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Authors: Avram Davidson
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what one does with time. You are the product of a society given over to violence and self-indulgence, confusing knowledge with knowing. By suffering the hypocrisy of a regime which ignored the laws of Nature, you saw that society met its inevitable destruction. Can Nature be successfully resisted? Of course not.”
Liam resisted the temptation to say, “Old graybeard Gaspar, you are babbling.” For one thing, it was not courtly; for another, it was not … hardly … safe. And besides, there was just a germ, a grain of conviction in the fact that the ark
was
exceedingly well made, arranged, provisioned, and ordered. Gaspar’s words were persuasive of foolishness, but the existence and circumstancing of the ark seemed anything but folly. Liam resolved to listen well and long before voicing curt conclusions.
Gaspar passed his hand over his beard in a smooth motion, said, equally smoothly, “You perceive how unanswerable my argument is. Very well. To continue. The man of the multitude, contented with little, observes that a thing happens, and to him it is as though the happening has neither past nor future: as though something materializes from nothing and will subsequently dematerialize into nothing. But this is not so. Am I correct? Of course I am correct. Follow me closely, now.
Nothing happens without a cause
. The acceptance of this maxim is the solid foundation of all human knowledge, progress and hope.”
He paused to watch and nod approval as the hide of a just-slaughtered bull-calf was carefully scraped with a sharp stone to remove the hair from one side and the fat from the other. Even these were not wasted and went carefully into containers provided for them. The fat was edible and the hair could be used to make brushes. “And therefore — ” Liam gave the conversation a polite nudge. He scanned the horizon. Nothing in sight but water. Nothing. Surely Gaspar and his people did not intend to remain afloat forever?
“And therefore,” Gaspar took up the thread once more, “it is necessary to inquire as to the cause of a thing, and this is to say that it is necessary to inquire into the causes of all things. Does this not follow?”
“Granted.”
“So. Suppose a man neglect or abuse his body. What is the inevitable result? The inevitable result is disease, blemishes, decay, breakdown, the appearance of evil sores and destructive parasites; all of which attack the body further. The foolish man bewails what has happened to him, not realizing that it has not merely or actually
happened
at all — but that he, through his folly, has
caused
it to happen! Now, fellow from a far country, let us apply this knowledge to the social body as well as to the individual body. Follow me closely. Suppose the social body, or, if you prefer, the body social, is neglected or abused. What is the inevitable result? The same … only, of course, on a much wider scale.
Disease
— a plague spreads.
Blemishes
— accident and misfortune vex the land.
Decay
— more people die than are born.
Breakdown
— bridges and boats and buildings are destroyed.
Evil sores and destructive parasites
— this means dragons and Kar-chee. Now — ”
Liam blinked and gaped. He put out his hand and Gaspar politely raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”
“ ‘Evil and destructive’ means
what?
”
“You have not listened carefully. However, I make allowances for the several circumstances of, firstly, you grew up in a benighted outland and not in a community of Knowers; secondly, you have suffered physically and mentally from your ill-managed venture upon the raft; thirdly, I do not wish to dwell upon it and perhaps hurt your feelings, but I must testify to what I see and in this case I see that you suffer from a physical malady: to wit, your eyes do not match, and from this it follows that — ”
Liam, trying intensely hard to recall the Father Knower’s exact words and stem the flood of rhetoric, said, rather loudly, “ ‘
Destructive
Liam resisted the temptation to say, “Old graybeard Gaspar, you are babbling.” For one thing, it was not courtly; for another, it was not … hardly … safe. And besides, there was just a germ, a grain of conviction in the fact that the ark
was
exceedingly well made, arranged, provisioned, and ordered. Gaspar’s words were persuasive of foolishness, but the existence and circumstancing of the ark seemed anything but folly. Liam resolved to listen well and long before voicing curt conclusions.
Gaspar passed his hand over his beard in a smooth motion, said, equally smoothly, “You perceive how unanswerable my argument is. Very well. To continue. The man of the multitude, contented with little, observes that a thing happens, and to him it is as though the happening has neither past nor future: as though something materializes from nothing and will subsequently dematerialize into nothing. But this is not so. Am I correct? Of course I am correct. Follow me closely, now.
Nothing happens without a cause
. The acceptance of this maxim is the solid foundation of all human knowledge, progress and hope.”
He paused to watch and nod approval as the hide of a just-slaughtered bull-calf was carefully scraped with a sharp stone to remove the hair from one side and the fat from the other. Even these were not wasted and went carefully into containers provided for them. The fat was edible and the hair could be used to make brushes. “And therefore — ” Liam gave the conversation a polite nudge. He scanned the horizon. Nothing in sight but water. Nothing. Surely Gaspar and his people did not intend to remain afloat forever?
“And therefore,” Gaspar took up the thread once more, “it is necessary to inquire as to the cause of a thing, and this is to say that it is necessary to inquire into the causes of all things. Does this not follow?”
“Granted.”
“So. Suppose a man neglect or abuse his body. What is the inevitable result? The inevitable result is disease, blemishes, decay, breakdown, the appearance of evil sores and destructive parasites; all of which attack the body further. The foolish man bewails what has happened to him, not realizing that it has not merely or actually
happened
at all — but that he, through his folly, has
caused
it to happen! Now, fellow from a far country, let us apply this knowledge to the social body as well as to the individual body. Follow me closely. Suppose the social body, or, if you prefer, the body social, is neglected or abused. What is the inevitable result? The same … only, of course, on a much wider scale.
Disease
— a plague spreads.
Blemishes
— accident and misfortune vex the land.
Decay
— more people die than are born.
Breakdown
— bridges and boats and buildings are destroyed.
Evil sores and destructive parasites
— this means dragons and Kar-chee. Now — ”
Liam blinked and gaped. He put out his hand and Gaspar politely raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”
“ ‘Evil and destructive’ means
what?
”
“You have not listened carefully. However, I make allowances for the several circumstances of, firstly, you grew up in a benighted outland and not in a community of Knowers; secondly, you have suffered physically and mentally from your ill-managed venture upon the raft; thirdly, I do not wish to dwell upon it and perhaps hurt your feelings, but I must testify to what I see and in this case I see that you suffer from a physical malady: to wit, your eyes do not match, and from this it follows that — ”
Liam, trying intensely hard to recall the Father Knower’s exact words and stem the flood of rhetoric, said, rather loudly, “ ‘
Destructive
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