Ever since the printing press really got rolling, books have had a staggering effect on the human psyche. People have written them, read them, banned them, burned them, revered them and ultimately, been changed by them.
Since I moved to Japan I've been reading more than I used to, which, if you knew me before Japan, you know means I read an awful lot. I have hours of free time every day to devote to this - my most favorite pastime.
Today, I was reading a fantasy novel by one of my all time favorite authors. I didn't want to get too wrapped up in anything because Grant was due home any minute. I just wanted to pass the time.
Terry Pratchet is a satirist. His stories take place in a world much like our own, only it's governed by magic instead of science. This particular novel is called SMALL GODS. It's a satirical account of a country guided by an iron-fisted religion and all the hierarchy and hegemony that you would expect to go with it - think Rome during the middle ages. Through a accident of fate, the god of this country is trapped in the body of a tortoise and forced to live on earth among those who think they are his believers.
Near the end of the book, the gods of several nations are bullied by the Tortoise god into issuing two new commandments. Together the gods utter two simple sentences that add up the the most profound philosophical or theological statement ever made.
Here is what they said:
"I: This is Not a Game
II: Here and Now, You are Alive."
I leave you today, with that.
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