Long ago, Truth, Falsehood, Fire and Water were journeying together and came upon a flock of wandering sheep. Joyous at their good fortune in discovering such a prize, they talked it over and decided that it would be fairest to divide the sheep into four parts, so each could take home an equal share.
But Falsehood was greedy and schemed to get more for himself.
“Listen to my warning,” he whispered, pulling Water to one side. “Fire plans to burn all the grass and trees along your banks and drive your sheep away across the plains so that he can have them for himself. If I were you, I’d extinguish him right now, and then we can have his share of the sheep for ourselves.”
Water was foolish enough to listen to Falsehood, and he dashed himself upon Fire and put him out.
Next Falsehood crept toward Truth.
“Look what Water has done,” he whispered. “He has murdered Fire and taken his sheep. We should not consort with the likes of him. We should take all of the sheep and go to the mountains.”
Truth believed Falsehood and agreed to his plan. Together they drove the sheep into the mountains.
“Wait for me!” Water called, and he hurried after Truth and Falsehood, but of course he could not run uphill. So he was left all alone in the valley below.
When they reached the top of the highest mountain, Falsehood turned to Truth and laughed.
“I’ve tricked you, stupid fool,” he shrieked. “now you must give me all of the sheep and be my servant, or I’ll destroy you.”
“Yes, you have tricked me,” Truth admitted, “but I will never be your servant.”
And so they fought, and when they clashed the thunder rolled back and forth across the mountaintops. Again and again they threw themselves together, but neither could destroy the other.
Finally they decided to call upon the Wind to declare a winner of the contest. So Wind came rushing up the mountain slopes, and he listened to what they each had to say.
“It is not for me to declare a winner in this fight.” He told them. Truth and Falsehood are destined to struggle. Sometimes Truth will win, but other times Falsehood will prevail, and then Truth must rise up and fight again. Until the end of the world, Truth must battle Falsehood, and must never rest or let down his guard, or he will be finished once and for all.”
And so Truth and Falsehood are fighting to this day.
Falsehood is so easy, truth so difficult…Examine your words well, and you will find that even when you have no motive to be false, it is a very hard thing to say the exact truth, even about your own immediate feelings—much harder than to say something fine about them which is not the exact truth. – George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)
Have an AWE-full weekend!
William J. “Bill” Bacqué