, thewayhumansaresupposedtolive.’Andifpeopleofyourculturalpersuasionhadauthoredit,thiseventwouldn’tbecalledtheFall,itwouldbecalledtheAscent—orasyouputitearlier,theLiberation.”“Very true….But I’mnotquite surehowthis fits inwitheverything

else.”“We are furthering your understanding of how things came to be this

way.”“Idon’tgetit.”“Aminuteago,you toldme that theTakerswillnevergiveup their

tyrannyovertheworld,nomatterhowbadthingsget.Howdidtheygettobethisway?”Igoggledathim.“Theygot tobe thiswaybecause they’ve alwaysbelieved thatwhat

they were doing was right—and therefore to be done at any costwhatever.They’vealwaysbelievedthat,likethegods,theyknowwhatisrighttodoandwhatiswrongtodo,andwhatthey’redoingisright.Doyouseehowthey’vedemonstratedwhatI’msaying?”“Notoffhand.”“They’vedemonstrateditbyforcingeveryoneintheworldtodowhat

theydo,tolivethewaytheylive.EveryonehadtobeforcedtoliveliketheTakers,becausetheTakershadtheonerightway.”“Yes,Icanseethat.”“ManypeoplesamongtheLeaverspracticedagriculture,buttheywereneverobsessedbythedelusionthatwhattheyweredoingwasright,thateveryoneintheentireworldhadtopracticeagriculture,thateverylastsquareyardoftheplanethadtobedevotedtoit.Theydidn’tsaytothepeoplearoundthem,‘Youmaynolongerlivebyhuntingandgathering.This is wrong. This is evil, and we forbid it. Put your land undercultivationorwe’llwipeyouout.’Whattheysaidwas,‘Youwanttobehunter-gatherers? That’s fine with us. That’s great. We want to beagriculturalists.Youbehunter-gatherersandwe’llbeagriculturalists.Wedon’tpretendtoknowwhichwayisright.Wejustknowwhichwayweprefer.’”“Yes,Isee.”“And if they got tired of being agriculturalists, if they found theydidn’tlikewhereitwasleadingthemintheirparticularadaptation,theywereabletogiveitup.Theydidn’tsaytothemselves,‘Well,we’vegottokeepgoingatthisevenifitkillsus,becausethisistherightwaytolive.’Forexample,therewasonceapeoplewhoconstructedavastnetworkofirrigationcanalsinordertofarmthedesertsofwhatisnowsoutheasternArizona. They maintained these canals for three thousand years andbuiltafairlyadvancedcivilization,butintheendtheywerefreetosay,‘Thisisatoilsomeandunsatisfyingwaytolive,sotohellwithit.’Theysimplywalked away from thewhole thing andput it so totally out ofmind thatwe don’t even knowwhat they called themselves. The onlynamewehaveforthemisonethePimaIndiansgavethem:Hohokam—thosewhovanished.“Butit’snotgoingtobethiseasyfortheTakers.It’sgoingtobehardashell for them togive itup,becausewhat they’redoing is right, andtheyhave togoondoing it even if itmeansdestroying theworldandmankindwithit.”“Yes,that’sthewayitseems.”“Givingitupwouldmean…what?”“Givingitupwouldmean…Itwouldmeanthatallalongthey’dbeen

wrong.Itwouldmeanthatthey’dneverknownhowtoruletheworld.Itwouldmean…relinquishingtheirpretensionstogodhood.”“Itwouldmeanspittingoutthefruitofthattreeandgivingtheruleoftheworldbacktothegods.”“Yes.”

9

Ishmael nodded to the stack of bibles at my feet.“According to the authors of that story, the people living between theTigris and Euphrates rivers had eaten at the gods’ own tree ofknowledge.Wheredoyousupposetheygotthatidea?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Whatever gave the authors of this story the idea that the people

livingintheFertileCrescenthadeatenatthegods’treeofknowledge?Doyousupposetheysawitwiththeirowneyes?Doyousupposetheyweretherewhenyouragriculturalrevolutionbegan?”“Isupposethat’sapossibility.”“Think.Ifthey’dbeentheretoseeitwiththeirowneyes,whowould

theyhavebeen?”“Oh … right. They would have been the people of the Fall. They

wouldhavebeentheTakers.”“Andifthey’dbeenTakers,theywouldhavetoldthestoryadifferent

way.”“Yes.”“So theauthorsof this storywerenot there to see itwith theirown

eyes. How then did they know it had happened?How did they knowthattheTakershadusurpedtheroleofthegodsintheworld?”“Lord,”Isaid.“Whoweretheauthorsofthisstory?”“Well…theHebrews?”Ishmael shookhis head. “Among the people known as theHebrews,

thiswasalreadyanancientstory—andamysteriousstory.TheHebrewssteppedintohistoryasTakers—andwantednothingmorethantobeliketheir Taker neighbors. Indeed, that’s why their prophets were alwaysbawlingthemout.”“True.”

“So,thoughtheypreservedthestory,theynolongerfullyunderstoodit. To find the peoplewho understood it,we have to find its authors.Andwhowerethey?”“Well…theyweretheancestorsoftheHebrews.”“Butwhowerethey?”“I’mafraidIhavenoidea.”Ishmaelgrunted.“Look,Ican’tforbidyoutosay,‘Ihavenoidea,’butIdoinsistthatyouspendafewsecondsthinkingbeforeyousayit.”Ispentafewsecondsatit,justtobepolite,thenIsaid,“I’msorry.Mygraspofancienthistoryisfranklynegligible.”“TheancientancestorsoftheHebrewsweretheSemites.”“Oh.”“Youknewthat,didn’tyou?”“Yes,Iguessso.Ijust…”“Youjustweren’tthinking.”“Right.”Ishmael bestirred himself, and to be perfectly honest, my stomachclenchedasthehalftonofhimbrushedpastmychair.Ifyoudon’tknowhowgorillasmaketheirwayfromplacetoplaceontheground,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.“Thismap, I feel, gives a false impression,” Ishmael said, “though itwas not an intended impression. It gives the impression that theagricultural revolution took place in an empty world. This is why Iprefermyownmap.”Heopenedhispadandshowedittome.“As you see, this shows the situation five hundred years later. The

agriculturalrevolutioniswellunderway.Theareainwhichfarmingistaking place is indicated by these hen-scratches.” Using a pencil as apointer, he indicated the area between the Tigris and the Euphrates.“This, of course, is the land between the rivers, the birthplace of theTakers.Andwhatdoyousupposeallthesedotsrepresent?”

“Leaverpeoples?”“Exactly. They’re not designed as a statement about populationdensity.Noraretheyintendedtoindicatethateveryavailablestretchoflandwas inhabited by some Leaver people.What they indicate is thatthiswasfar frombeinganemptyworld.DoyouseewhatI’mshowingyou?”“Well, I thinkso.ThelandoftheFall laywithintheFertileCrescentandwassurroundedbynonagriculturalists.”“Yes,but I’malsopointingout 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?”“I’dexpecttoseethattheTakershaveexpanded.”Henodded,indicatingthatIshouldturnthepage.Hereaprintedoval,

labeled Chalcolithic Cultures, with Mesopotamia at its center, enclosedthewholeofAsiaMinorandallthelandtothenorthandeastasfarastheCaspianSeaand thePersianGulf.TheovalextendedsouthwardasfarastheentrancetotheArabianpeninsula,whichwasacross-hatchedarealabeledSemites.“Now,”Ishmaelsaid,“wehavesomewitnesses.”“Howso?”“TheSemiteswerenoteyewitnessestotheeventsdescribedinchapter

three of Genesis.” He drew a small oval in the center of the FertileCrescent. “Those events, cumulatively known as the Fall, took placehere,hundredsofmilesnorthoftheSemites,amonganentirelydifferentpeople.Doyouseewhotheywere?”“Accordingtothemap,theyweretheCaucasians.”“Butnow, in4500B.C., theSemitesare eyewitnesses toanevent in

theirownfrontyard:theexpansionoftheTakers.”“Yes,Isee.”“In four thousandyears theagricultural revolution thatbegan in the

landbetweentherivershadspreadacrossAsiaMinortothewestandtothemountainsinthenorthandeast.Andtothesouthitseemstohavebeenblockedbywhat?”“BytheSemites,apparently.”“Why?WhyweretheSemitesblockingit?”“Idon’tknow.”“WhatweretheSemites?Weretheyagriculturalists?”“No. The mapmakes it clear that they weren’t a part of what was

goingonamongtheTakers.SoIassumetheywereLeavers.”“Leavers, yes, but no longer hunter-gatherers. They had evolved

anotheradaptationthatwastobetraditionalforSemiticpeoples.”“Oh.Theywerepastoralists.”“Of course. Herders.” He indicated the border between the Takers’

ChalcolithicCultureandtheSemites.“Sowhatwashappeninghere?”“Idon’tknow.”

Ishmaelnoddedtowardthebiblesatmyfeet.“ReadthestoryofCainandAbelinGenesisandthenyou’llknow.”I picked up the one on top and turned to chapter four. A coupleminuteslater,Imuttered,“Goodlord.”

10

After reading the story inall threeversions, I lookedupand said, “What was happening along that border was that Cain waskilling Abel. The tillers of the soilwerewatering their fieldswith thebloodofSemiticherders.”“Ofcourse.Whatwashappeningtherewaswhathasalwayshappened

alongthebordersofTakerexpansion:TheLeaverswerebeingkilledoffsothatmorelandcouldbeputundercultivation.”Ishmaelpickeduphispadandopenedittohisownmapofthisperiod.“Asyousee,thehen-scratches of the agriculturalists have swarmed over the entire area—exceptfortheterritoryoccupiedbytheSemites.HereattheborderthatseparatestillersofthesoilfromSemiticherders,CainandAbelconfronteachother.”Istudiedthemapforafewmomentsandthenshookmyhead.“And

biblicalscholarsdon’tunderstandthis?”“Icannotsay,ofcourse,thatnotasinglescholarhaseverunderstood

this.Butmostreadthestoryasifitweresetinanhistoricalnever-neverland, like one of Aesop’s fables. It would scarcely occur to them tounderstanditasapieceofSemiticwarpropaganda.”

“That’swhat it is, all right. I know it’s alwaysbeen amystery as towhy God accepted Abel and his offering and rejected Cain and hisoffering.Thisexplainsit.Withthisstory,theSemitesweretellingtheirchildren, ‘God is on our side. He loves us herders but hates thosemurderoustillersofthesoilfromthenorth.’”“That’sright.Ifyoureaditasastorythatoriginatedamongyourowncultural ancestors, it’s incomprehensible. It only begins tomake sensewhenyou realize that itoriginatedamong theenemiesofyourculturalancestors.”“Yes.”Isatthereblinkingforafewmoments,thenlookedatIshmael’smapagain.“IfthetillersofthesoilfromthenorthwereCaucasians,”Isaid,“thenthemarkofCainisthis”Ipointedtomyownfairormaggot-coloredface.“Itcouldbe.Obviouslywe’llneverknowforsurewhattheauthorsofthestoryhadinmind.”“Butitmakessensethisway,”Iinsisted.“ThemarkwasgiventoCainasawarningtoothers:‘Leavethismanalone.Thisisadangerousman,onewhoexactsasevenfoldvengeance.’Certainlyalotofpeoplealloverthe world have learned that it doesn’t pay to mess with people withwhitefaces.”Ishmaelshrugged,unconvincedorperhapsjustuninterested.

11

“In the previous map, I went to the trouble of layingdownhundredsofdotstorepresentLeaverpeopleslivingintheMideastwhen your agricultural revolution began. What do you supposehappenedtothesepeoplesbetweenthetimeofthatmapandthetimeofthismap?”“Iwouldhavetosaythateithertheywereoverrunandassimilatedor

theytookupagricultureinimitationoftheTakers.”Ishmaelnodded.“Doubtlessmanyofthesepeopleshadtheirowntales

totellofthisrevolution,theirownwaysofexplaininghowthesepeoplefromtheFertileCrescentcametobethewaytheywere,butonlyoneofthesetalessurvived—theonetoldbytheSemitestotheirchildrenaboutthe Fall of Adam and the slaughter of Abel by his brother Cain. ItsurvivedbecausetheTakersnevermanagedtooverruntheSemites,andtheSemitesrefusedtotakeuptheagricultural life.EventheireventualTakerdescendants, theHebrews,whopreservedthestorywithoutfullyunderstandingit,couldn’tworkupanyenthusiasmforthepeasantlife-style.Andthis ishowithappenedthat,withthespreadofChristianityandoftheOldTestament,theTakerscametoadoptastheirownastoryanenemyoncetoldtodenouncethem.”

12

“So we come again to this question: Where did theSemitesgettheideathatthepeopleoftheFertileCrescenthadeatenatthegods’owntreeofknowledge?”“Ah,”Isaid.“Iwouldsayitwasasortofreconstruction.Theylooked

atthepeopletheywerefightingandsaid,‘MyGod,howdidtheygetthisway?’”“Andwhatwastheiranswer?”“Well … ‘What’s wrong with these people? What’s wrong with our

brothersfromthenorth?Whyaretheydoingthistous?Theyactlike…’Letmethinkaboutthisforabit.”“Takeyourtime.”“Okay,” I saida fewminutes later.“Here’showitwould look to the

Semites,Ithink.‘What’sgoingonhereissomethingwhollynew.Thesearen’t raiding parties. These aren’t people drawing a line and baringtheir teeth at us tomake surewe know they’re there. These guys aresaying…Ourbrothersfromthenortharesayingthatwe’vegottodie.They’resayingAbelhastobewipedout.They’resayingwe’renottobeallowed to live. Now that’s something new, andwe don’t get it.Whycan’ttheyliveupthereandbefarmersandletuslivedownhereandbeherders?Whydotheyhavetomurderus?’“‘Somethingreallyweirdmusthavehappenedupthere to turnthese

peopleintomurderers.Whatcouldithavebeen?Waitasecond…Lookat the way these people live. Nobody has ever lived this way before.They’renotjustsayingthatwehavetodie.They’resayingthateverythinghastodie.They’renot justkillingus, they’rekillingeverything.They’resaying,“Okay, lions,you’redead.We’vehaditwithyou.You’reoutofhere.”They’resaying,“Okay,wolves,we’vehaditwithyoutoo.You’reout of here.” They’re saying … “Nobody eats but us. All this foodbelongs to us and no one else can have anywithout our permission.”They’re saying, “Whatwewant to live lives andwhatwewant to diedies.”

“‘That’sit!They’reactingasiftheywerethegodsthemselves.They’reacting as if they eat at the gods’ own tree ofwisdom, as though theywereaswiseas thegodsandcould send lifeanddeathwherever theyplease.Yes, that’s it.That’swhatmusthavehappenedup there.Thesepeoplefoundthegods’owntreeofwisdomandstolesomeofitsfruit.“‘Aha!Right!Theseareanaccursedpeople!Youcanseethatrightoffthebat.When thegods foundoutwhat they’ddone, they said, “Okay,you wretched people, that’s it for you! We’re not taking care of youanymore. You’re 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.” And that’s how these accursedtillersofthesoilcametobehuntingusdownandwateringtheirfieldswithourblood.’”WhenIfinished,IsawthatIshmaelwasputtinghishandstogetherinmuteapplause.Irepliedwithasmirkandamodestnod.

13

“One of the clearest indications that these two storieswerenotauthoredbyyourculturalancestorsisthefactthatagricultureisnotportrayedasadesirablechoice,freelymade,butratherasacurse.Itwasliterallyinconceivabletotheauthorsofthesestoriesthatanyonewouldprefertolivebythesweatofhisbrow.Sothequestiontheyaskedthemselves was not, ‘Why did these people adopt this toilsome life-style?’Itwas,‘Whatterriblemisdeeddidthesepeoplecommittodeservesuch a punishment?What have they done tomake the godswithholdfromthemthebountythatenablestherestofustoliveacarefreelife?’”“Yes,that’sobviousnow.Inourownculturalhistory,theadoptionof

agriculturewasapreludetoascent.Inthesestories,agricultureisthelotofthefallen.”

14

“Ihaveaquestion,” I said. “Whydid theydescribeCainasAdam’sfirstbornandAbelasAdam’ssecondborn?”Ishmael nodded. “The significance is mythological rather than

chronological.Imeanthatyou’llfindthismotifinfolktaleseverywhere:Whenyouhaveafatherwithtwosons,oneworthyandoneunworthy,the unworthy son is almost always the cherished firstborn, while theworthy son is the secondborn—which is to say, the underdog in thestory.”“Okay. But why would they think of themselves as descendants of

Adamatall?”“Youmustn’tconfusemetaphorical thinkingwithbiological thinking.

TheSemitesdidn’tthinkofAdamastheirbiologicalancestor.”“Howdoyouknowthat?”Ishmael thought for amoment. “DoyouknowwhatAdammeans in

Hebrew?Wecan’tknowthenametheSemitesgavehim,butpresumablyithadthesamemeaning.”“Itmeansman.”“Ofcourse.Thehumanrace.DoyousupposetheSemitesthoughtthat

thehumanracewastheirbiologicalancestor?”“No,ofcoursenot.”“I agree. The relationships in the story have to be understood

metaphorically, not biologically. As they perceived it, the Fall dividedthe raceofman into two—intobadguysandgoodguys, into tillersofthesoilandherders,theformerbentonmurderingthelatter.”“Okay,”Isaid.

15

“ButI’mafraidIhaveanotherquestion.”“There’snoneedtoapologizeforit.That’swhatyou’reherefor.”“Okay.Myquestionis,howdoesEvefigureinallthis?”“Hernamemeanswhat?”“Accordingtothenotes,itmeansLife.”“NotWoman?”“No,notaccordingtothenotes.”“With this name, the authors of the story have made it clear that

Adam’s temptation wasn’t sex or lust or uxoriousness. Adam wastemptedbyLife.”“Idon’tgetit.”“Consider:Ahundredmenandonewomandoesnotspellahundred

babies,butonemanandahundredwomendoes.”“So?”“I’m pointing out that, in terms of population expansion, men and

womenhavemarkedlydifferentroles.They’rebynomeansequalinthisregard.”“Okay.ButIstilldon’tgetit.”“I’m 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.”“True.But I’mafraid I stilldon’t seehowthis relates to the story in

Genesis.”“Bepatient.Let’sgobacktotheauthorsofthisstory,aherdingpeople

being pushed into the desert by agriculturalists from the north. Why

weretheirbrothersfromthenorthpushing?”“Theywantedtoputtheherder’slandundercultivation.”“Yes,butwhy?”“Ah, I see. They were increasing food production to support anexpandedpopulation.”“Of course. Now you’re ready to do somemore reconstruction. Youcan see that these tillers of the soil haveno senseof restraintwhen itcomes to expansion. They don’t control their population; when thereisn’t enough food to go around, they just put some more land undercultivation.”“True.”“So:Whomdidthesepeoplesayyesto?”“Mm.Yes,IthinkIseeit.Asinaglass,darkly.”“Thinkofitthisway:TheSemites,likemostnonagriculturalpeoples,hadtobewaryofbecomingoverbalancedbetweenthesexes.Havingtoomanymendidn’t threaten the stability of their population, but havingtoomanywomendefinitelydid.Youseethat?”“Yes.”“ButwhattheSemitesobservedintheirbrothersfromthenorthwasthat itdidn’tmatter to them. If theirpopulationgotoutofhand, theydidn’tworry,theyjustputmorelandundercultivation.”“Yes,Iseethat.”“Or 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 gods’ prerogative ofdeciding who shall live and who shall die. But when Eve presentedAdamwiththisknowledge,hesaid, ‘Yes,Isee;withthis,wenolongerhavetodependonthebountyofthegods.Withthematterofwhoshallliveandwho shalldie inourownhands,wecancreateabounty thatwill exist forus alone, and thismeans I can sayyes toLife, andgrowwithoutlimit.’WhatyoushouldunderstandisthatsayingyestoLifeandacceptingtheknowledgeofgoodandevilaremerelydifferentaspectsofasingleact,andthisisthewaythestoryistoldinGenesis.”

“Yes.It’ssubtle,butIthinkIseeit.WhenAdamacceptedthefruitofthattree,hesuccumbedtothetemptationtolivewithoutlimit—andsothepersonwhoofferedhimthatfruitisnamedLife.”Ishmaelnodded.“WheneveraTakercoupletalkabouthowwonderfulitwouldbetohaveabigfamily,they’rereenactingthisscenebesidetheTreeof theKnowledgeofGoodandEvil.They’resayingtothemselves,‘Of course it’s our right to apportion life on this planet as we please.Whystopatfourkidsorsix?Wecanhavefifteenifwelike.Allwehavetodoisplowunderanotherfewhundredacresofrainforest—andwhocaresifadozenotherspeciesdisappearasaresult?’”

16

There was still something that didn’t quite fit together,butIcouldn’tfigureouthowtoarticulateit.Ishmaeltoldmetotakemytime.AfterI’dsweatedoverit forafewminutes,hesaid,“Don’texpectto

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.Certainlythat’stheway theysawthestory.Theycouldn’tpossiblyhaveknownthat itwasonly in that little cornerof theworld thatAdamhadeatenat thegods’ tree, couldn’t possibly have known that the Fertile Crescentwasonlyoneofmanyplaceswhereagriculturehadbegun,couldn’tpossiblyhaveknownthattherewerestillpeopleallovertheworldlivingthewayAdamhadlivedbeforetheFall.”“True,”Isaid.“Iwastryingtomakeitfitwithalltheinformationwe

have,andthatobviouslywon’twork.”

17

“Ithinkit’ssafetosaythatthestoryofAdam’sFallisbyfarthebest-knownstoryintheworld.”“AtleastintheWest,”Isaid.“Oh, it’s well known in the East as well, having been carried into

every corner of theworld by Christianmissionaries. It has a powerfulattractionforTakerseverywhere.”“Yes.”“Whyisthatso?”“Iguessbecauseitpurportstoexplainwhatwentwronghere.”“Whatdidgowrong?Howdopeopleunderstandthestory?”“Adam,thefirstman,atethefruitoftheforbiddentree.”“Andwhatisthatunderstoodtomean?”“Frankly,Idon’tknow.I’veneverheardanexplanationthatmadeany

sense.”“Andtheknowledgeofgoodandevil?”“Again,I’veneverheardanexplanationthatmadeanysense.Ithink

the way most people understand it, the gods wanted to test Adam’sobediencebyforbiddinghimsomething,anditdidn’tmuchmatterwhatitwas.Andthat’swhattheFallessentiallywas—anactofdisobedience.”“Nothingreallytodowiththeknowledgeofgoodandevil.”“No. But then I suppose there are people who think that the

knowledgeofgoodandevilis justasymbolof…Idon’tknowexactlywhat.TheythinkoftheFallasafallfrominnocence.”“Innocence in this context presumably being a synonym for blissful

ignorance.”“Yes…It’ssomethinglikethis:Manwasinnocentuntilhediscovered

thedifferencebetweengoodandevil.Whenhewasnolongerinnocentofthatknowledge,hebecameafallencreature.”“I’mafraidthatmeansnothingatalltome.”

“Tomeeither,actually.”“Allthesame,ifyoureaditfromanotherpointofview,thestorydoesexplainexactlywhatwentwronghere,doesn’tit?”“Yes.”“But the people of your culture havenever been able to understandtheexplanation,becausethey’vealwaysassumedthatitwasformulatedbypeoplejustlikethem—peoplewhotookitforgrantedthattheworldwasmadeformanandmanwasmadetoconquerandruleit,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 didn’t stand a chance ofunderstandingit.”“That’sright.”“Butwhenit’sreadanotherway,theexplanationmakesperfectlygoodsense:Mancanneverhavethewisdomthegodsusetorule theworld,and if he tries to preempt that wisdom, the result won’t beenlightenment,itwillbedeath.”“Yes,” I said, “I have no doubt about that—that’s what the storymeans.Adamwasn’ttheprogenitorofourrace,hewastheprogenitorofourculture.”“This is why he’s 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.”

TEN

1

An uncle arrived in town unannounced and expected tobeentertained.Ithoughtitwouldbeaday;itturnedouttobetwoandahalf.Ifoundmyselfbeamingthesethoughtsathim:“Isn’titgettingtobetime foryou tomoveon?Aren’tyouhomesickbynow?Wouldn’tyouratherexplorethecityonyourown?Doesn’titeveroccurtoyouthatImighthaveotherthingstodo?”Hewasnotreceptive.AfewminutesbeforeIlefttotakehimtotheairport,Igotacalland

an ultimatum from a client: No more excuses, not one word—do theworknow,orsendbacktheadvance.IsaidI’ddotheworknow.Itookmyvisitingrelativetotheairport,cameback,andsatdownatthewordprocessor.Itwasn’tthatbigachore,Itoldmyself—pointlesstomakeatripdowntownjusttotellIshmaelIwasn’tgoingtobethereforanotherdayortwo.But in the water of my bones and bowels there was a tremor of

apprehension.

I pray about teeth—doesn’t everyone? I don’t have time to floss. Youknow.Hang in there, I tell them; I’ll get around to youbefore it’s 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,“Look,Idon’thavetimeforthis—justyankitoutandletmego.”Butheturnedouttoberight.Ohmy,whatrootsthattoothhad—anditseemedtobealotclosertomyspinethanmylips.AtonepointIaskedhimifitwouldn’tbeeasiertogoinfromtheback.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 weren’t pretty. I spent the daygobbling pain-killers and antibiotics and drinking myself silly withbourbon.In themorning I got back towork, but that tremorof apprehensionwasstillsinginginmywater.“Onemoreday,”Isaidtomyself.“I’llbeabletogetthis inthemailtonight,andonemoredaywon’tmatter.”Thegamblerwhoputshis lasthundredonoddandwatches theballhopdecisivelyintoslot18willtellyouheknew itwasalosingbettheinstantthechiplefthishand.Heknew it,feltit.Butofcourseifithadtakenonemorehopand landed in19,hewouldcheerfullyadmit thatsuchpresentimentsoftenprovetobewrong.Minewasnot.Fromtheheadofthehallway,Isawanindustrial-sizedfloorscrubberparked outside Ishmael’s half-open door. Before I could get there, amiddle-agedmaninagrayuniformbackedoutandstartedlockingup.Icalledtohimtowait.“Whatareyoudoing?”Iasked,somewhatinelegantly,whenhewasinrangeofanormaltoneofvoice.Itdidn’treallydeserveananswer,andhedidn’tgivemeone.“Look,”Isaid,“Iknowit’snoneofmybusiness,butwouldyoumindtellingmewhat’sgoingonhere?”Helookedatmeas if Iwerearoachhewassurehe’dkilledaweekago.Nonetheless,hefinallyworkedhismouthabitandletafewwordsthrough:“Gettingtheplacereadyforanewtenant.”“Ah,”Isaid.“But,uh,whathappenedtotheoldtenant?”He shrugged indifferently. “Got evicted, I guess. Wasn’t paying herrent.”“Herrent?”IhadmomentarilyforgottenthatIshmaelwasnothisowncaretaker.Hegavemeadoubtfullook.“Thoughtyouknewthelady.”

“No,Iknewtheuh…theuh…”Hestoodthereblinkingatme.“Look,”Isaidagain,floundering,“there’sprobablyanoteinthereforme,orsomething.”“Ain’tnothin’atallintherenow,‘ceptabadsmell.”“WouldyoumindifIhadalookformyself?”He turned back to the door and locked it. “You talk to themanagementaboutit,okay?Igotthingstodo.”

2

“The management,” in the person of a receptionist,couldn’tthinkofanyreasonwhyIshouldbegivenaccesstothatofficeor anything else, including information of any kind, on any subject,beyondwhatIalreadyknew:thatthetenanthadfailedtokeepupwiththerentandhadaccordinglybeenevicted.Itriedtounnerveherwithapiece of truth, but she rejected scornfullymy suggestion that a gorillahadonceoccupiedthepremises.“No such animal has ever been kept—or ever will be kept—on any

propertymanagedbythisfirm.”I toldherthatshecouldat least tellmeifRachelSokolowhadbeen

thelessor—whatharmcouldthatdo?She said, “That’s not the point. If your interest was legitimate, you

wouldalreadyknowwhothelessorwas.”Thiswasnotyourtypicalreceptionist;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 twoo’clocktomakemyappearance.TheBeaux-Arts style isn’t toeveryone’s taste,but Ihappen to like it

when it doesn’t 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.Hedidn’thavetosay,“Yeah?”or“Well?”Heaskedmybusinessjustbytwitchinganeyebrow.ItoldhimIwantedtoseeMrs.Sokolow.HeaskedifIhadanappointment,knowingfullwellthatIdidn’t.IknewthiswasnotaguyIcouldstiffwithastatementthat itwasapersonalmatter—meaning,noneofhisbusiness.Idecidedtoopenupalittle.“Totellthetruth,I’mtryingtogetintouchwithherdaughter.”Hegavemealeisurelygoing-overwithhiseyes.“You’renotafriend

ofhers,”hesaidatlast.“No,frankly,I’mnot.”“Ifyouwere,youwouldknowthatshediedalmostthreemonthsago.”Hiswordswentthroughmelikeadoseoficewater.Hetwitchedanothereyebrow,meaning,“Anythingelse?”Idecidedtoopenupalittlemore.

“WereyouwithMr.Sokolow?”He frowned, letting me know that he doubted the relevance of myinquiry.“ThereasonIaskis…mayIaskyourname?”He doubted the relevance of this inquiry aswell, but he decided tohumorme.“MynameisPartridge.”“Well,Mr.Partridge,thereasonIaskis,didyouknow…Ishmael?”Henarrowedhiseyesatme.“Tobecompletely truthfulwithyou, I’mnot looking forRachel, I’mlookingforIshmael.IunderstandthatRachelmoreorlesstookchargeofhimafterherfatherdied.”“How do you come to understand that?” he asked, giving awaynothing.“Mr.Partridge, if youknow theanswer to that,you’llprobablyhelpme,” I said, “and if you don’t know the answer to it, you probablywon’t.”Itwasanelegantpoint,andheacknowledgeditwithanod.ThenheaskedwhyIwaslookingforIshmael.“He’smissingfromhis…usualplace.Evidentlyhewasevicted.”“Someonemusthavemovedhim.Helpedhim.”“Yes,”Isaid.“Idon’tsupposehewalkedintoHertzandrentedacar.”Partridgeignoredmywitticism.“Ihonestlydon’tknowanything,I’mafraid.”“Mrs.Sokolow?”“Ifsheknewanything,Iwouldknowitfirst.”Ibelievedhimbutsaid:“Givemeaplacetostart.”“I don’t knowof anyplace to start, now.Now thatMiss Sokolow isdead.”Istoodthereforawhile,chewingonit.“Whatdidshedieof?”“Youdidn’tknowheratall?”“NotfromAdam.”

“Thenthat’sreallynoneofyourbusiness,”hetoldme,withoutrancor,juststatingaplainfact.

4

I considered hiring a private investigator. Then Irehearsed in my head the kind of conversation it would take to getstarted,anddecidedtoskipit.ButbecauseIcouldn’tjustupandquitonit, Imadeaphonecall to the localzooandasked if theyhappened tohavea lowlandgorilla instock.Theydidn’t. I said IhappenedtohaveoneIneededtogetridofanddidtheywantit,andtheysaidno.Iaskediftheycouldsuggestsomeonewhomightwantit,andtheysaidno,notreally.Iaskedthemwhatthey’ddoiftheyabsolutelyhadtogetridofagorilla.Theysaidtheremightbealaboratoryortwothatwouldtakeitasaspecimen,butIcouldtelltheyweren’treallyconcentrating.Onethingwasobvious:IshmaelhadsomefriendsIdidn’tknowabout

—perhaps formerpupils.Theonlyway I could thinkof to reach themwas the way he had probably reached them—through an ad in thepersonals:FRIENDSOFISHMAEL:Anotherfriendhaslostcontact.Pleasecallandtellmewhereheis.Theadwasamistake,becauseitgavemeanexcusetoturnmybrainoff.Iwaited for it toappear, then Iwaited for it torun foraweek, then Iwaitedafewmoredaysforacallthatdidn’tcome,andinthatwaytwoweekspassedduringwhichIdidn’tliftafinger.WhenIfinallyfacedthefactthatIwasn’tgoingtogetanyresponseto

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?Don’trecollectanythinglikethatbeinglisted.Maybeananimalortwointhesideshow?Dunno.Possible.Nextstoponitsroute?Noideaatall.Itdidn’tmatter.Adozencallstrackedittoatownfortymilesnorth,whereithadstayedaweekandmovedon.Assumingitwouldkeeponmovingnorth,I locateditsnextstopandpresentlocationwithasinglecall. And yes, it now boasted of having “Gargantua, the world’s mostfamous gorilla”—a 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,butthey’reallalike.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 didn’t stay towatch. Therewas plenty to see inside—theusual collection of monsters, freaks, and geeks, a bottle-biter, apincushion,atattooedfatlady,alltherest,whichIignored.Ishmaelwasinadimcornerasfarfromtheentranceasitwaspossibletobe,withtwoten-year-oldsinattendance.“I’ll bet he could tear those bars right out if he wanted to,” oneobserved.“Yeah,”saidtheother.“Buthedoesn’tknowthat.”Istoodtheregivinghimasmolderinglook,andhesatthereplacidlypayingnoattentiontoanythinguntiltheboysmovedoff.

As a couple minutes passed, I went on staring and he went onpretendingIwasn’t there.ThenIgaveupandsaid,“Tellmethis.Whydidn’tyouaskforhelp?Iknowyoucouldhave.Theydon’tevictpeopleovernight.”Hegavenosignthathe’dheardme.“Howthehelldowegoaboutgettingyououtofhere?”HewentonlookingthroughmeasifIwerejustanothervolumeofair.Isaid,“Look,Ishmael,areyousoreatmeorsomething?”Atlasthegavemeaneye,butitwasn’taveryfriendlyone.“Ididn’tinviteyoutomakeyourselfmypatron,”hesaid,“sokindlyrefrainfrompatronizingme.”“Youwantmetomindmyownbusiness.”“Inaword,yes.”I looked around helplessly. “You mean you actually want to stayhere?”OnceagainIshmael’seyeturnedicy.“Allright,allright,”Itoldhim.“Butwhataboutme?”“Whataboutyou?”“Well,weweren’tfinished,werewe.”“No,weweren’tfinished.”“Sowhatareyougoingtodo?DoIjustbecomefailurenumberfive,orwhat?”He sat blinking at me sullenly for a minute or two. Then he said,“Thereisnoneedforyoutobecomefailurenumberfive.Wecangoonasbefore.”At this point a family of five strolledup tohave a look at themostfamousgorillaintheworld:mom,dad,twogirls,andatoddlercomatoseinhismother’sarms.“Sowecanjustgoonasbefore,canwe?”Isaid,andnotinawhisper.“Thatstrikesyouasfeasible,doesit?”Thefamilyofvisitorssuddenlyfoundmemuchmoreinterestingthan“Gargantua,”who,afterall,wasjustsittingtherelookingmorose.

Isaid,“Well,whereshallwebegin?Doyourememberwhereweleftoff?”Intrigued, the visitors turned to seewhat response thiswould evoke

fromIshmael.Whenitcame,ofcourse,onlyIcouldhearit:“Shutup.”“Shutup?ButIthoughtweweregoingtogoonjustasbefore.”Withagrunt,heshuffledtotherearofthecageandgaveusallalook

athisback.AfteraminuteorsothevisitorsdecidedIdeservedadirtylook;theygaveittomeandambledofftoviewthemummifiedbodyofamanshottodeathintheMojavearoundtheendoftheCivilWar.“Letmetakeyouback,”Isaid.“Nothanks,”hereplied,turningaroundbutnotcomingbackuptothe

frontofthecage.“Incredibleasitmayseemtoyou,Iwouldratherlivethiswaythanonanyone’slargess,evenyours.”“Itwouldonlybelargessuntilweworkedoutsomethingelse.”“Something else being what? Doing stunts on the Tonight show? A

nightclubact?”“Listen.IfIcangetintouchwiththeothers,maybewecanworkout

somekindofjointeffort.”“Whatthedevilareyoutalkingabout?”“I’mtalkingaboutthepeoplewhohelpedyougetthisfar.Youdidn’t

doitbyyourself,didyou?”He staredatmebalefully from the shadows. “Goaway,”he snarled.

“Justgoawayandleavemealone.”Iwentawayandlefthimalone.

5

Ihadn’tplannedforthis—orforanythingatall,infact—soIdidn’tknowwhattodo. Icheckedintothecheapestmotel Icouldfindandwentoutforasteakandacoupleofdrinkstothinkthingsover.By nine o’clock, I hadn’t made any progress, so I went back to thecarnival toseewhatwasgoingonout there. Iwas in luck,of sorts—acold front was moving in, and a nasty light rain was sending themerrymakershomewiththeirspiritsdampened.Doyousupposethey’restillcalledroustabouts?Ididn’tasktheoneI

foundclosingdownthesideshowtent.Helookedtobeabouteighty,andI offered him a ten for the privilege of communingwith nature for awhile in the person of the gorillawhowas nomoreGargantua than Iwas.Hedidn’tappeartoconsideranyoftheethicalaspectsofthematterbutdistinctlysneeredatthesizeofthebribe.Iaddedanotherten,andhe left a light burning by the cage when he hobbled off. There werefoldingchairssetuponseveraloftheperformers’stages,andIdraggedoneoverandsatdown.Ishmaelgazeddownatmeforafewminutesandthenaskedwherewe

hadleftoff.“You’djustfinishedshowingmethatthestoryinGenesisthatbegins

withtheFallofAdamandendswiththemurderofAbelisnotwhatit’sconventionally understood to be by the people of my culture. It’s thestory of our agricultural revolution as told by some of the earliestvictimsofthatrevolution.”“Andwhatremains,doyouthink?”“Idon’tknow.Maybewhatremainsistobringitalltogetherforme.I

don’tknowwhatitalladdsuptoyet.”“Yes,Iagree.Letmethinkforabit.”

6

“Whatexactly isculture?” Ishmaelaskedat last.“As theword iscommonlyused,not in thespecialsensewe’vegiven it for thepurposesoftheseconversations.”Itseemedlikeahellofaquestiontoasksomeonesittinginacarnival

sideshowtent,butIdidmybesttogiveitsomethought.“I’dsayit’sthesumtotalofeverythingthatmakesapeopleapeople.”Henodded.“Andhowdoesthatsumtotalcomeintoexistence?”“I’mnotsurewhatyou’regettingat.Itcomesintoexistencebypeople

living.”“Yes,butsparrowslive,andtheydon’thaveaculture.”“Okay,Iseewhatyoumean.It’sanaccumulation.Thesumtotalisan

accumulation.”“What you’re not telling me is how the accumulation comes into

being.”“Oh, I see. Okay. The accumulation is the sum total that is passed

fromonegeneration to thenext. It comes intobeingwhen…Whenaspecies 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.”“Andthisaccumulationiswhatiscalledculture.”“Yes,I’dsayso.”“It’s the sum total of what’s passed along, of course, not just

informationandtechniques. It’sbeliefs,assumptions, theories,customs,legends, songs, stories, dances, jokes, superstitions, prejudices, tastes,attitudes.Everything.”“That’sright.”“Oddlyenough,theorderofintelligenceneededfortheaccumulation

to begin is not terribly high. Chimpanzees in the wild are alreadypassingalongtool-makingandtool-usingbehaviorstotheiryoung.Isee

thatthissurprisesyou.”“No.Well…IguessI’msurprisedthatyoucitechimpanzees.”“Insteadofgorillas?”“That’sright.”Ishmael frowned. “To tell the truth, I have deliberately avoided allfieldstudiesofgorillalife.ItisasubjectIfindIdonotcaretoexplore.”Inodded,feelingstupid.“In any case, if chimpanzees have already begun to accumulateknowledge about what works well for chimpanzees, when do yousupposepeoplebegantoaccumulateknowledgeaboutwhatworkswellforpeople?”“I’dhavetoassumeitbeganwhenpeoplebegan.”“Your paleoanthropologists would agree. Human culture beganwithhuman life, which is to say withHomo habilis. The people who wereHomo habilis passed along to their children all they’d learned, and aseachgenerationcontributeditsmite,therewasanaccumulationofthisknowledge.Andwhoweretheheirstothisaccumulation?”“Homoerectus?”“That’sright.AndthepeoplewhowereHomoerectuspassedalongthisaccumulation generation after generation, each adding its mite to thewhole.Andwhoweretheheirstothisaccumulation?”“Homosapiens.”“Of course.And the heirs ofHomo sapienswere the people ofHomosapiens sapiens, who passed along this accumulation generation aftergeneration,eachaddingitsmitetothewhole.Andwhoweretheheirstothisaccumulation?”“I’d have to say that the various peoples of the Leavers were theheirs.”“NottheTakers?Whyisthat?”“Whyisthat?Idon’tknow.I’dsayit’sbecause…Obviouslytherewasa 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.”“Whatmakesyousaythat?”“Idon’tknow.It’smyimpression.”“Yes,butwhat’sthebasisfortheimpression?”“Ithinkit’sthis.Idon’tknowwhatstoryallthesepeopleareenacting,butIcanseethatthey’reallenactingthesameone.Ican’tspellthestoryoutasyet,butit’sclearlythere—indistinctiontothestorythepeopleofmy culture are enacting.Whereverwe encounter them, they’re alwaysdoingmuchthesamesortofthing,alwayslivingmuchthesamesortoflife—just theway thatwhereverwe encounter us, we’re always doingmuchthesamesortofthing,alwayslivingmuchthesamesortoflife.”“Butwhat’s the connection between this and the transmittal of thatculturalaccumulationthatmankindmadeduringthefirstthreemillionyearsofhumanlife?”I thought about it for a couple minutes, then said, “This is theconnection. The Leavers are still passing that accumulation along inwhatever form it came to them. But we’re not, because ten thousandyearsagothefoundersofourculturesaid,‘Thisisallshit.Thisisnotthewaypeopleshouldlive,’andtheygotridofit.Theyobviouslydidgetridofit,becausebythetimetheirdescendantsstepintohistorythere’snotrace of the attitudes and ideas you encounter among Leaver peopleseverywhere.Andthentoo…”“Yes?”“This is interesting. I’ve never noticed this before…. Leaver peoplesarealwaysconsciousofhavingatraditionthatgoesbacktoveryancienttimes.Wehavenosuchconsciousness.For themostpart,we’reavery‘new’people.Everygenerationissomehownew,morethoroughlycutofffromthepastthantheonethatcamebefore.”“WhatdoesMotherCulturehavetosayaboutthis?”“Ah,”Isaid,andclosedmyeyes.“MotherCulturesaysthatthisisasitshouldbe.There’snothinginthepastforus.Thepastisdreck.Thepastissomethingtobeputbehindus,somethingtobeescapedfrom.”Ishmael nodded. “So you see: This is how you came to be cultural

amnesiacs.”“Howdoyoumean?”“UntilDarwinandthepaleontologistscamealongtotackthreemillion

years of human life onto your history, itwas assumed in your culturethat thebirthofmanand thebirthof your culturewere simultaneousevents—wereinfactthesameevent.WhatImeanisthatthepeopleofyourculturethoughtthatmanwasbornoneofyou.Itwasassumedthatfarmingisasinstinctivetomanashoneyproductionistobees.”“Yes,that’sthewayitseems.”“Whenthepeopleofyourcultureencounteredthehunter-gatherersof

Africa and America, it was thought that these were people who haddegeneratedfromthenatural,agriculturalstate,peoplewhohad lostthearts they’d 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 ‘before.’Creation had occurred just a few thousand years ago, and Man theAgriculturalist had immediately set about the task of buildingcivilization.”“Yes,that’sright.”“Doyouseehowthiscameabout?”“Howwhatcameabout?”“How it came about that the memory loss of your own pre-

revolutionary period was total—so total that you didn’t even know itexisted.”“No,Idon’t.IfeellikeIshould,butIdon’t.”“ItwasyourobservationthatwhatMotherCultureteachesisthatthe

pastisdreck,issomethingtobehurriedawayfrom.”“Yes.”“And thepoint I’mmaking is thatapparently this is something she’s

beenteachingyoufromtheverybeginning.”“Yes,Isee.It’scomingtogetherformenow.Iwassayingthatamong

theLeaversyoualwayshavethesenseofapeoplewithapastextendingback to the dawn of time.Among the Takers you have the sense of a

peoplewithapastextendingbackto1963.”Ishmael nodded, but thenwent on: “At the same time, it should benoted that ancientness is a great validator among the people of yourculture—so long as it’s restricted to that function. For example, theEnglish want all their institutions—and all the pageantry surroundingthose institutions—to be as ancient as possible (even if they’re not).Nevertheless,theythemselvesdon’tliveastheancientBritonslived,andhaven’ttheslightestinclinationtodoso.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 Takersdon’twanttoadoptthemforeverydayliving.”“True.”

7

“Butof course itwasnotMotherCulture’s teaching thateverything from the past was to be discarded. What was to be saved?Whatinfactwassaved?”“Iwouldsayitwasinformationabouthowtomakethings,abouthow

todothings.”“Anythingrelatedtoproductionwasdefinitelysaved.Andthat’show

thingscametobethisway.”“Yes.”“OfcoursetheLeaverssaveinformationaboutproductiontoo,though

productionforitsownsakeisrarelyafeatureoftheirlives.AmongtheLeavers,peopledon’thaveweeklyquotasofpotstomakeorarrowheadsto turnout.They’renotpreoccupiedwithsteppinguptheirproductionofhand-axes.”“True.”“So, although they save information about production, most of the

information they save is about something else. How would youcharacterizethatinformation?”“I’dsayyougaveawaytheanswertothatquestionafewminutesago.

I’dsayitcomestowhatworkswellforthem.”“Forthem?Notforeveryone?”“No.I’mnotananthropologybuff,butI’vereadenoughofittoknow

thattheZuñidon’tthinktheirwayisthewayforeveryone,andthattheNavajodon’tthinktheirwayisthewayforeveryone.Eachofthemhasawaythatworkswellforthem.”“And that way that works well for them is what they teach their

children.”“Yes.Andwhatweteachourchildrenishowtomakethings.Howto

makemorethingsandbetterthings.”“Whydon’tyouteachthemwhatworkswellforpeople?”

“I’dsayit’sbecausewedon’tknowwhatworkswellforpeople.Everygenerationhastocomeupwithitsownversionofwhatworkswellforpeople.Myparentshadtheirversion,whichwasprettywelluseless,andtheirparentshadtheirversion,whichwasprettywelluseless,andwe’recurrentlyworkingonourversion,whichwillprobablyseemprettywelluselesstoourownchildren.”

8

“I’ve let theconversation stray from its course,” Ishmaelsaid grumpily and shifted to a newposition, rocking thewagonon itssprings. “What I wanted you to see is that each Leaver culture is anaccumulationofknowledge that reachesback in anunbrokenchain tothebeginningofhumanlife.Thisiswhyit’snogreatwonderthateachofthemisawaythatworkswell.Eachhasbeentestedandrefinedoverthousandsofgenerations.”“Yes.Somethingoccurstome.”“Goahead.”“Give me a minute. This has something to do with … the

unavailabilityofknowledgeabouthowpeopleoughttolive.”“Takeyourtime.”“Okay,”Isaidafewminuteslater.“Backatthebeginning,whenIsaid

that there was no such thing as certain knowledge about how peopleoughttolive,whatImeantwasthis:Certainknowledgeisknowledgeofthe one right way. That’s whatwe want. That’s what Takerswant.Wedon’twanttoknowawaytolivethatworkswell.Wewanttoknowtheonerightway.Andthat’swhatourprophetsgiveus.Andthat’swhatourlawgiversgiveus.Letmethinkaboutthis….Afterfiveoreightthousandyearsofamnesia,theTakersreallydidn’tknowhowtolive.Theyreallymusthaveturnedtheirbacksonthepast,becauseallofasudden,herecomes Hammurabi, and everyone says, ‘What are these?’ andHammurabisays,‘These,mychildren,arelaws!’‘Laws?Whatarelaws?’AndHammurabisays,‘Lawsarethingsthattellyoutheonerightwaytolive.’WhatamItryingtosay?”“I’mnotsure.”“Maybeit’sthis.Whenyoustartedtalkingaboutourculturalamnesia,

I thoughtyouwerebeingmetaphorical.Ormaybeexaggeratinga littletomakeapoint.Becauseobviouslyyoucan’tknowwhatthoseneolithicfarmers were thinking. Nevertheless, here’s the fact: After a fewthousand years, the descendants of these neolithic farmers were

scratching theirheadsandsaying, ‘Gee, Iwonderhowpeopleought tolive.’Butinthatverysametimeperiod,theLeaversoftheworldhadn’tforgottenhowtolive.Theystillknew,butthepeopleofmyculturehadforgotten,hadcutthemselvesofffromatraditionthattoldthemhowtolive.TheyneededaHammurabitotellthemhowtolive.TheyneededaDracoandaSolonandaMosesandaJesusandaMuhammad.AndtheLeaversdidn’t,becausetheyhadaway—hadawholebunchofways—that…Holdon.IthinkI’vegotit.”“Takeyourtime.”“Every one of the Leavers’ways came intobeingby evolution, by aprocessof testing thatbeganevenbeforepeoplehadaword for it.Noonesaid,‘Okay,let’sformacommitteetowriteupasetoflawsforustofollow.’None of these cultureswere inventions. But that’swhat all ourlawgiversgaveus—inventions.Contrivances.Notthingsthathadprovedoutoverthousandsofgenerations,butratherarbitrarypronouncementsabouttheonerightwaytolive.Andthisisstillwhat’sgoingon.Thelawsthey make inWashington aren’t put on the books because they workwell—they’reputonthebooksbecausetheyrepresenttheonerightwayto live. Youmay not have an abortion unless the fetus is threateningyour lifeorwasput therebya rapist.Therearea lotofpeoplewho’dliketoseethelawreadthatway.Why?Becausethat’stheonerightwaytolive.Youmaydrinkyourselftodeath,butifwecatchyousmokingamarijuana cigarette, it’s the slammer for you, baby, because that’s theonerightway.Noonegivesadamnaboutwhetherourlawsworkwell.Workingwellisbesidethepoint….Again,I’mnotsurewhatI’mgettingat.”Ishmaelgrunted.“You’renotnecessarilygettingatonespecificthing.You’reexploringadeepcomplexofideas,andyoucan’texpecttogettothebottomofitintwentyminutes.”“True.”“However,thereisapointIsetouttomakeherebeforewegoontootherthings,andIwouldliketomakeit.”“Okay.”“YouseenowthattheTakersandtheLeaversaccumulatetwoentirelydifferentkindsofknowledge.”

“Yes. The Takers accumulate knowledge about what works well forthings. The Leavers accumulate knowledge about what works well forpeople.”“Butnot forall people.EachLeaverpeoplehas a system thatworkswellforthembecauseitevolvedamongthem;itwassuitedtotheterraininwhichtheylived,suitedtotheclimateinwhichtheylived,suitedtothe biological community in which they lived, suited to their ownpeculiartastes,preferences,andvisionoftheworld.”“Yes.”“Andthiskindofknowledgeiscalledwhat?”“Idon’tknowwhatyoumean.”“Someonewhoknowswhatworkswellforpeoplehaswhat?”“Well…wisdom?”“Ofcourse.Now,youknowthattheknowledgeofwhatworkswellforproduction is what’s valued in your culture. In the same way, theknowledge of what works well for people is what’s 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.”“Ugly,”Isaid.“Yes,”Ishmaelsaid.“Itisugly.”

9

After a few minutes of head-scratching and earlobe-tugging,Ishmaelsentmeawayforthenight.“I’mtired,”heexplained.“AndI’mtoocoldtothink.”

ELEVEN

1

The drizzle continued, and when I arrived at noon thenextdaytherewasn’tevenanyonearoundtobribe.IhadpickeduptwoblanketsforIshmaelatanArmy-Navystore—andoneformyselftokeephim in countenance. He accepted them with gruff thanks but seemedglad enough to put them to use.We sat for awhilewallowing in ourmisery,thenhereluctantlybegan.“Shortlybeforemydeparture—Idon’trememberwhatoccasionedthe

question—youaskedmewhenweweregoingtogettothestoryenactedbytheLeavers.”“Yes,that’sright.”“Whyareyouinterestedinknowingthatstory?”The question nonplussed me. “Why wouldn’t I be interested in

knowingit?”“I’maskingwhatthepointis,inyourmind.YouknowthatAbelisall

butdead.”“Well…yes.”“Thenwhylearnthestoryhewasenacting?”“Again,whynotlearnit?”Ishmaelshookhishead.“Idon’tcaretoproceedonthatbasis.Thefact

that I can’tgiveyou reasons fornot learning somethingdoesn’t supplymewithareasonforteachingit.”Hewas clearly in a badmood. I couldn’t blame him, but I couldn’t

muchsympathizeeither, since itwashewhohad insistedonhaving itthisway.Hesaid:“Isitjustamatterofcuriosityforyou?”“No, Iwouldn’t say that. You said in the beginning that two stories

havebeenenactedhere.Inowknowoneofthem.ItseemsnaturalthatI’dwanttoknowtheotherone.”“Natural…”hesaid,asifitwasn’tawordhemuchliked.“Iwishyou

couldcomeupwithsomethingthathasabitmoreheft.SomethingthatwouldgivemethefeelingIwasn’ttheonlyoneherewhowassupposedtobeusinghisbrain.”“I’mafraidIdon’tseewhatyou’regettingat.”“Iknowyoudon’t,andthat’swhatirksme.You’vebecomeapassivelistenerhere,turningyourbrainoffwhenyousitdownandturningitonwhenyougetuptoleave.”“Idon’tthinkthat’strue.”“Thentellmewhyitisn’tjustawasteoftimeforyoutolearnastorythatisnowallbutextinguished.”“Well,Idon’tconsideritawasteoftime.”“That’snotgoodenough.Thefactthatsomethingisnotawasteoftimedoesnotinspiremetodoit.”Ishruggedhelplessly.He shook his head, totally disgusted. “You really do think thatlearningthiswouldbepointless.That’sobvious.”“It’snotobvioustome.”“Thenyouthinkithasapoint?”“Well…yes.”“Whatpoint?”“God…Iwanttolearnit,that’sthepoint.”“No.Iwon’tproceedonthatbasis.Iwanttoproceed,butnotifallI’mdoingissatisfyingyourcuriosity.Goawayandcomebackwhenyoucangivemesomeauthenticreasonforgoingon.”“Whatwouldanauthenticreasonsoundlike?Givemeanexample.”“Allright.Whybothertolearnwhatstoryisbeingenactedherebythepeopleofyourownculture?”“Becauseenactingthatstoryisdestroyingtheworld.”“True.Butwhybotherlearningit?”“Becausethat’sobviouslysomethingthatshouldbeknown.”“Knownbywhom?”

“Byeveryone.”“Why? That’s what I keep coming back to. Why, why, why? Whyshouldyourpeopleknowwhatstorythey’reenactingastheydestroytheworld?”“So they can stop enacting it. So they can see that they’re not justblundering as they do what they do. So they can see that they’reinvolved in a megalomaniac fantasy—a fantasy as insane as theThousandYearReich.”“That’swhatmakesthestoryworthknowing?”“Yes.”“I’m glad to hear it. Now go away and come back when you canexplainwhatmakestheotherstoryworthknowing.”“Idon’tneedtogoaway.Icanexplainitnow.”“Goahead.”“Peoplecan’tjustgiveupastory.That’swhatthekidstriedtodointhesixtiesandseventies.TheytriedtostoplivinglikeTakers,buttherewasnootherway for them to live.They failedbecauseyou can’t just stopbeinginastory,youhavetohaveanotherstorytobein.”Ishmael nodded. “And if there is such a story, people should hearaboutit?”“Yes,theyshould.”“Doyouthinktheywanttohearaboutit?”“Idon’tknow.Idon’tthinkyoucanstartwantingsomethingtillyouknowitexists.”“Verytrue.”

2

“Andwhatdoyousupposethisstoryisabout?”“Ihavenoidea.”“Doyousupposeit’sabouthuntingandgathering?”“Idon’tknow.”“Be honest. Haven’t you been expecting some noble paean to the

mysteriesoftheGreatHunt?”“I’mnotawareofexpectinganythinglikethat.”“Well, you should at least know that it’s about the meaning of the

world, about divine intentions in the world, and about the destiny ofman.”“Yes.”“AsI’vesaidhalfadozentimes,manbecamemanenactingthisstory.

Youshouldrememberthat.”“Yes,Ido.”“Howdidmanbecomeman?”I examined thatone forbooby trapsandgave itback. “I’mnot sure

whatthequestionmeans,” Isaid.“Orrather I’mnotsurewhatkindofansweryouwant.Obviouslyyoudon’twantmetosaythatmanbecamemanbyevolving.”“That would just mean that he became man by becoming man,

wouldn’tit?”“Yes.”“So thequestion is still therewaiting tobeanswered:Howdidman

becomeman?”“Isupposeit’soneofthoseveryobviousthings.”“Yes.IfIgaveyoutheanswer,you’dsay, ‘Oh.Wellofcourse,butso

what?’”Ishrugged,defeated.

“We’ll have to approach it obliquely then—but keep it inmind as aquestionthatneedsanswering.”“Okay.”

3

“According to Mother Culture, what kind of event wasyouragriculturalrevolution?”“Whatkind of event… I’d say that, according toMother Culture, it

wasatechnologicalevent.”“Noimplicationofdeeperhumanresonances,culturalorreligious?”“No.Thefirstfarmerswerejustneolithictechnocrats.That’stheway

it’salwaysseemed.”“ButafterourlookatchaptersthreeandfourofGenesis,youseethere

wasagreatdealmoretoitthanMotherCultureteaches.”“Yes.”“Wasandisagreatdealmoretoit,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.”“That’sright.”“There’sanotherindicationthattherevolutiongoesdeeperthanmere

technology.MotherCulture teaches that, before the revolution,humanlife was devoid of meaning, was stupid, empty, and worthless.Prerevolutionarylifewasugly.Detestable.”“Yes.”“Youbelievethatyourself,don’tyou?”“Yes,IsupposeIdo.”“Certainlymostofyoubelieveit,wouldn’tyousay?”“Yes.”“Whowouldbetheexceptions?”“Idon’tknow.Isuppose…anthropologists.”“Peoplewhoactuallyhavesomeknowledgeofthatlife.”“Yes.”

“But Mother Culture teaches that that life was unspeakablymiserable.”“That’sright.”“Can you imagine any circumstances in which you yourself wouldtradeyourlifeforthatsortoflife?”“No.Frankly,Ican’timaginewhyanyonewould,giventhechoice.”“The 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.”“True,ButMotherCulturehassomethingtosayaboutthat.Whatshesays is thattheLeavers justdidn’tknowwhattheyweremissing.Theydidn’t understand the benefits of the agricultural life, and that’s whytheyclungtothehunting-gatheringlifesotenaciously.”Ishmael smiled his sneakiest smile. “Among the Indians of thiscountry, who would you say were the fiercest and most resoluteopponentsoftheTakers?”“Well…I’dsaythePlainsIndians.”“I think most of you would agree with that. But before theintroduction of horses by the Spanish, the Plains Indians had beenagriculturalistsforcenturies.Assoonashorsesbecamereadilyavailable,theyabandonedagricultureandresumedthehunting-gatheringlife.”“Ididn’tknowthat.”“Well,nowyoudo.DidthePlainsIndiansunderstandthebenefitsoftheagriculturallife?”“Iguesstheymusthave.”“WhatdoesMotherCulturesay?”I thoughtaboutthat forawhile, thenlaughed.“Shesaystheydidn’treally understand. If they had, they would never have gone back tohuntingandgathering.”“Becausethat’sadetestablelife.”“That’sright.”“You can begin to see how thoroughly effective Mother Culture’s

teachingsareonthisissue.”“True.ButwhatIdon’tseeiswherethisgetsus.”“We’reonourway todiscoveringwhat lies at thevery rootofyourfear and loathing of the Leaver life.We’re on our way to discoveringwhyyoufeelyoumustcarrytherevolutionforwardevenif itdestroysyou and the entireworld.We’re onourway todiscoveringwhat yourrevolutionwasarevolutionagainst.”“Ah,”Isaid.“Andwhenwe’vedoneallthat,I’msureyou’llbeabletotellmewhatstory was being enacted here by the Leavers during the first threemillionyearsofhumanlifeandisstillbeingenactedbythemwherevertheysurvivetoday.”

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.“Let’strythis,”hesaid.“Whywastherevolutionnecessary?”“Itwasnecessaryifmanwastogetsomewhere.”“Youmean ifmanwas to have central heating and universities and

operahousesandspaceships.”“That’sright.”Ishmael nodded. “That sort of answer would have been acceptable

whenwebeganourworktogether,butIwantyoutogodeeperthanthatnow.”“Okay.ButIdon’tknowwhatyoumeanbydeeper.”“Youknowverywellthatforhundredsofmillionsofyou,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.”“True.”“Butthoughtheydon’tenjoythefruitsofyourrevolution,wouldthey

turntheirbacksonit?Wouldtheytradetheirmiseryanddespairforthesortoflifethatwaslivedinprerevolutionarytimes?”“Again,I’dhavetosayno.”“Thisismyimpressionaswell.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, they’re still infinitely preferable towhat

camebefore.”“Yes,I’dsayso.”“TodayIwantyoutogettotherootofthisextraordinarybelief.Whenyou’ve done that, you’ll have a completely different understanding ofyourrevolutionandoftheLeaverlifeaswell.”“Okay.ButhowdoIdothat?”“By listening to Mother Culture. She’s been whispering in your earthroughoutyour life, andwhatyou’veheard isnodifferent fromwhatyour parents and grandparents heard, from what people all over theworldheardaily.Inotherwords,whatI’mlookingforisburiedinyourmindjustasit’sburiedinallyourminds.TodayIwantyoutounearthit.Mother Culture has taught you to have a horror of the life you putbehindyouwithyourrevolution,andIwantyoutotracethishorrortoitsroots.”“Okay,” I said. “It’s true that we have something amounting to ahorrorofthatlife,butthetroubleis,thisjustdoesn’tseemparticularlymysterioustome.”“Itdoesn’t?Why?”“Idon’tknow.It’salifethatleadsnowhere.”“Nomoreofthesesuperficialanswers.Dig.”With a sigh, I scrunched down insidemy blanket and proceeded todig.“This is interesting,”Isaidafewminutes later.“Iwassittingherethinking about theway our ancestors lived, and a very specific imagepoppedintomyheadfullyformed.”Ishmaelwaitedformetogoon.“It has a sort of dreamlike quality to it. Or nightmarish. A man isscrabbling along a ridge at twilight. In thisworld it’s always twilight.Themanisshort,thin,dark,andnaked.He’srunninginahalfcrouch,lookingfortracks.He’shunting,andhe’sdesperate.Nightisfallingandhe’sgotnothingtoeat.“He’srunningandrunningandrunning,asifhewereonatreadmill.Itisatreadmill,becausetomorrowattwilighthe’llbethererunningstill—or running again. But there’s more than hunger and desperationdrivinghim.He’sterrifiedaswell.Behindhimontheridge,justoutof

sight, his enemies are in pursuit to tear him to pieces—the lions, thewolves, the tigers. And so he has to stay on that treadmill forever,foreveronestepbehindhispreyandonestepaheadofhisenemies.“Theridge,ofcourse, represents theknife-edgeof survival.Themanlives on the knife-edge of survival and has to struggle perpetually tokeepfromfallingoff.Actuallyit’sasthoughtheridgeandtheskyareinmotioninsteadofhim.He’srunninginplace,trapped,goingnowhere.”“Inotherwords,hunter-gatherersleadaverygrimlife.”“Yes.”“Andwhyisitgrim?”“Becauseit’sastrugglejusttostayalive.”“But in fact it isn’tanythingof thekind. I’msureyouknow 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.“Far from scrabbling endlessly and desperately for food, hunter-gatherersareamongthebest-fedpeopleonearth,andtheymanagethiswithonlytwoorthreehoursadayofwhatyouwouldcallwork—whichmakes them among the most leisured people on earth as well. In hisbook on stone age economics,Marshall Sahlins described themas ‘theoriginal affluent society.’ And incidentally, predation of man ispracticallynonexistent.He’ssimplynotthefirstchoiceonanypredator’smenu.Soyouseethatyourwonderfullyhorrificvisionofyourancestors’lifeisjustanotherbitofMotherCulture’snonsense.Ifyoulike,youcanconfirmallthisforyourselfinanafternoonatthelibrary.”“Okay,”Isaid.“So?”“So now that you know that it’s nonsense, do you feel differentlyaboutthatlife?Doesitseemlessrepulsivetoyou?”“Lessrepulsivemaybe.Butstillrepulsive.”

“Considerthis.Let’ssupposeyou’reoneofthisnation’shomeless.Outofwork,noskills,awifethesame,twokids.Nowheretoturn,nohope,nofuture.ButIcangiveyouaboxwithabuttononit.Pressthebuttonandyou’llallbewhiskedinstantlybacktoprerevolutionarytimes.You’llallbeabletospeakthelanguage,you’llallhavetheskillseveryonehadthen.You’llneveragainhavetoworryabouttakingcareofyourselfandyourfamily.You’llhaveitmade,you’llbeapartofthatoriginalaffluentsociety.”“Okay.”“So,doyoupressthebutton?”“Idon’tknow.Ihavetodoubtit.”“Why?Itisn’tthatyou’dbegivingupawonderfullifehere.According

tothishypothesis,thelifeyou’vegothereiswretched,andit’snotlikelytoimprove.Soithastobethattheotherlifeseemsevenworse.Itisn’tthat you couldn’t bear giving up the life you’ve got—it’s that youcouldn’tbearembracingthatotherlife.”“Yes,that’sright.”“Whatisitthatmakesthatlifesohorrifyingtoyou?”“Idon’tknow.”“ItseemsthatMotherCulturehasdoneagoodjobonyou.”“Yes.”“All right. Let’s try this.Wherever the Takers have comeup against

some hunter-gatherers taking up space they wanted for themselves,they’vetriedtoexplaintothemwhytheyshouldabandontheirlife-styleand become Takers. They’ve said, ‘This life of yours is not onlywretched,it’swrong.Manwasnotmeanttolivethisway.Sodon’tfightus. Join our revolution andhelpus turn theworld into a paradise forman.’”“Right.”“Youtakethatpart—thepartoftheculturalmissionary—andI’lltake

thepartofahunter-gatherer.ExplaintomewhythelifethatIandmypeoplehavefoundsatisfyingforthousandsofyearsisgrimandrevoltingandrepulsive.”

“Goodlord.”“Look,I’llgetyoustarted….Bwana,youtellusthatthewayweliveiswretched and wrong and shameful. You tell us that it’s not the waypeoplearemeanttolive.Thispuzzlesus,Bwana,becauseforthousandsofyearsithasseemedtousagoodwaytolive.Butifyou,whoridetothestarsandsendyourwordsaroundtheworldatthespeedofthought,tellusthatitisn’t,thenwemustinallprudencelistentowhatyouhavetosay.”“Well…Irealizeitseemsgoodtoyou.Thisisbecauseyou’reignorantanduneducatedandstupid.”“Exactlyso,Bwana.Weawaityourenlightenment.Telluswhyourlifeiswretchedandsqualidandshameful.”“Yourlifeiswretchedandsqualidandshamefulbecauseyoulivelikeanimals.”Ishmaelfrowned,puzzled.“Idon’tunderstand,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?”“No,butthat’sbecausethey’rejustanimals.It’snotrightforhumanstolivethatway.”“Ah,”Ishmaelsaid,“thiswedidnotknow.Andwhyisitnotrighttolivethatway?”“It’sbecause,livingthatway…youhavenocontroloveryourlives.”Ishmaelcockedhisheadatme.“Inwhatsensedowehavenocontroloverourlives,Bwana?”“Youhavenocontrolover themostbasicnecessityofall,your foodsupply.”“You puzzleme greatly, Bwana.Whenwe’re hungry,we go off andfindsomethingtoeat.Whatmorecontrolisneeded?”“You’dhavemorecontrolifyouplantedityourself.”“Howso,Bwana?Whatdoesitmatterwhoplantsthefood?”“Ifyouplantityourself,thenyouknowpositivelythatit’sgoingtobethere.”

Ishmael cackled delightedly. “Truly you astonish me, Bwana! Wealreadyknowpositively that it’sgoing tobe there.Thewholeworldoflife is food. Do you think it’s going to sneak away during the night?Wherewoulditgo?It’salwaysthere,dayafterday,seasonafterseason,yearafteryear. If itweren’t,wewouldn’tbehere to talk toyouaboutit.”“Yes,butifyouplantedityourself,youcouldcontrolhowmuchfood

therewas.You’dbeabletosay, ‘Well, thisyearwe’llhavemoreyams,thisyearwe’llhavemorebeans,thisyearwe’llhavemorestrawberries.”“Bwana, these things grow in abundancewithout the slightest effort

onourpart.Whyshouldwe troubleourselves toplantwhat isalreadygrowing?”“Yes,but…don’tyouever runout?Don’tyoueverwishyouhada

yambutfindtherearenomoregrowingwild?”“Yes,Isupposeso.Butisn’titthesameforyou?Don’tyoueverwish

youhadayambutfindtherearenomoregrowinginyourfields?”“No,becauseifwewishwehadayam,wecangotothestoreandbuy

acanofthem.”“Yes,Ihaveheardsomethingofthissystem.Tellmethis,Bwana.The

canofyamsthatyoubuyinthestore—howmanyofyoulaboredtoputthatcanthereforyou?”“Oh, hundreds, I suppose. Growers, harvesters, truckers, cleaners at

thecanningplant,peopletoruntheequipment,peopletopackthecansincases, truckers todistribute thecases,peopleat the store tounpackthem,andsoon.”“Forgiveme,butyousoundlike lunatics,Bwana, todoall thiswork

just toensure thatyoucanneverbedisappointedover thematterofayam.Amongmypeople,whenwewantayam,wesimplygoanddigoneup—and if there are none to be found,we find something else just asgood, and hundreds of people don’t need to labor to put it into ourhands.”“You’remissingthepoint.”“Icertainlyam,Bwana.”Istifledasigh.“Look,here’s thepoint.Unlessyoucontrolyourown

food supply,you liveat themercyof theworld. Itdoesn’tmatter thatthere’s alwaysbeenenough.That’snot thepoint.Youcan’t liveat thewhimofthegods.That’sjustnotahumanwaytolive.”“Whyisthat,Bwana?”“Well… look. One day you go out hunting, and you catch a deer.

Okay,that’sfine.That’sterrific.Butyoudidn’thaveanycontroloverthedeer’sbeingthere,didyou?”“No,Bwana.”“Okay. The next day you go out hunting and there’s no deer to be

caught.Hasn’tthateverhappened?”“Assuredly,Bwana.”“Well,thereyouare.Becauseyouhavenocontroloverthedeer,you

havenodeer.Sowhatdoyoudo?”Ishmaelshrugged.“Wesnareacoupleofrabbits.”“Exactly.Youshouldn’thavetosettleforrabbits ifwhatyouwantis

deer.”“And this is why we lead shameful lives, Bwana? This is why we

shouldsetasidealifeweloveandgotoworkinoneofyourfactories?Becauseweeat rabbitswhen it happens thatnodeerpresents itself tous?”“No.Letmefinish.Youhavenocontroloverthedeer—andnocontrol

overtherabbitseither.Supposeyougoouthuntingoneday,andtherearenodeerandnorabbits?Whatdoyoudothen?”“Thenweeatsomethingelse,Bwana.Theworldisfulloffood.”“Yes,but look. Ifyouhavenocontroloveranyof it…” Ibaredmy

teethathim.“Look,there’snoguaranteethattheworldisalwaysgoingtobefulloffood,isthere?Haven’tyoueverhadadrought?”“Certainly,Bwana.”“Well,whathappensthen?”“Thegrasseswither,alltheplantswither.Thetreesbearnofruit.The

gamedisappears.Thepredatorsdwindle.”“Andwhathappenstoyou?”

“Ifthedroughtisverybad,thenwetoodwindle.”“Youmeanyoudie,don’tyou?”“Yes,Bwana.”“Ha!That’sthepoint!”“It’sshamefultodie,Bwana?”“No….I’vegotit.Look,thisisthepoint.Youdiebecauseyouliveatthemercyofthegods.Youdiebecauseyouthinkthegodsaregoingtolookafteryou.That’sokayforanimals,butyoushouldknowbetter.”“Weshouldnottrustthegodswithourlives?”“Definitelynot.Youshouldtrustyourselveswithyourlives.That’sthehumanwaytolive.”Ishmael shook his head ponderously. “This is sorry news indeed,Bwana.Fromtimeoutofmindwe’velivedinthehandsofthegods,anditseemedtouswelivedwell.Welefttothegodsallthelaborofsowingandgrowingand liveda carefree life, and it seemed therewasalwaysenoughintheworldforus,because—behold!—wearehere!”“Yes,” I told him sternly. “You are here, and look at you. You havenothing.You’renakedandhomeless.Youlivewithoutsecurity,withoutcomfort,withoutopportunity.”“Andthisisbecauseweliveinthehandsofthegods?”“Absolutely. Inthehandsofthegodsyou’renomoreimportantthanlionsorlizardsorfleas.Inthehandsofthesegods—thesegodswholookafter lions and lizards and fleas—you’re nothing special. You’re justanotheranimaltobefed.Waitasecond,”Isaid,andclosedmyeyesforacoupleminutes.“Okay,thisisimportant.Thegodsmakenodistinctionbetweenyouandanyothercreature.No,that’snotquiteit.Holdon.”Iwentbacktowork,thentriedagain.“Hereitis:Whatthegodsprovideisenoughforyourlifeasanimals—Igrantyouthat.Butforyourlifeashumans,youmustprovide.Thegodsarenotgoingtodothat.”Ishmael gaveme a stunned look. “Youmean there is somethingweneedthatthegodsarenotwillingtogiveus,Bwana?”“That’sthewayitseems,yes.Theygiveyouwhatyouneedtoliveasanimalsbutnotwhatyouneedbeyondthattoliveashumans.”

“Buthowcan thatbe,Bwana?Howcan itbe that thegodsarewiseenoughtoshapetheuniverseandtheworldandthelifeoftheworldbutlackthewisdomtogivehumanswhattheyneedtobehuman?”“Idon’tknowhowitcanbe,butitis.That’sthefact.Manlivedinthehandsof thegodsforthreemillionyearsandat theendof thosethreemillion years was no better off and no farther ahead than when hestarted.”“Truly,Bwana,thisisstrangenews.Whatkindofgodsarethese?”Isnortedalaugh.“These,myfriend,areincompetentgods.Thisiswhyyou’vegot to takeyour livesoutof theirhandsentirely.You’vegot totakeyourlivesintoyourownhands.”“Andhowdowedothat,Bwana?”“AsIsay,you’vegottobeginplantingyourownfood.”“Buthowwillthatchangeanything,Bwana?Foodisfood,whetherweplantitorthegodsplantit.”“That’sexactlythepoint.Thegodsplantonlywhatyouneed.Youwillplantmorethanyouneed.”“Towhatend,Bwana?What’sthegoodofhavingmorefoodthanweneed?”“Damn!”Ishouted.“Igetit!”Ishmael smiled and said, “So what’s the good of having more foodthanweneed?”“Thatisthewholegoddamnedpoint!Whenyouhavemorefoodthanyouneed,thenthegodshavenopoweroveryou!”“Wecanthumbournosesatthem.”“Exactly.”“All the same,Bwana,what arewe todowith this food ifwedon’tneedit?”“Yousaveit!Yousaveittothwartthegodswhentheydecideit’syourturntogohungry.Yousaveitsothatwhentheysendadrought,youcansay,‘Notme,goddamnit!I’mnotgoinghungry,andthere’snothingyoucandoaboutit,becausemylifeisinmyownhandsnow!’”

5

Ishmaelnodded,abandoninghishunter-gathererrole.“Soyourlivesarenowinyourownhands.”“That’sright.”“Thenwhatareyouallsoworriedabout?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“If your lives are in your own hands, then it’s entirely up to you

whetheryougoonlivingorbecomeextinct.That’swhatthisexpressionmeans,isn’tit?”“Yes.Butobviouslytherearestillsomethingsthataren’tinourhands.

Wewouldn’tbeabletocontrolorsurviveatotalecologicalcollapse.”“Soyou’renotsafeyet.Whenwillyoufinallybesafe?”“Whenwe’vetakenthewholeworldoutofthehandsofthegods.”“Whenthewholeworldisinyourown,morecompetent,hands.”“That’sright.Thenthegodswillfinallyhavenomorepoweroverus.

Thenthegodswillhavenomorepoweroveranything,Allthepowerwillbeinourhandsandwe’llbefreeatlast.”

6

“Well,”Ishmaelsaid,“arewemakingprogress?”“Ithinkso.”“Doyouthinkwe’vefoundtherootofyourrevulsiontowardthesort

oflifethatwaslivedinprerevolutionarytimes?”“Yes.FarandawaythemostfutileadmonitionChristeverofferedwas

whenhesaid, ‘Havenocare for tomorrow.Don’tworryaboutwhetheryou’regoingtohavesomethingtoeat.Lookatthebirdsoftheair.Theyneithersownorreapnorgatherintobarns,butGodtakesperfectcareofthem. Don’t you think he’ll do the same for you?’ In our culture theoverwhelming answer to that question is, ‘Hell no!’ Even the mostdedicatedmonasticssawtotheirsowingandreapingandgatheringintobarns.”“WhataboutSaintFrancis?”“SaintFrancisreliedonthebountyoffarmers,notthebountyofGod.

EventhemostfundamentalofthefundamentalistsplugtheirearswhenJesus starts talking about birds of the air and lilies of the field. Theyknowdamnwellhe’sjustyarning,justmakingprettyspeeches.”“Soyouthinkthisiswhat’sattherootofyourrevolution.Youwanted

andstillwanttohaveyourlivesinyourownhands.”“Yes.Absolutely.Tome,livinganyotherwayisalmostinconceivable.

I can only think that hunter-gatherers live in a state of utter andunendinganxietyoverwhattomorrow’sgoingtobring.”“Yettheydon’t.Anyanthropologistwilltellyouthat.Theyarefarless

anxiety-riddenthanyouare.Theyhavenojobstolose.Noonecansaytothem, ‘Showmeyourmoneyoryoudon’tgetfed,don’tgetclothed,don’tgetsheltered.’”“I believe you. Rationally speaking, I believe you. But I’m talking

aboutmy feelings, aboutmy conditioning.My conditioning tellsme—MotherCulturetellsme—thatlivinginthehandsofthegodshasgottobeanever-endingnightmareofterrorandanxiety.”

“Andthisiswhatyourrevolutiondoesforyou:Itputsyoubeyondthereachof thatappallingnightmare. Itputsyoubeyond the reachof thegods.”“Yes,that’sit.”“So.Wehaveanewpairofnamesforyou.TheTakersarethosewhoknowgoodandevil,andtheLeaversare…?”“TheLeaversarethosewholiveinthehandsofthegods.”

TWELVE

1

Along about three o’clock, the rain stopped and thecarnivalyawned,stretched,andwentbacktoworkseparatingtherubesfromtheirmoney.Atlooseendsonceagain,Ihungaroundforawhile,letmyself be separated from a few bucks, and finally had the idea oftrackingdownIshmael’sowner.Thisturnedouttobeahard-eyedblackmannamedArtOwens,whowasfiveandahalffeettallandspentmoretime lifting weights than I do at the typewriter. I told him I wasinterestedinbuyinghisgorilla.“Isthatafact,”hesaid,notscornful,notimpressed,notinterested,not

anything.Itoldhimitwasandaskedhowmuchitwouldtake.“Wouldtakeaboutthreethousand.”“I’mnotthatinterested.”“How interested are you?” Just curious, not seriously interested

himself.“Well,morelikeathousand.”Hesneered—justalittle,almostpolitely.Forsomereason,Ilikedthis

guy.HewasthetypewhohasalawdegreefromHarvardstuckawayinadrawersomewherebecauseheneverfoundanythingtodowithitthatappealedtohim.Itoldhim:“Thisisavery,veryoldanimal,youknow.He’sbeenhere

sincethethirties.”Thisgothisattention.HeaskedhowIhappenedtocomebythatpiece

ofinformation.“I know the animal,” I repliedbriefly, as if Imight know thousands

morelikehim.“Mightgotwenty-fivehundred,”hesaid.“Troubleis,Idon’thavetwenty-fivehundred.”“See,IalreadygotapainterinNewMexicoworkin’onasignforme,”

hesaid.“Paidhimtwohundredinadvance.”“Uhhuh.Icouldprobablyraisefifteenhundred.”“Don’tseehowIcouldgobelowtwenty-two,that’safact.”The factwas, if itwas right there inmyhand, he’d be delighted totaketwothousand.Maybeeveneighteenhundred.IsaidI’dthinkaboutit.

2

It was a Friday night, so the suckers didn’t start goinghome till after eleven andmy senectuous bribee didn’t come round tocollect his twenty dollars till midnight. Ishmael was asleep sitting up,still bundled up in his blankets, and I didn’t feel any qualms aboutwakinghim;Iwantedhimtoreassessthecharmsoftheindependentlife.Heyawned,sneezedtwice,clearedhisthroatofamassofphlegm,and

fixedmeinableary,malevolentglare.“Comebacktomorrow,”hesaidintheequivalentofamentalcroak.“Tomorrow’sSaturday—hopeless.”Hewasn’thappyaboutit,butheknewIwasright.Hemanagedtoput

off the inevitable by laboriously rearranginghimself, his cage, andhisblankets.Thenhesettleddownandgavemealookofloathing.“Wheredidweleaveoff?”“WeleftoffwithanewpairofnamesfortheTakersandtheLeavers:

Thosewhoknowgoodandevilandthosewholiveinthehandsofthegods.”Hegrunted.

3

“What happens to people who live in the hands of thegods?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Imean,whathappens to peoplewho live in thehands of the gods

thatdoesnothappentopeoplewhobuildtheirlivesontheknowledgeofgoodandevil?”“Well,let’ssee,”Isaid.“Idon’tsupposethisiswhatyou’regettingat,

butthisiswhatcomestomind.Peoplewholiveinthehandsofthegodsdon’tmakethemselvesrulersoftheworldandforceeveryonetolivethewaytheylive,andpeoplewhoknowgoodandevildo.”“You’ve turned the question round back to front,” said Ishmael. “I

askedwhat happens to peoplewho live in the hands of the gods thatdoesn’thappentothosewhoknowgoodandevil,andyoutoldmejusttheopposite:whatdoesn’thappentopeoplewholiveinthehandsofthegodsthatdoeshappentothosewhoknowgoodandevil.”“You mean you’re looking for something positive that happens to

peoplewholiveinthehandsofthegods.”“That’sright.”“Well, theydotendto let thepeoplearoundthemlive thewaythey

wanttolive.”“You’re tellingmesomething theydo,not something thathappens to

them.I’mtryingtofocusyourattentionontheeffectsofthislife-style.”“I’msorry.I’mafraidIjustdon’tknowwhatyou’regettingat.”“Youdo,butyou’renotusedtothinkingaboutitintheseterms.”“Okay.”“You remember the question we started out to answer when you

arrivedthisafternoon:Howdidmanbecomeman?We’restillaftertheanswertothatquestion.”Igroaned,fullyandfrankly.

“Whydoyougroan?”Ishmaelasked.“Because questions of that generality intimidate me. How did manbecome man? I don’t know. He just did it. He did it the way birdsbecamebirdsandthewaythathorsesbecamehorses.”“Exactlyso.”“Don’tdothattome,”Itoldhim.“Evidentlyyoudon’tunderstandwhatyoujustsaid.”“Probablynot.”“I’lltrytoclarifyitforyou.BeforeyouwereHomo,youwerewhat?”“Australopithecus.”“Good.AndhowdidAustralopithecusbecomeHomo?”“Bywaiting.”“Please.You’reheretothink.”“Sorry.”“DidAustralopithecusbecomeHomobysaying,‘Weknowgoodandevilaswellasthegods,sothere’snoneedforusto liveintheirhandsthewayrabbitsandlizardsdo.Fromnowonwewilldecidewholivesandwhodiesonthisplanet,notthegods.’”“No.”“Couldtheyhavebecomemanbysayingthat?”“No.”“Whynot?”“Becausetheywouldhaveceasedtobesubjecttotheconditionsunderwhichevolutiontakesplace.”“Exactly.Nowyoucananswerthequestion:Whathappenstopeople—tocreaturesingeneral—wholiveinthehandsofthegods?”“Ah.Yes,Isee.Theyevolve.”“AndnowyoucananswerthequestionIposedthismorning:Howdidmanbecomeman?”“Manbecamemanbylivinginthehandsofthegods.”“BylivingthewaytheBushmenofAfricalive.”

“That’sright.”“BylivingthewaytheKreen-AkroreofBrazillive.”“Rightagain.”“NotthewayChicagoanslive?”“No.”“OrLondoners?”“No.”“Sonowyouknowwhathappenstopeoplewholiveinthehandsofthegods.”“Yes.Theyevolve.”“Whydotheyevolve?”“Becausethey’reinapositiontoevolve.Becausethat’swhereevolutiontakesplace.Pre-manevolved intoearlymanbecausehewasout therecompetingwithalltherest.Pre-manevolvedintoearlymanbecausehedidn’t take himself out of the competition, because hewas still in theplacewherenaturalselectionisgoingon.”“Youmeanhewasstillapartofthegeneralcommunityoflife.”“That’sright.”“Andthat’swhy itallhappened—whyAustralopithecusbecameHomohabilisandwhyHomohabilisbecameHomoerectusandwhyHomoerectusbecame Homo sapiens and why Homo sapiens became Homo sapienssapiens.”“Yes.”“Andthenwhathappened?”“AndthentheTakerssaid,‘We’vehadenoughoflivinginthehandsofthegods.Nomorenaturalselectionforus,thanksverymuch.’”“Andthatwasthat.”“Andthatwasthat.”“YourememberIsaidthattoenactastoryistolivesoastomakeitcometrue.”“Yes.”

“AccordingtotheTakerstory,creationcametoanendwithman.”“Yes.So?”“Howwouldyoulivesoastomake thatcometrue?Howwouldyou

livesoastomakecreationcometoanendwithman?”“Oof. I seewhatyoumean.Youwould live theway theTakers live.

We’redefinitelylivinginawaythat’sgoingtoputanendtocreation.Ifwe go on, there will be no successor to man, no successor tochimpanzees, no successor to orangutans, no successor to gorillas—nosuccessortoanythingalivenow.Thewholethingisgoingtocometoanendwithus.Inordertomaketheirstorycometrue,theTakershavetoputanend tocreation itself—and they’redoingadamnedgood jobofit.”

4

“Whenwe began and Iwas trying to help you find thepremise of the Taker story, I told you that the Leaver story has anentirelydifferentpremise.”“Yes.”“Perhapsyou’rereadytoarticulatethatpremisenow.”“Idon’tknow.AtthemomentIcan’teventhinkoftheTakerpremise.”“It’llcomebacktoyou.Everystoryisaworkingoutofapremise.”“Yes,okay.ThepremiseoftheTakerstoryistheworldbelongstoman”

Ithoughtforacoupleofminutes,thenIlaughed.“It’salmosttooneat.ThepremiseoftheLeaverstoryismanbelongstotheworld.”“Meaningwhat?”“Meaning—”Ibarkedalaugh.“It’sreallytoomuch.”“Goon.”“Itmeans that, right from the beginning, everything that ever lived

belongedtotheworld—andthat’showthingscametobethisway.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 manbelongedtotheworld—andbecausehebelongedtotheworld,hegrewanddevelopedandbecamebrighterandmoredexterousuntilonedayhewas so bright and dexterous that we had to call him Homo sapienssapiens,whichmeansthathewasus.”

“And that’s theway the Leavers lived for threemillion years—as iftheybelongedtotheworld.”“That’sright.Andthat’showwecameintobeing.”

5

Ishmael said, “We know what happens if you take theTakerpremise,thattheworldbelongstoman.”“Yes,that’sadisaster.”“AndwhathappensifyoutaketheLeaverpremise,thatmanbelongs

totheworld?”“Thencreationgoesonforever.”“Howdoesthatsound?”“Ithasmyvote.”

6

“Somethingoccurstome,”Isaid.“Yes?”“ItoccurstomethatthestoryIjusttoldisinfactthestorytheLeavers

have been enacting here for three million years. The Takers’ story is,‘Thegodsmadetheworldforman,buttheybotchedthejob,sowehadtotakemattersintoourown,morecompetenthands.’TheLeavers’storyis,‘Thegodsmademanfortheworld,thesamewaytheymadesalmonand sparrows and rabbits for the world; this seems to have workedprettywell so far, sowecan take it easyand leave the runningof theworldtothegods.’”“That’s right. There are otherways to tell it, just as there are other

waystotellthestoryoftheTakers,butthiswayoftellingitisasgoodasany.”I sat there for a while. “I’m thinking about … the meaning of the

world,divineintentionsintheworld,andthedestinyofman.Accordingtothisstory.”“Goahead.”“Themeaningoftheworld…IthinkthethirdchapterofGenesishad

itright.It’sagarden—thegods’garden.IsaythiseventhoughImyselfverymuchdoubtthatgodshaveanythingtodowithit.Ijustfindthisawholesomeandencouragingwaytothinkofit.”“Iunderstand.”“Andtherearetwotreesinthegarden,oneforthegodsandonefor

us.TheoneforthemistheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil,andtheoneforusistheTreeofLife.ButwecanonlyfindtheTreeofLifeifwestay in thegarden—andwecanonlystay in thegarden ifwekeepourhandsoffthegods’tree.”Ishmaelgavemeanodofencouragement.“Divineintentions…Itwouldseem…Thereisasortoftendencyin

evolution,wouldn’tyousay?Ifyoustartwiththoseultrasimplecritters

intheancientseasandmoveupstepbysteptoeverythingweseeherenow—and beyond—then you have to observe a tendency toward …complexity. And toward self-awareness and intelligence.Wouldn’t youagree?”“Yes.”“Thatis,allsortsofcreaturesonthisplanetappeartobeonthevergeof attaining that self-awareness and intelligence. So it’s definitely notjusthumansthatthegodsareafter.Wewerenevermeanttobetheonlyplayers on this stage. Apparently the gods intend this planet to be agardenfilledwithcreaturesthatareself-awareandintelligent.”“Soitwouldappear.Andifthisisso,thenman’sdestinywouldseemtobeplain.”“Yes. Amazingly enough, it is plain—becauseman is the first of allthese.He’sthetrailblazer,thepathfinder.Hisdestinyistobethefirsttolearnthatcreatureslikemanhaveachoice:Theycantrytothwartthegodsandperishintheattempt—ortheycanstandasideandmakesomeroom for all the rest. But it’smore than that.His destiny is to be thefatherofthemall—Idon’tmeanbydirectdescent.Bygivingalltheresttheir chance—the whales and the dolphins and the chimps and theraccoons—hebecomesinsomesensetheirprogenitor….Oddlyenough,it’sevengranderthanthedestinytheTakersdreamedupforus.”“Howso?”“Just think. In a billion years, whatever is around then,whoever isaround then, says, ‘Man?Oh yes,man!What awonderful creature hewas!Itwaswithinhisgrasptodestroytheentireworldandtotrampleallourfuturesintothedust—buthesawthelightbeforeitwastoolateandpulledback.Hepulledbackandgavetherestofusourchance.Heshowedusallhowithad tobedone if theworldwas togoonbeingagardenforever.Manwastherolemodelforusall!’”“Notashabbydestiny.”“Notashabbydestinybyanymeans.Anditoccurstomethatthis…”“Yes?”“Thisgivesa little shape to the story.Theworld isavery,very fineplace.Itwasn’tamess.Itdidn’tneedtobeconqueredandruledbyman.

In otherwords, theworld doesn’t need to belong toman—but 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 it’snothisplacetorule.Thegodshavethat inhand.Man’splaceistobethefirst.Man’splaceistobethefirstwithoutbeingthelast.Man’s place is to figure out how it’s possible to do that—and then tomakesomeroomforalltherestwhoarecapableofbecomingwhathe’sbecome. Andmaybe,when the time comes, it’sman’s place to be theteacherofall therestwhoarecapableofbecomingwhathe’sbecome.Not the only teacher, not the ultimate teacher. Maybe only the firstteacher, the kindergarten teacher—but even that wouldn’t be tooshabby.Anddoyouknowwhat?”“What?”“Allalong,I’vebeensayingtomyself,‘Yes,thisisallveryinteresting,butwhatgoodisit?Thisisn’tgoingtochangeanything!’”“Andnow?”“Thisiswhatweneed.Notjuststoppingthings.Notjustlessofthings.People need something positive to work for. They need a vision ofsomethingthat…Idon’tknow.Somethingthat…”“Ithinkwhatyou’regropingforisthatpeopleneedmorethantobescolded,morethantobemadetofeelstupidandguilty.Theyneedmorethan a vision of doom. They need a vision of the world and ofthemselvesthatinspiresthem.”“Yes.Definitely.Stoppingpollutionisnotinspiring.Sortingyourtrashisnotinspiring.Cuttingdownonfluorocarbonsisnotinspiring.Butthis…thinkingofourselves inanewway, thinkingof theworld inanewway…This…”Iletitgo.Whatthehell,heknewwhatIwastryingtosay.

7

“ItrustyounowseeapointImadewhenwefirstbegan.ThestorybeingenactedherebytheTakers isnot inanysensechaptertwo of the story that was being enacted here during the first threemillionyearsofhumanlife.TheLeaverstoryhasitsownchaptertwo.”“Whatisitschaptertwo?”“You’vejustoutlinedit,haven’tyou?”“I’mnotsure.”Ishmael spent a moment in thought. “We’ll 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 toachievesettlementthatwereinaccordwiththewaythey’dalwayslived,ways that left room for the rest of life to go on around them. I don’tmean that theydid this out of any senseof high-mindedness. I simplymeanthatitdidn’toccurtothemtotakethelifeoftheworldintotheirown 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.It’snotunthinkable.”“No,it’snot.Orrather,yesitis.AccordingtoTakermythology,every

civilization anywhere in the universe must be a Taker civilization, acivilization inwhichpeoplehave taken the lifeof theworld into theirown hands. That’s so obvious it doesn’t need to be pointed out. Hell,everyaliencivilizationinthehistoryofsciencefictionhasbeenaTakercivilization.Everycivilizationeverencounteredby theU.S.S.EnterprisehasbeenaTakercivilization.Thisisbecauseitgoeswithoutsayingthatanyintelligentcreatureanywherewillinsistontakinghislifeoutofthehandsofthegods,willknowthattheworldbelongstohimandnottheotherwayaround.”“True.”

“Whichraisesanimportantquestioninmymind.Whatexactlywoulditmeantobelongtotheworldatthispoint?Obviouslyyou’renotsayingthatonlyhunter-gathererstrulybelongtotheworld.”“I’m glad you see that. Though if the Bushmen of Africa or theKalapaloofBrazil(ifthereareanyleftbynow)wanttogoonlivingthatwayforthenexttenmillionyears,Ican’tseehowthiscanbeanythinglessthanbeneficialforthemandfortheworld.”“True.Butthatdoesn’tanswermyquestion.Howcancivilizedpeoplebelongtotheworld?”Ishmael shookhishead inwhat looked likeamixtureof impatienceand exasperation. “Civilized has nothing to do with it. How cantarantulasbelongtotheworld?Howcansharksbelongtotheworld?”“Idon’tunderstand.”“Lookaroundyouandyou’llseesomecreatureswhoactasthoughtheworld belongs to them and some creatures who act as though theybelongtotheworld.Canyoutellthemapart?”“Yes.”“Thecreatureswhoactasthoughtheybelongtotheworldfollowthepeace-keeping law, and because they follow that law, they give thecreatures around thema chance to grow towardwhatever it’s possiblefor them to become. That’s how man came into being. The creaturesaroundAustralopithecusdidn’timaginethattheworldbelongedtothem,so they lethim live andgrow.Howdoesbeing civilized come into it?Doesbeingcivilizedmeanthatyouhavetodestroytheworld?”“No.”“Does being civilized make you incapable of giving the creaturesaroundyoualittlespaceinwhichtolive?”“No.”“Does it make you incapable of living as harmlessly as sharks andtarantulasandrattlesnakes?”“No.”“Does itmakeyou incapableof followinga lawthatevensnailsandearthwormsmanagetofollowwithoutanydifficulty?”

“No.”“As I pointed out some time ago, human settlement isn’tagainst thelaw,it’ssubjecttothelaw—andthesameistrueofcivilization.Sowhatexactlyisyourquestion?”“I don’t know, now. Obviously belonging to the world means …belonging to the same club as everyone else. The club being thecommunity of life. It means belonging to the club and following thesamerulesaseveryoneelse.”“And if being civilized means anything at all, it should mean thatyou’releadersoftheclub,notitsonlycriminalsanddestroyers.”“True,”Isaid,thensatthereblinkingforafewmoments.“Somethingyousaidamomentago.We’llneverknowwhattheLeaversofEuropeorAsiawere up towhen the people ofmy culture arrived to plow themunder.”“Yes?”“Ithinksomeinformationaboutthathasbeendugupinrecentyears.”Ishmaelnodded.“Ifit’srecent,thenImightwellnothaveheardofit.”“AnarcheologistnamedRianeEislerwroteaboutawidespreadLeaveragricultural society that existed in Europe until it was overrun by theTakers five or six thousand years ago. Except she didn’t call themLeaversandTakers,ofcourse.Idon’tknowalotaboutit,butevidentlytheculturetheTakersplowedunderwasbasedongoddessworship.”Ishmaelnodded. “Oneofmy studentswas awareof thebookyou’retalkingaboutbutwasunabletoexplainitssignificanceasyou’vedone.It’scalled,Ibelieve,TheChaliceandtheBlade.”

8

“Returning to the subject of inspiration, it seems tomethatthesedaysyouhaveanotherpromisingsourceofit,”Ishmaelsaid.“What’sthat?”“Allmyotherpupils,whentheyreachedthispoint,said,‘Yes,yes,this

iswonderful—butpeoplearenotgoing to relinquish theirholdon theworld. It justcan’thappen.Never.Not inathousandyears.’AndIhadnothingIcouldpointtoasahopefulexampletothecontrary.NowIdo.”Ittookmeaboutninetysecondstoseeit.“Iassumeyoumeanwhat’s

beenhappeningintheSovietUnionandeasternEuropeinthepastfewyears.”“That’sright.Tenyearsago,twentyyearsago,anyonepredictingthat

Marxismwouldsoonbedismantledfromthetopwouldhavebeenlabeledahopelessvisionary,anutterfool.”“Yes,that’strue.”“But once the people of these countries were inspired by the

possibility of a new way of life, the dismantling took place almostovernight.”“Yes,Iseewhatyoumean.FiveyearsagoIwouldhavesaidthatno

amountofinspirationcouldaccomplishthat—orthis.”“Andnow?”“And now it’s just barely thinkable. Improbable as hell but not

unimaginable.”

9

“ButIdohaveanotherquestion,”Iadded.“Proceed.”“Youradsaid,‘Mustearnestlydesiretosavetheworld.’”“Yes?”“What do I do if I earnestly desire to save the world?” Ishmael

frowned at me through the bars for a long moment. “You want aprogram?”“OfcourseIwantaprogram.”“Thenhereisaprogram:ThestoryofGenesismustbereversed.First,

CainmuststopmurderingAbel.Thisisessentialifyou’retosurvive.TheLeavers are the endangered species most critical to the world—notbecausethey’rehumansbutbecausetheyalonecanshowthedestroyersoftheworldthatthereisnoonerightway tolive.Andthen,ofcourse,youmust spitout the fruitof that forbidden tree.Youmustabsolutelyandforeverrelinquishtheideathatyouknowwhoshouldliveandwhoshoulddieonthisplanet.”“Yes, I see all that, but that’s a program formankind, that’s not a

programforme.WhatdoIdo?”“WhatyoudoistoteachahundredwhatI’vetaughtyou,andinspire

eachofthemtoteachahundred.That’showit’salwaysdone.”“Yes,but…isitenough?”Ishmael frowned. “Of course it’s not enough. But if you begin

anywhere else, there’s no hope at all. You can’t say, We’re going tochangethewaypeoplebehavetowardtheworld,but‘we’renotgoingtochangethewaytheythinkabouttheworldorthewaytheythinkaboutdivineintentionsintheworldorthewaytheythinkaboutthedestinyofman.’Aslongasthepeopleofyourcultureareconvincedthattheworldbelongstothemandthattheirdivinely-appointeddestinyistoconquerandruleit,thentheyareofcoursegoingtogoonactingthewaythey’vebeen acting for the past ten thousand years. They’re going to go on

treating theworldas if itwereapieceofhumanpropertyand they’regoingtogoonconqueringitasifitwereanadversary.Youcan’tchangethese thingswith laws.Youmustchangepeople’sminds.Andyoucan’tjust rootoutaharmfulcomplexof ideasand leaveavoidbehind;youhavetogivepeoplesomethingthatisasmeaningfulaswhatthey’velost—something that makes better sense than the old horror of ManSupreme, wiping out everything on this planet that doesn’t serve hisneedsdirectlyorindirectly.”Ishookmyhead.“Whatyou’resayingisthatsomeonehastostandupand become to theworld of todaywhat Saint Paulwas to theRomanEmpire.”“Yes,basically.Isthatsodaunting?”Ilaughed.“Dauntingisn’tnearlystrongenough.TocallitdauntingislikecallingtheAtlanticdamp.”“Is it really so impossible in an age when a stand-up comic ontelevisionreachesmorepeopleintenminutesthanPauldidinhisentirelifetime?”“I’mnotastand-upcomic.”“Butyou’reawriter,aren’tyou?”“Notthatkindofwriter.”Ishmael shrugged. “Lucky you. You are absolved of any obligation.Self-absolved.”“Ididn’tsaythat.”“Whatwereyouexpectingtolearnfromme?Anincantation?Amagicwordthatwouldsweepallthenastinessaway?”“No.”“Ultimately,itwouldseemyou’renodifferentfromthoseyouprofesstodespise:Youjustwantedsomethingforyourself.Somethingtomakeyoufeelbetterasyouwatchtheendapproach.”“No, it isn’t that.You justdon’tknowmeVerywell. It’s always thiswaywithme—firstIsay,‘No,no,it’simpossible,completelyandutterlyimpossible,’thenIgoaheadanddoit.”Ishmaelhumphed,barelymollified.

“OnethingIknowpeoplewillsaytomeis‘Areyousuggestingwegobacktobeinghunter-gatherers?’”“Thatofcourseisaninaneidea,”Ishmaelsaid.“TheLeaverlife-styleisn’t about hunting and gathering, it’s about letting the rest of thecommunity live—and agriculturalists can do that as well as hunter-gatherers.”Hepausedandshookhishead.“What I’vebeenatpains togiveyouisanewparadigmofhumanhistory.TheLeaverlifeisnotanantiquated thing that is ‘back there’ somewhere. Your task is not toreachbackbuttoreachforward.”“Buttowhat?Wecan’tjustwalkawayfromourcivilizationthewaytheHohokamdid.”“That’scertainlytrue.TheHohokamhadanotherwayof lifewaitingfor them,but youmust be inventive—if it’sworthwhile to you. If youcare tosurvive.”Hegavemeadull stare.“You’rean inventivepeople,aren’tyou?Youprideyourselvesonthat,don’tyou?”“Yes.”“Theninvent.”

10

“I have neglected one small point,” Ishmael said, thengaveway to a long, groaning,wheezing sigh, as if hewere sorry he’dallowedhimselftoberemindedofit.Iwaitedinsilence.“One of my students was an ex-convict. An armed robber, as it

happened.HaveItoldyouthat?”Isaidhehadn’t.“I’m 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,therichandthepowerfulliveverywellinsidetheprison—notaswellastheydoonthe outside, of course, but much, much better than the poor and theweak.Infact,theycanhaveverynearlyanythingtheywant,intermsofdrugs,food,sex,andservice.”Icockedaneyebrowathim.“Youwanttoknowwhatthishastodowithanything,”hesaidwitha

nod.“Ithasthistodowithanything:TheworldoftheTakersisonevastprison, andexcept forahandfulofLeavers scatteredacross theworld,theentirehumanraceisnowinsidethatprison.DuringthelastcenturyeveryremainingLeaverpeopleinNorthAmericawasgivenachoice:tobeexterminatedortoacceptimprisonment.Manychoseimprisonment,butnotmanywereactuallycapableofadjustingtoprisonlife.”“Yes,thatseemstobethecase.”Ishmael fixedmewith a drooping,moist eye. “Naturally a well-run

prisonmusthaveaprisonindustry.I’msureyouseewhy.”“Well … it helps to keep the inmates busy, I suppose. Takes their

mindsofftheboredomandfutilityoftheirlives.”“Yes.Canyounameyours?”

“Ourprisonindustry?Notoffhand.Isupposeit’sobvious.”“Quiteobvious,Iwouldsay.”Igaveitsomethought.“Consumingtheworld.”Ishmaelnodded.“Gotitonthefirsttry.”

11

“There is one significantdifferencebetween the inmatesof your criminal prisons and the inmates of your cultural prison: Theformerunderstandthatthedistributionofwealthandpowerinsidetheprisonhasnothingtodowithjustice.”Iblinkedathimforawhile,thenaskedhimtoexplain.“Inyourculturalprison,whichinmateswieldthepower?”“Ah,”Isaid.“Themaleinmates.Especiallythewhitemaleinmates.”“Yes, that’s right.Butyouunderstand that thesewhitemale inmates

areindeedinmatesandnotwarders.Foralltheirpowerandprivilege—forallthattheylorditovereveryoneelseintheprison—notoneofthemhasakeythatwillunlockthegate.”“Yes,that’strue.DonaldTrumpcandoalotofthingsIcan’t,buthe

cannomoregetoutoftheprisonthanIcan.Butwhatdoesthishavetodowithjustice?”“Justicedemands thatpeopleother thanwhitemaleshavepower in

theprison.”“Yes,Isee.Butwhatareyousaying?Thatthisisn’ttrue?”“True? Of course it’s true that males—and, as you say, especially

whitemales—have called the shots inside the prison for thousands ofyears,perhaps even from thebeginning.Of course it’s true that this isunjust.Andofcourseit’struethatpowerandwealthwithintheprisonshould be equitably redistributed. But it should be noted thatwhat iscrucialtoyoursurvivalasaraceisnottheredistributionofpowerandwealthwithintheprisonbutratherthedestructionoftheprisonitself.”“Yes,Iseethat.ButI’mnotsuremanyotherpeoplewould.”“No?”“No. Among the politically active, the redistribution of wealth and

poweris…Idon’tknowwhattocallitthatwouldbestrongenough.Anideawhosetimehascome.TheHolyGrail.”“Nonetheless,breakingoutoftheTakerprisonisacommoncauseto

whichallhumanitycansubscribe.”I shook my head. “I’m afraid it’s a cause to which almost none ofhumanity will subscribe. White or colored, male or female, what thepeopleofthisculturewantistohaveasmuchwealthandpowerintheTakerprisonas theycanget.Theydon’tgiveadamnthat it’saprisonandtheydon’tgiveadamnthatit’sdestroyingtheworld.”Ishmaelshrugged.“Asalways,you’reapessimist.Perhapsyou’reright.Ihopeyou’rewrong.”“Ihopesotoo,believeme.”

12

Even though we’d only been talking an hour or so,Ishmael seemed limp with exhaustion. I made tentative noises aboutleaving,butheevidentlyhadsomethingmoreonhismind.Atlasthelookedupandsaid:“YouunderstandthatI’mfinishedwith

you.”Ithinkitwouldhavefeltaboutthesameifhe’dplungedaknifeinto

mystomach.He closed his eyes for a moment. “Pardon me. I’m tired and not

expressingmyselfwell.Ididn’tmeanthatthewayitcameout.”Icouldn’tanswerhim,butImanagedanod.“Imeanonly that I’ve finishedwhat I set out to do.As a teacher, I

havenothingmoretogiveyou.Evenso,Iwouldbepleasedtocountyouasafriend.”Again,Icouldn’tmanagemorethananod.Ishmael shrugged and looked around bleary-eyed, as if he’d

momentarilyforgottenwherehewas.Thenherearedbackandexplodedinamagnificentlyjuicysneeze.“Look,”Isaid,gettingup,“I’llbebacktomorrow.”Hegavemealong,darkstare;hewaswonderingwhatthedevilmore

Iexpectedofhimbutwastoowearytoask.Hesentmeonmywaywithagruntandavaledictorynod.

THIRTEEN

1

That night, before falling asleep in my motel bed, Ifinalizedmyplan.ItwasabadplanandIknewit,butIcouldn’tthinkofanythingbetter.Whetherhelikeditornot(andIknewhewouldn’t),IhadtorescueIshmaelfromthatgoddamnedcarnival.Itwasabadplaninanothersense,inthatitdependedentirelyonme

andmymeagerresources.Ihadonlyonehole-card,andifIhadtoturnit,Ifigureditwouldprobablybeadeuce.AtninethenextmorningIwasinasmalltownabouthalfwayhome,

drivingaroundinhopesoffindingsomeplacetohavebreakfast,whena“too hot”warning lit up onmy dashboard, forcingme to pull over. Ipopped the hood and checked the oil: oil okay. Checked the waterreservoir: dry. No problem—a canny traveler, I carry extra water. Itoppedoffthereservoir,gotgoingagain,andtwominuteslaterwatchedthewarninglightblinkbackon.Imadeittoafillingstationwherethesignsaid“MechaniconDuty”butwherenomechanicwasonduty.Evenso, theguywhowasondutyknewthirty timesasmuchas Idoaboutcarsandwaswillingtopokearoundalittle.“The radiator fan isn’t working,” he told me after about fifteen

seconds.Heshowedittomeandexplainedthatordinarilyitonlycomesonwhenstart-and-stopcitydrivingmakestheengineoverheat.“Coulditbeablownfuse?”“Couldbe,”hesaid.Butheruledthatoutbytryinganewone,which

didnobetter thantheoldone.Hesaid,“Holdon,”andfetchedapen-typeprobe,whichheusedtotesttheplugthatconnectedthefantotheelectricalsystem.“Yougotfiretothefan,”hetoldme,“soitlookslikeit’sthefanitselfthat’sshot.”“WherecanIgetanewone?”“Hereintown,nowhere,”hetoldme.“NotonaSaturday.”IaskedhimifIcouldgethomewithitasitwas.“Ithinkso,”hesaid,“ifyoudon’thavetodoalotofcitydrivingto

get there. Or if you stop and let it cool down whenever it starts tooverheat.”Imade it backandgot the car intoadealership servicegaragewellbeforenoonandleftitthere,eventhoughtheyassuredmethatnothingatallwouldhappentoitbeforeMondaymorning.Ihadonlyoneerrandto run, and thatwas to visit one of those dear littlemoneymachines,whereIproceededtoplunderallmycashresources—checking,savings,creditcards.WhenIwalkedintomyapartment,Iwascarryingtwenty-fourhundreddollars—andwasotherwiseapauper.Ididn’tintendtothinkabouttheproblemsahead,becausetheywerejust tootough.Howdoyougetahalf-tongorillaoutofacagethathedoesn’tcaretovacate?Howdoyougetahalf-tongorillaintothebackseatofacarthathedoesn’tcaretoridein?Wouldacarwithahalf-tongorillainthebackseatevenfunction?Asthisindicates,I’maone-step-at-a-timekindofguy.Animprovisor.Somehoworanother,IwouldgetIshmaelstashedinthebackseatofmycar,thenI’dfigureoutwhattodonext.PresumablyI’dbringhimbackto my apartment—and then again figure out what to do next. In myexperience, you never really know how you’re 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,aboutsixhundreddollars’worth.Igroanedandtoldthemtocarryon.Theysaidit’dprobablybereadyaround twoo’clock, they’dcall. I said, skip thecall, I’dpick thecarupwhenIcould;thefactis,I’dalreadyabandonedthecar.Icouldn’tafford the repairs, and the damn thing probably wouldn’t be up tocarryingIshmaelanyway.Irentedavan.You will doubtless wonder why in hell I didn’t do that in the first

place. The answer is, I just didn’t think of it. I’m limited, okay? I getused to doing things in a certainway, and that doesn’t include takingtripsinrentedvans.TwohourslaterIpulledupatthecarnivallotandsaid,“Damn.”Thecarnivalhadmovedon.Something—maybeapremonition—promptedmetogetoutandpoke

around. The lot seemed much too small to have held nineteen rides,twenty-fourgames,andasideshow.IwonderedifIcouldfindthesiteofIshmael’scagewithoutanylandmarkstoguideme.Myfeetrememberedenoughtogetmetothevicinity,andmyeyesdidtherest,fortherewasavisibletrace:theblanketsI’dboughtforhimhadbeenleftbehind,hadbeendumpedinamessypilealongwithotherthingsIrecognized:afewof his books, a pad of drawing paper, still showing the maps anddiagrams he’dmade to illustrate the stories of Cain andAbel, LeaversandTakers,andtheposterfromhisoffice,nowrolledupandsecuredbyarubberband.Iwas stirring itupandsorting itout inabewilderedwaywhenmy

agedbribeeturnedup.Hegrinnedandheldupabigblackplasticbagtoshowmewhathewasdoingthere:clearingawaysomeofthehundredsofpoundsoftrashthathadbeenleftbehind.Then,whenhesawthepile

ofstuffatmyfeet,helookedupatmeandsaid,“Itwasthepneumonia.”“What?”“Itwasthepneumoniathatgothim—yourfriendtheape.”Istoodthereblinkingathim,unabletofathomwhathewasgettingat.“Vet came Saturday night and shot him full of stuff, but it was toolate.Passedoffthismorningaroundsevenoreight,Iguess.”“Areyoutellingmethathe’s…dead?”“Deadiswhatheis,pardner.”And I, the total egotist, hadonly vaguely registered the fact thatheseemedabitwan.I looked around the vast gray lot, where here and there the windraisedclumpsofpapertrashandsometimessentthemtumbling,andfeltonewithit—empty,useless,chokedwithdust,awasteland.Myancientpardnerwaited,plainly interestedtoseewhatthis friendofapeswoulddoorsaynext.“Whatdidtheydowithhim?”Iasked.“Huh?”“Whatdidtheydowiththebody?”“Oh.Calledthecounty, Iguess.Tookhimoff towheretheycrematetheroadkills.Youknow.”“Yeah.Thanks.”“Nosweat.”“AllrightifItakethisstuff?”Fromthe lookhegaveme Icouldsee I’dpresentedhimwithanewhigh-watermarkinhumanlunacy,butallhesaidwas,“Sure,whynot?Justgetdumpedotherwise.”Ilefttheblankets,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: “Mrs. Sokolow’sresidence.”“IsthisMr.Partridge?”“Yes,thisisMr.Partridge.”Isaid,“Thisistheguywhovisitedyouacoupleweeksago,tryingto

locateRachelSokolow.”Partridgewaited.Isaid,“Ishmaelisdead.”Afterapause:“I’mverysorrytohearit.”“Wecouldhavesavedhim.”Partridgethoughtaboutthatforawhile.“Areyousurehewouldhave

letus?”Iwasn’tsure,andsaidso.

4

It wasn’t till I got Ishmael’s 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?

ContactotherreadersofDanielQuinn’sbooks(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:“ForyearsIworriedthatImightneverequal(muchlesssurpass)whatIachievedinIshmael.ThisworryhasbeenerasedformebyTheStoryofB. Ishmaelwoulddefinitely approveof this book.”The Story ofB is nowavailablefromBantamBooks.

ContactotherreadersofISHMAELatwww.ishmael.com

FromtheauthorofIshmael

MYISHMAEL

Unbeknownst to the narrator of Ishmael, hewasn’t the only person aroundwith “anearnestdesiretosavetheworld.”InMyIshmael,welearnthatanotherpersonansweredIshmael’sad—atwelve-year-oldgirl!Thoughinitiallyreluctanttoacceptsuchastudent,Ishmael is finally compelled to confer upon her an extraordinary compliment: “Youhave a character very like my own.” 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 “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S.PatentandTrademarkOfficeandinothercountries.MarcaRegistrada.BantamBooks,NewYork,NewYork.

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