Read Online The Alpha and the Omega: An absurd philosophical tale about God, the end of the world, and what's on the other planets by H. M. Charley Ada - Free Book Online
Authors: H. M. Charley Ada
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life, saying that maybe someday he could help the lion. The lion reluctantly agrees, even though he can’t imagine how this tiny little mouse could ever help him. But then lo and behold, the lion gets caught by hunters, and the mouse gnaws through the hunters’ ropes and sets him free.”
“Ok. What are you saying then?”
“I’m saying that our society has all these different values. Tricking people into doing your work for you like Tom did, working hard for yourself like the ant did, helping someone because someday they will help you like with the lion… but where’s the story where the characters do something good purely because it’s the right thing, without expecting to getanything in return? Where’s the story that teaches that self-sacrifice for others is good purely for its own sake?”
“Uh… the Jesus story?”
“Please, I’m being serious.”
“So am I… sort of. I’m as big a critic of religion as anyone, but you have to admit that religions did teach a lot of lessons about helping others.”
“Yeah, they teach them right before they pass around the collection plate – or should I say, the ‘stained-glass window fund.’ ”
“Haha. Maybe, but I’m not so sure that society is entirely to blame for human selfishness. Don’t you think that people are innately selfish? Don’t you think that millions of years of evolution designed us to be that way?”
“Yeah, but remember, it wasn’t
entirely
evolution that designed us – we know now that God directed human evolution.”
“Right.” Zack frowned slightly.
“But regardless, I think humans can overcome their nature. For example, what if God hadn’t come? How do you think society would have turned out?”
“What do you mean?”
“Imagine that the world continued to develop for another thousand years without God bringing Heaven. How do you think the people of the future would have viewed morality?”
“I don’t know, that’s anybody’s guess.”
“Come on, try to imagine,” Lilly said, getting excited. “You hop into a time machine. You go to the 3000’s. You approach the first person you see and you ask her to show you around. And then as you start, all of a sudden, bam! Shefalls and breaks her leg. So you go the hospital.
Now
, when you walk in Zack, do they ask for her insurance card? Do they say, ‘I’m sorry, but we can only treat you if you can afford to pay us?’ No Zack, they wouldn’t. And they would look back at us and the way that we treated our poor and sick the same way that you and I look back at slaveholding societies.”
“Ok, ok. I suppose you’re right about the insurance card thing, but wouldn’t that just be because they would have really advanced technology that would let them treat a broken leg for practically free? I don’t know Lilly. I’m not sure that I share your faith in humanity. I could just as easily imagine a super advanced society that was still every bit as heartless as ours was.”
“But over time, didn’t we get better? Think of the progress that we made just in the last century. Think of all the new
laws
we passed.”
“Finally, she makes a joke!” Zack was not entirely convinced by Lilly’s argument, but he had to admire her passion. “Anyway,” he said, “isn’t all of this irrelevant now? I mean, now that God ended the world.”
“I don’t know. Somehow it’s still important to me.”
“Ok. Well let’s not start World War III over this – I think we both made some valid points. How about this, for all of your beliefs, and everything you did in life, I’m going to give you…” He rubbed his hands together and produced a gold medal, which he then hung around her neck.
“What does it say?” She held it up. “Crusader for justice? That’s nice… nobody ever gave me a medal before,” she said, smiling.
“You just didn’t know the right people.”
Lilly did not reply, and Zack took this opportunity to take the conversation in a completely
“Ok. What are you saying then?”
“I’m saying that our society has all these different values. Tricking people into doing your work for you like Tom did, working hard for yourself like the ant did, helping someone because someday they will help you like with the lion… but where’s the story where the characters do something good purely because it’s the right thing, without expecting to getanything in return? Where’s the story that teaches that self-sacrifice for others is good purely for its own sake?”
“Uh… the Jesus story?”
“Please, I’m being serious.”
“So am I… sort of. I’m as big a critic of religion as anyone, but you have to admit that religions did teach a lot of lessons about helping others.”
“Yeah, they teach them right before they pass around the collection plate – or should I say, the ‘stained-glass window fund.’ ”
“Haha. Maybe, but I’m not so sure that society is entirely to blame for human selfishness. Don’t you think that people are innately selfish? Don’t you think that millions of years of evolution designed us to be that way?”
“Yeah, but remember, it wasn’t
entirely
evolution that designed us – we know now that God directed human evolution.”
“Right.” Zack frowned slightly.
“But regardless, I think humans can overcome their nature. For example, what if God hadn’t come? How do you think society would have turned out?”
“What do you mean?”
“Imagine that the world continued to develop for another thousand years without God bringing Heaven. How do you think the people of the future would have viewed morality?”
“I don’t know, that’s anybody’s guess.”
“Come on, try to imagine,” Lilly said, getting excited. “You hop into a time machine. You go to the 3000’s. You approach the first person you see and you ask her to show you around. And then as you start, all of a sudden, bam! Shefalls and breaks her leg. So you go the hospital.
Now
, when you walk in Zack, do they ask for her insurance card? Do they say, ‘I’m sorry, but we can only treat you if you can afford to pay us?’ No Zack, they wouldn’t. And they would look back at us and the way that we treated our poor and sick the same way that you and I look back at slaveholding societies.”
“Ok, ok. I suppose you’re right about the insurance card thing, but wouldn’t that just be because they would have really advanced technology that would let them treat a broken leg for practically free? I don’t know Lilly. I’m not sure that I share your faith in humanity. I could just as easily imagine a super advanced society that was still every bit as heartless as ours was.”
“But over time, didn’t we get better? Think of the progress that we made just in the last century. Think of all the new
laws
we passed.”
“Finally, she makes a joke!” Zack was not entirely convinced by Lilly’s argument, but he had to admire her passion. “Anyway,” he said, “isn’t all of this irrelevant now? I mean, now that God ended the world.”
“I don’t know. Somehow it’s still important to me.”
“Ok. Well let’s not start World War III over this – I think we both made some valid points. How about this, for all of your beliefs, and everything you did in life, I’m going to give you…” He rubbed his hands together and produced a gold medal, which he then hung around her neck.
“What does it say?” She held it up. “Crusader for justice? That’s nice… nobody ever gave me a medal before,” she said, smiling.
“You just didn’t know the right people.”
Lilly did not reply, and Zack took this opportunity to take the conversation in a completely
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