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Angels of NinGish

Premiered 9/9/9 (9 September 2009)

The continuation of The Myth and Legend of D'PTah, an original novel by Dan Sewell Ward.

 

Segment 5

Angels of NinGish

 

Wonder of wonders, Gil liked the first report. Just some minor editing and that phase was done! The all important follow up report (brilliantly illuminated below) would set the stage for further curtain calls. For the moment, the only question was what other great astonishments -- i.e., on the level of Gil's approval -- waited patiently in the wings smiling a devious grin and anticipating its time on stage! The mind reels at the mere thought... if not at the glorious possibilities.

On top of everything else, the rumors about the next PR Oversight visit... okay... the Peer Review Oversight Committee visit... were still rampant. Astoundingly, the rumors even seemed to have evidence and convincing arguments to back them up. Extraordinary! Accordingly, Dookie was getting excited about the possibility of the visit... if only to bathe in the possible attentions of the infamous Anna Shamhat.

[Somehow her status had recently changed locally from beneficent angel (getting Dookie his job) to a female preying mantis – and thus the addition of “in” to “famous”. Site folk are fickle that way. Except for Gil who seemed entirely at ease in maintaining a consistent, steady disapproval of Anna: 'Don't trust her within a thousand leagues!' Such good advice, Gil claimed on the basis of allegedly having had prior dealings with the woman.]

Despite the potential for greater credibility, notice, status, and volunteers (yet to be realized -- where the heck were those clowns?), Gil was closer to distraught than glee. The head man fairly shuddered as he observed Dookie's excitement and enthusiasm, as if his student had already forgotten last week's lesson. Dookie's quick reply that he was not looking for “judgment” but for insights, suggestions, and external input... had failed to cause even so much as a blip on Gil's Richter Scale.

Instead the older man continued to insist that asking for another's input inevitably required compromise. “And to what purpose? To convince others to believe in you? To gain favorable reviews? How many artists take premature criticism in a work of sculpture or a painting? Ludicrous! Limit your outside influence to spell checks – and take that with a grain of salt as dictionaries are inevitably incomplete. Worse yet they are often not open to truly imaginative plays on words. Puns and crossword puzzles would die a sorry death in the land of precise definitions.”

It briefly occurred to Dookie that he should record verbatim Gil's various pronouncements – all grist for the mill in future reports. Teachers love their students to repeat back their insightful thoughts – but of course in such a manner as to suggest that the student actually understood what the teacher had said. The latter was not a binding condition... sometimes imitation and repetition would serve as the best of compliments -- even without the student having a clue as to understanding what it all meant.

Meanwhile, there was what appeared to be the home office's automatic response to Dookie's first draft report. The response was... shall we say... somewhat nebulous, with more than a few incriminating remarks, and at the same time, a definitive lack of praise and/or encouragement. Fine. Pay no attention to the men behind the curtains. Dookie would give them the Legend, the background (traditional research in all of its vaunted glory and sufficient for hanging itself). He would then follow this up with the exceptional glories of Myricon, why it's important, and more significantly why every report derived from on site and/or on high should be treated with the equivalent of utmost respect. Otherwise, they wouldn't have a clue.

Dookie smiled, as he realized that he could make a big deal of the actual words of D'PTah himself. Now that should make them sit up and take notice!

On the other hand, as Gil's ghost rose to grab Dookie's attention... 'Was that a good idea? Notice is not necessarily advantageous.' (See: He did remember his lessons from a week or so ago.) Still...

[It should be noted that Dookie's life at this juncture included a LOT of 'Still's...” and "on the other hands..." -- probably something to do with his being born a Libra.]

It had occurred to Dookie that if one wanted to gather more interest... one would need to cover one's posterior with enough graffiti to provide plausible claims of full disclosure later on. Maybe add some materials on Miracles and Magic. 'Yeah. Good idea. More than just data, some tentative conclusions and conjectures. Gil's idea about preventative intervention could be incorporated.' Dookie would have to clean up the narrative somewhat, but a degree of receptivity by any scholarly tome was essential.

Dookie could also add something about translation of names. Admittedly it was boiler plate, but the head of the PROC, the singularly entitled, Zadi Xytol, would eat it up. And if the PROC head was a happy camper, the PROC – and more importantly the Myricon ensemble – would be delighted. We don't have to become adversaries. There was still a good reason for peer review.

But lest we digress or procrastinate, it's time to move on to the introductory disclaimers of the vaunted, soon to be lauded report. And for added effect, we might add the music of Mannheim Steamroller's Dancin' in the Stars [1]. Just in order to set the mood.

 

Traditional Research

The “Legend of D'PTah”, the arrival of the Angels of NinGish, and their anointing of D'PTah as their “Liaison” is well known among that certain literate, specialized cadre of archaeological scholars. The importance of this so-called legend lies in the fact that many if not most learned academics consider the legend to constitute an almost archetypal basis for our modern society. Of all the paradigms by which we order our lives, the underlying implications and influences of the events and understanding of the “Legend of D'PTah” cannot be overestimated.

Traditionally, the legend has always referred to the tales of enlightened beings arriving on earth and working their magic. An intriguing detail of many of these versions is that their arrival was supposedly a return of what we would call in our modern language, “extraterrestrials”. Such a translation should be taken with a grain of salt, inasmuch as an “extraterrestrial” is simply and by definition any being (sentient or otherwise) who was not born on Earth. Thus the term may easily include what are termed in some better well known ancient myths as “angels” (or even "archangels"). We will henceforth use the terms somewhat interchangeably.

In order to put the inscribed, translated tracts in proper perspective, it is essential to briefly revisit portions of “The Legend of D'PTah”, in the form most akin to its original, verbal tradition [2]:

In the days of chaos and confusion, the Angels of NinGish, the same Angels who had served the Great Earth Lord in the times of distant antiquity, heard the lamentations of humanity and came down to bless the ground upon which they strode. Because of their splendor and brilliance, the [Return of the] Angels could not be perceived until the time of greatest peril, at which time they were greeted by a man, a man wise in his years and far-seeing in his vision, who knew the Angels and who called them by their name. The Angels of NinGish came to know this man by their own means, to acknowledge him, to call him D'PTah, and thereafter to anoint him with all earthly power.

D'PTah meditated upon his anointing for nine periods, after which NinGish made it known to all of the tribes of Earth, and all of the peoples of each tribe, and all the lesser beings of earth, of the Angels of NinGish's command for all beings to return to the workship of the First Angels, as was their right.

In the initial process of attempting to correlate this myth with an historical basis, scholars have for many years been forced to theorize the means by which any so-called angels/extraterrestrials would have disclosed themselves: from a dramatic revelation by means of astounding magic, mystical, and/or even technological means to a gentle, slow awakening of the masses. The latter might provide time for the definitive appearance of these beings to be accepted in something resembling a simple, matter-of-fact reception. Such debates are common to all myths and legends purporting to be history.

It is important to realize that continual warfare and conflicts between different tribes and the so-called civilizations of these ancient times did not lend themselves to the effectiveness of dramatic revelations in one relatively limited locale. If the members of other tribes were not witnesses themselves, they would likely be highly suspicious of any alien descriptions of such events. For this reason many scholars have argued that slow awakenings would be more probable in that various and diverse means could be used to gather the attentions of different cultural perspectives.

Even here, however, there was a distinct possibility of there arising the inevitable conclusion whereby select tribes chose to believe that all such revelations were their exclusive property, and that their fates were thus more closely intertwined with the destinies of their gods. This my-god-is-greater-than-your-god, or even your-lack-of-a-god, results of course in needless and pointless conflict.

Despite this, the hypothesis of a slow, methodical revelation appears to have had numerous adherents among modern researchers. But inasmuch as science cannot be developed on the basis of majority rule, there is still room for doubt as to the actual manner in which any proposed angels and/or extraterrestrials might have made their presence known. Furthermore, from the example of the D'PTah myth, there is the added caveat that it would appear that the human recognition of the so-called Angels was not necessarily entirely under humanity's control.

There are, for example, some indications in those legends and myths discovered and promulgated independently of the Myricon complex that prior to the overt appearance of the extraterrestrials -- aka the Angels of NinGish -- that there were sightings of lights and unusual movements in the sky, strange behaviors of animals in the fields and forests, perplexing dreams among the populace and noteworthy individuals, disconcerting markings in fields of grain and corn, and even alleged direct contact with highly select individuals. There is, for example, the very ancient story of Jacob and his encounter with angels – a tale whose acceptance at face value by large segments of the population was the rule rather than the exception. This preponderance of evidence provides additional support for the less dramatic version of a more selective initial contact by extraterrestrials, and has also been suggested as evidence indicating the beneficent intention of those not-of-earth beings.

Despite the logical and rational analysis of how the Angels of NinGish might have slowly made their presence known to the world, certain fragments from archaeological sites other than the Myricon Site had previously contradicted the longer held theory, and instead, appeared to imply rather strongly that there was a degree of dramatic revelation. This is suggested by the following fragment [3]:

...capitulating with little or no resistance. Our warriors which were clearly insufficient to mount [?] resistance did little more than [?] their reactive stance. Anything more would have been a futile and ill-fated [?] against what appeared to be a vast superiority. Warriors followed the orders of their commanders to [?] with little or no hesitation, as much a matter of discretion as discipline. Admittedly, a few [?] with [?] weapons did attempt what must be considered in hindsight, [?] missions, but even here they were easily rebuffed, if not in most cases destroyed. The imposition of overwhelming power made the possible outcomes of any human action one of...

It has been pointed out that the gradualism theory of the arrival of the Angels would not necessarily contradict such ancient texts as those quoted above, but could in fact supplement them. There is no a priori reason whereby both a slow, covert indoctrination could not have been conducted for the purpose of partially preparing the tribes for a much more dramatic appearance at a later time.

Whatever the method of revelation, it is clear that the chosen means were eventually sufficient to demonstrate to anyone witnessing the early appearances – including those key individuals who could convey their opinions to others in an effective manner – that the power and influence of the Angels were considerable. On this basis then it is entirely understandable how the imposition upon the affairs of human society by one who is euphemistically described in modern terms as their “Liaison” – the legendary D'PTah – might have been realized.

On yet other texts, the story continues with tantalizing bits and pieces which apparently describe in much greater detail the process by which the angels/extraterrestrials imposed their influence on what must have been an initially stunned and bewildered humanity, if not one simply overwhelmed by the flow of events. Combining these fragments with the D'PTah legends and myths from other independent sources allows us to conjecture a viable scenario.

This scenario includes the simple appearance of D'PTah in the councils of the stronger and more war like tribes and loose confederations of tribes. In these cases, D'PTah would appeared to have demonstrated to the council leaders the vastly superior magic or technology of the Angels of NinGish in order to make his demands and those of the Angels all too credible. With the various councils literally overwhelmed by what must have been viewed by them as extraordinary miracles and wonders almost beyond comprehension, the word would then go out among the lesser ranking members of the tribes that their leaders were in fact subordinating their own authority in favor of D'PTah. The nature of these tribes, even on a scale of the confederations of tribes, was that of strongly disciplined tribal members with traditionally very limited freedoms at their disposal. There may have seemed to exist no alternative but to accede – even if only temporarily – to D'PTah.

A second, relatively intact fragment [3] adds to our understanding and ability to conjecture this viable scenario with the following:

. ..announcement of an ordinary human to act as Liaison, with total and complete authority over all things and [?] of the planet was likely to be construed to be a very astute and intelligent move on the part of the [?] and NinGish [?] forces. The use of a fellow human – one with human values, understanding, compassion and even empathy for members of his own species – had the advantage of calming, at least [-?-] panic which had begun to ensue at [-?]. Simultaneously, it suggested that there remained...

The above fragment includes the statement that the human who would become known as “D'PTah” was a “fellow human”. This is certainly not at odds with the “Legend of D'PTah”, and in fact confirms those aspects of the legend that D'PTah himself had always claimed to be an ordinary, mortal human. It is only the extraordinary results of what he apparently attempted to accomplish that makes him something beyond ordinary.

A second fragment [3] adds additional intrigue:

...the inherent flexibility of human beings, who having witnessed the most profound revelation imaginable, were then able to dismiss...

This might be, as has been noted, one of the more remarkable and perplexing characteristics of the human mind. At the same time, it seems wise, if not judicious, diplomatic, and possibly even parental, to allow a conquered people to at least appear to retain responsibility for their own choices and the manner in which they lived. This then might account for the perceived withdrawal...

...withdrawal to parts decidedly unknown was without explanation or logic and left many individuals and [?] in a state of bewilderment. Nevertheless, the powers that be – or more accurately, the powers that had been – were clearly not sufficiently forgetful so as to attempt to quickly return to their accustomed [-?-]. They appeared instead to, at least initially, allow the initial transfer of power with minimal...

The noteworthy aspect of this fragment is the possibility of additional calming by an apparent withdrawal of angelic/extraterrestrial forces from overt control and the micro-management of human activities. Nevertheless, all of the evidence in ancient texts claimed that the extraterrestrials were at the beck and call of their Liaison, D'PTah, particularly if the liaison's authority was questioned, or when the implications of his more unexpected decisions encountered significant resistance. Anyone in authority who might have taken any action which was contrary to D'PTah's decrees would have been quickly reminded of who had dictatorial powers and why.

The apparent wisdom or experience in dealing with subjects would also have been clearly manifested in the manner in which “the [?] and NinGish [?] forces” and/or “the Angels of NinGish” exercised their control. The suggestion that they withdrew and allowed humans to operate with some degree of autonomy is a fundamentally important concept. Too close a proximity or too many appearances by an apparently all-powerful divinity does not lend itself to allowing even sophisticated humans to assign ever greater and awesome powers to absentee landlords. Covert controls inevitably operate far more effectively than gross attempts at overt control.

 

Dookie leaned back, his sensory apparatus searching for the sound of fireworks and thundering applause... or alternatively, inexplicably and bewilderingly, boos and rotten fruit. Not unexpectedly, it was the celebratory sounds he was able to distinguish from the background noise of the virtual world's responses to his writing. Reality, after all, is more a matter of judicious selectivity than hard, cold, external facts. Accordingly, and with such encouragement, Dookie continued blissfully on.

 

Myricon Enhancements

It is for the above and other reasons the Myricon discoveries have been met with such acclaim. As research has progressed at the Myricon archaeological site, there has been a growing enthusiasm that these ancient scrolls -- many of which are carefully preserved in the form of etchings on bronze sheets -- might shed much more light on the details of various portions of the “Legend of D'PTah”.

For example, the so-called “withdrawal of the forces of NinGish” is not addressed directly in the “Legend of D'PTah” as related by most scholars, but is described in comparatively substantial detail by the texts thus far discovered at the Myricon site. It is noteworthy that the Legend does not contradict the story told by the bronze sheets. They are in fact in agreement -- with the bronze sheets adding plausible detail. Of more relevance is the fact that the bronze sheets of Myricon are correlating with or confirming our myths and legends. This is the more noteworthy factor.

The choice of the individual who would became known as D'PTah has been, and probably will continue to be much more controversial than any purported wisdom of angels. This is one area where the Myricon discoveries can add much to our accumulated wisdom on the subject. In addition to the discussions by modern scholars, the question of why this particular individual was chosen was in fact raised even by the engravers of the bronze sheets.

...have raised the intriguing question: Why this individual? Ostensibly, the choice was alleged to have been random, and yet the evidence suggests otherwise. There is the possibility of the Liaison's presence upon the [?], which might have been relevant. From this presence it would have thus been clear that he was well informed of much of the world's happenings, could be construed as a wise individual (albeit a wisdom of an unusual and oft times [?] nature). In addition, he was someone who had leadership experience and capabilities (despite the fact he was not in a position of leadership or authority at the time of his selection). But the potentially more important factor is that he was someone who demonstrated anything but timidity or hesitancy [-?-] the acceptance of his appointment. Even more noteworthy was the politically astute selection of the title of Regency, which was wildly lauded as a wise...

A critical missing or untranslatable word in the above fragment is the unknown location upon which the so-called “Liaison's presence” was manifest. Several possibilities have been suggested, ranging from councils or groups of important individuals, some sort of professional or merchant class of which he was associated, the possible work of the future D'PTah as a well-known scribe and/or bard himself, or whatever it was that constituted communications channels in the ancient world.

In the Myricon bronze sheets, there is, for example, this extremely important passage which constitutes what might be the first indication of D'PTah's own words [which will henceforth be printed in red – not to infer any divine status (D'PTah went to great lengths to deny any divinity), but to clarify and enhance the narratives.]

...designation of “Liaison” is something of a misnomer in that the NinGish culture invests with the individual who will act as the connecting link between their society and ours, much greater power and authority than what might otherwise be assumed by humans. It will hopefully become clear and accepted that for all extents and purposes, I have been designated as something akin to King of Kings.

To my mind, however, the title of king has unfortunate implications, the primary being one of an assumed need for the continuation of a royal line or dynasty. In any such continuing rule, as history is apt to describe in great and gory detail, much of the energy and resources of those in a position of power and responsibility inevitably becomes one of determining as soon as possible the identity of the Heir Apparent. Instead of ruling or governing, the prime directive becomes one of confirming or diverting the process of succession.

For this reason, and in order to avoid even the possibility of succession wars, I will be taking the title of Regent, with the future true ruler being the [?] individuals of our society, once these individuals and our society come of age, [-?-]. In effect, I am holding the authority over the world in trust until such time as the world's tribes can live in peace and harmony, and can in fact progress in such a manner as to maximize the evolution of each and every member of the human race. From my perspective, the most important goal we can realize is the elimination of any need for kingship.

One cannot overemphasize the importance of this more extended passage. The legends and myths of our oral traditions cannot match the eloquence of what is reputed here to be the very words of D'PTah himself. And perhaps even more to the point is the small fragment which appears to be particularly emphasized by the text of the bronze sheet, but which by its very nature appears to be directly attributed to D'PTah's own words – and which were quoted near the beginning of this treatise:

In my dream, the angel shrugged and said, “If we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination.” And then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand.

This fragment relays the apparent clearness of vision of D'PTah at a very early stage in his ascendancy to the exalted position of what this translator has identified as The Regency. This fragment may, however, suggest that despite the traditional interpretation of the legends and myths of D'PTah as to his being chosen randomly and representing a simple and/or average human being, that such a tale may be something of a myth in and of itself.

The evidence that D'PTah was not a random choice includes the facts that: 1) he was a member of the most powerful tribe on earth at the time of his ascendancy, 2) he appeared to be much wiser and well informed than what we might presume to be the level of the average common member of any of the various tribes, 3) he was male in a time when females were, incredible as it may seem, routinely considered to be of less value and intelligence, and 4) he had a sense of humor which defused more than one confrontation. In some respects, the latter stands out as one of the best indicators that the angels had chosen with something far removed from random and/or a lottery style determination. Their choice not to reveal their processes serve only to increase the mystery of their existence.

It should be noted as well that the emphasized passage quoted above specifically refers to “the angel” which “placed the world gently” in his hands. Meanwhile the texts of the bronze sheets seldom if ever refer to “angels” but instead to what we are translating as “extraterrestrials”. Again, this argues persuasively that “angel” and “extraterrestrial” can be considered one and the same.

 

Dookie's mind took a brief, and obviously well earned respite. Letting his focus shift from the pages before him to... whatever might manage to engage him... was all he needed in order for the noises -- new and unusual for the site activities -- to reach his consciousness. Something different was happening outside and Dookie needed to know what it was. It would only take a moment, a short break in his work, to quickly ascertain if, for example, the site was being overrun by fanatical savages, or a section in the T-Rex pen had been disastrously breeched.

The level of catastrophe was less, but it did take more than a moment. A PRO liaison individual had just arrived on site. His credentials had preceded him in that Gil already knew him well enough to begin battening down the hatches. Figuratively speaking of course, inasmuch as they had no hatches. If they had, Gil would likely have used them to bury alive the new liaison, Dimutri... whatever his full name was. (Dookie never really caught his last name, until reading it in the official reports of the “incident”, after which he studiously and promptly forgot the name as a means of insulting the man.)

Dimutri had indeed arrived, unannounced, a surprise visit to see the “true nature of operations and not some carefully orchestrated and therefore fraudulent presentation.” One could immediately see Gil's wisdom in loathing the man. Such feelings were to quickly become unanimous among site personnel.

Dookie had no official duties in the welcoming-with-fingers-crossed ceremonies. The extent of his interactions with Dimutri were a quick explanation of what he did, when were the reports submitted, why were they late?, and no, Dimutri had not read them, being a very busy man and otherwise engaged. Accordingly, Dookie could remain silent, observe, be Gil's hated extraneous person at a dinner party, and in general find a good reason to get out of his tent and into the real world of the dig.

It was quite a performance. Dimutri had never been one to feign humility, or to be blessed with restraint and tact. Such tools were for those lacking confidence in the divine order of things. Dimutri did not lack confidence, and was quick to make demands, challenge the established routines of the site, and in general to attempt to bring everything to a screeching, grinding halt.

This attempt lasted for about twenty minutes... until Gil resurrected the site work ethic, took full time responsibility for the feeding of Dimutri's ego, and got the wheels of archaeological industry once again rolling ahead. Gil's tactic in fact worked very well the first day. After that, he had to resort to somewhat more drastic measures. Specifically and intentional this tactic was to provide a dysentery incentive for Dimutri to stay put in the guest's quarters. Clearly, one should never assume that poisoning is not one of the tools of the trade when it comes to assuming supreme authority over the locals.

Accordingly, for many glorious days Dimutri's sole making of the rounds was limited to the well-worn path leading from his tent to the guest latrine. (It had been called the secondary latrine but with Dimutri using it almost exclusively, it was renamed the "Guest Latrine" in order to avoid any confusion among the staff that it might be open to anyone but the guest with the most need for a quick access.)

Meanwhile, it was time for Dookie to get back to work... to finish this portion of the report.

 

Miracles and Magic

It has been observed by many scholars that technologies advanced far beyond the experience of an otherwise intelligent observer will be indistinguishable from magic. Similarly, miracles are those events for which the technology is unknown and which are for a given state of enlightenment unimaginable as to the means of its accomplishment. If, for example, one were to observe the sun standing still and thus contrary to its accustomed route across the sky, such an event would be logically construed as a miracle – and possibly of divine origin.

On the other hand, from a more scientific perspective, the very act of the sun standing still is more accurately described as the (ostensibly temporary) interruption of the Earth's rotation. Furthermore, an understanding of the inner structure of the Earth – specifically the existence of a thin crust literally floating upon a liquid mantle – allows for the physical basis whereby the continents of the Earth might under the appropriate influence “slip” with respect to the rotation of the Earth's core and mantle. This would provide the appearance to an observer on the surface of the Earth's continents that the sun was, relatively speaking, no longer in transit across the sky. When the “appropriate influence” was thereafter diminished or eliminated, the normal frictional forces between the continental crust and the mantle would quickly bring the surface back up to speed. All of the mathematical details of this particular example is amply described by Ward [4].

This brief note will hopefully provide a better understanding for the reader as we delve further into those fragments from the bronze sheets relating to the perception of the ancients upon the occasion of the events that quite literally brought the civilizations of these ancient times to an analogous standstill. While many of the events related by the observers of that long forgotten era may appear more appropriate for children's fantasies than scientific discourse, when they are viewed from the perspective of an advanced technology and understanding of the physical nature of the universe, they become far more plausible.

The selected anecdotal accounts and recorded scenes described in the previous segments are an adequate example of just such self-described miraculous events of ancient histories. In these particular descriptions the “Angels of Ningish” had indeed made their presence known to selected residents at several outposts of their fledgling civilizations. These accounts only scratch the surface, however, as they describe the first sightings of the works that would change the world. While these events do indeed hint at the revelations of the power of the Angels of NinGish, D'PTah's first appearance in the councils of power are best described and/or reconstructed from an alternative narrative, this one from a military scribe who apparently had access to the highest levels of raw military and political power. Bits and pieces of narratives from other scribes have been found on the same subject, but these latter documents are in comparatively dismal condition. The military scribe, meanwhile, provides an entirely different viewpoint from that of the other scribes and their work already encountered. This new scribe nevertheless relates the same basic, congruent story – lending credence to all accounts.

However, before delving into this what must be considered, anecdotal evidence, several additional subjects need to be briefly addressed.

 

Dookie smiled. The next section had been lifted from Gil's earlier work from a time long before the discoveries of Myricon. They would go very nicely – had in fact already survived peer review.

 

Intervention by an Intelligence

It is axiomatic that change is a universal construct. Attempts to restrict, limit, or even prevent change are anti-entropic, senseless, and equivalent in all respects to social insanity. This fact applies to a wide variety of situations from the evolving nature of the universe to the attempts by some, self-aggrandizing pseudo-intellectuals to seize upon past traditions and thereby claim for these transitory understandings the status of everlasting truth. Change will continue – with only the acceleration of change being a realistic variable – and thus any attempt to freeze the philosophical constructs of life will be inevitably doomed. The pain and anguish of much of life is thus related to what has been described as “The Ordeal of Change” [5], that pointless attempt to state some alleged absolute truth and thereafter refuse to consider evidence and events which might challenge the unchanging, albeit stable “absolute truth”.

The evolution of all aspects of nature, including the species of man, has sufficient evidence to support the theory of evolution as a concept that cannot be summarily dismissed. The “Survival of the Fittest” may not in all respects be an all encompassing law for which there are no exceptions, but it can be applied to a wide variety of topics. One can note, for example, that only the fittest of the tribes and civilizations have survived to propagate themselves. The arguments for the human species being an exception to the assumed laws of Evolutionary Theory obviously can not be justified or condoned.

Traditionally, Evolutionary Theory has incorrectly assumed as an exclusive attribute the sub-theory of Gradualism in which all evolutionary processes proceed at a leisurely pace measured by thousands and even millions of years. While Gradualism does in fact provide one of the mechanisms by which evolution proceeds, it cannot be the exclusive means. Evolutionary Theory must by all scientific and rational logic also include both the theories of Catastrophism and Interventionism. The massive amount of stunning evidence of catastrophic events in the evolutionary record, for example, must without question supplement Gradualism in order for Evolutionary Theory to be even remotely complete. One can merely look at the evidence for mass extinctions of species in the past (including mountains of abruptly deposited fossils), as well as comets striking planets (including planets other than our own) – all such evidence indicating the abrupt nature of Catastrophism, as opposed to the geologically slow process of Gradualism.

For our purposes here, the more critical deficit of traditional theories of evolution is their failure to incorporate what might most accurately be described as Intervention by an Intelligence. Such a subset of evolutionary theory must not be confused with misunderstandings such as promulgated by some pseudo-scholars as “intelligent intervention” or “'intelligent design”, inasmuch as most such historical interventions were not necessarily intelligent and/or apparently done by design.

The most common examples of Intervention by an Intelligence are the evolution of various species undertaken by the many laboratories of science. Intervening in the evolution of bacteria and viruses, as well as in selective breeding of everything from food stocks to poodles is part and parcel of science today. How could any true scientist observe certain dramatic changes in the evolvement of a species and not conclude that there had been in such extraordinary cases an intervention by some intelligence.

Such a chain of logic and scientific rationality must of course be applied to the species known as man. The gradual evolution of the ancestors of man may be moderately well documented, but the “missing links”, the sudden and abrupt changes in the physical and other characteristics cannot be answered with simple Gradualism. Furthermore, Catastrophism does not supply a likely answer when the evolution of man is seen as a major step forward – as opposed to his simple extinction.

This leads us inexorably to the subset of Intervention by an Intelligence where the intervening intelligence is perceived by some as being a deity or deities. Note particularly the emphasis on “perceived by some”. Perception is not necessarily reality (and typically isn't, having been biased by the paradigm of the observer). Furthermore, the perception of different tribes and/or individuals might be entirely different – factors which must be considered in the following pages.

 

Translation of Proper Names

We have previously noted the difficulty of translating certain words and terms. For example, the term “Joint Chiefs of Staff” - which will be extensively used in the following segment -- is somewhat problematic. While “Chiefs” appears to clearly denote a grouping of several important leaders of various tribes with commensurate authority to rule over others, and “Staff” is likely a location or the specific title of a particular command, the word “Joint” is far less clear. It seems to have several, incongruous definitions, ranging from denoting a less than reputable drinking establishment, to the butt (end?) of an addictive device, to a connecting link between tongue and groove. There may be yet additional definitions. And despite the argument by certain less than reputable wags concerning the latter definition, these pages will assume that the “joint” of the “Joint Chiefs of Staff” refers, at least in part, to a location where the Chiefs met.

Of additional concern is the fact that ancient proper names are notoriously difficult to translate – many names being titles as well as personal identifications. Furthermore, in these ancient times there were often great similarities involving the names of two of more individuals, who were nevertheless in close proximity of time and space to important events. This often makes the distinctions between individuals hazy at best. This problem continues in modern times with some more traditional elements of society having the quaint custom in Formal Naming Ceremonies of having sons include a name associated with their father, daughters with those of their mother, and all, allegedly, done voluntarily. In some cases there are even cross referrals between genders, depending on large part upon which parent took it upon themselves to initiate the primary naming process.

Accordingly, the translators in relating their tales have in many cases been obliged to choose alternative names that distinguish the various individuals. As such these names may not necessarily imply precise interpretations. Proper names, after all, do not describe someone as much as provide a quick identification (and with no hint of the character, profession, or authority of the person). It's entirely possible that names such as Blacksmith, Taylor, Wordsmith, Goldman, or the like actually describe something about the individuals, their habits or occupations, as well as identify them personally.

There is in passing one modern theory by Sorbel [6] in which the ancients practiced a rather quaint custom -- in addition to the one of having children take on their biological parents nomenclature -- of having a female assume one of the names of the male to whom she has chosen as her temporary (or more permanent) consort upon the occasion of this strange bonding. Such an alleged practice obviously makes no sense at all, although Sorbel does make the seemingly rational argument that in these ancient, admittedly barbarous times, the woman in question may have needed to be in some fashion branded or marked in order for the male to possess her exclusively. While I have the greatest respect for much of the work by Sorbel, these theories seems chancy at best, if only because of their lack of rationality and the assumptions of ownership of one person or persons by another, allegedly superior individual – the essence of chattel. The ancients did indeed practice several strange customs, but these two allegedly common attributes must appear nonsensical to the intelligent observer.

We will of course maintain an open mind on this issue, even while recognizing the possibility of such a theory impacting our understanding of the history of these ancient peoples.

May the Truth in All of its Glory Continue to be Pursued

G. D. Meshga

M. A. Duenki

12.23.4517APC

_________________________

References

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkfLBkViSIQ

[2] Ned Bulous , “The Legend of D'PTah”, Journal of Fictional References, Finagler's Theorems, and Fudge's many Factors, Volume 13, Number 5.

[3] Edward Slavinksy, “Literature in Legend; The Lansing Field Notes”, Quarterly of Fictional References, Volume 42, Number 5.

[4] http://www.halexandria.org/dward233.htm

[5] Eric Hoffer, The Ordeal of Change, Harper and Row, New York, 1963.

[6] I. M. Sorbel, Histories of Pre-Modern Man, Vanity Press.

 

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