Wisdom lived until the old age of one hundred and eleven years. She had many sons and daughters. It was her last son, Recognition, the Learned, who she had the most love for. He had attended her up to her death. Carrying for her health for so long gave him the opportunity to learn more from her than any other, and thus became her heir, her successor.

It was to him that the people came with questions of Justice, Medicine, and Ethics.

A man of faith claimed fervently: "My god shakes mountains, spits fire into the air, blows furious winds and will destroy this sinful city. For He is more powerful than all the might gathered by Science."

To which Recognition replied: "So your god is ignorance. You do not know why the ground shakes so you make it an act of god. You cannot explain why people die unexpectedly, so too it is the will of god. Religion reduces all the complications of life to one simple answer. In one sweeping irrational idea, from the origin of the Universe to headaches that afflict you, all is explained: god's will. What strikes me the most is how you feel threaten by efforts to explain Nature. Learning goes contrary to Faith. 'If Religion claims to provide all truth, why must Science seek it?' In so doing, it threatens Religion's claim of omniscience. So you must go out and destroy all advocates of Science. Science kills your god because your god is ignorance. You wish to make your god a symbolism of Truth but it is really the epitome of your ignorance."

An old lady came to Recognition, concerned that at her age she had little chance left to do something for which people would remember her after death. He asked her to bring forth her children, and then asked these to bring henceforth their children up to the youngest one. To all he then asked if they had some anecdote to tell about them with the old lady, and each had a story to tell, up to the youngest one.

"You see old lady, your love and attention has placed you in the minds of all your children. Yet the purpose in life is not to be remembered forever. You leave a legacy of love to your family for which they are most content. What more would you ask for? We will all be forgotten eventually. No one can expect to be remembered for a very long time, for even great men recorded in history will eventually fade into oblivion. Not even those who asked of their descendant to erect monuments on their name will be remembered for long; eventually those that knew the deceased will die too, and the engraved stone will crack and fall apart; books will crumble, statues will collapse, and buildings will become ruins.

"We live to enjoy life, though it is brief. Farm the land, make pottery, paint walls, exchange goods, feed your stomach with tasty food and liquor, sing and dance, and teach your children to do the same. That is what I recommend. What time we have here is what only time we will have, so what we do here is all we will get. Whether one is to be remembered after death, is for the next generation to consider; the dead will never know. Know this: you will find no fruition in the celibacy and abstention a religious life commends. To devoid of life oneself in order to devote one's life to a god is devious. The goal in life is to be happy."

A bright young child about the age of thirteen came to Recognition questioning which religion he should follow. He said: "My mother believes in many gods of Nature, while my father does in an all powerful god."

Recognition replied: "I tell you that your son's sons for a hundred generations will still ponder upon this question, arguing which of unimaginable gods to be invented by Humans, is righteously to be claimed as Truth. They will argue in vain, for all gods are but allusions, representations of whatever concept of Truth they have. And it will only be their opinion. And they will defend their opinion as the only veracious reason, and the more outrageous their claim, the more furious must their defense be.

"There is only one way to find Truth, and that is by contemplation. It is frivolous to claim to know all Truth and then deny free inquiry. Interest yourself in learning Science in order to acquire the skills of Logic, Reason, and Critical Thinking. Through Reality you will see Truth.

"It is very sad what has befallen in our world, for I can only see discordance, prejudice and war. Innumerable suffering will come in the names of all these gods, and the world will turn into a sorrowful place-Destruction indeed. Religion will conquer all reaches of Earth, strengthening its claim to rightly be so, by disguising its ignorance with convincing arguments taken from the true Educations: Justice, Medicine, and Ethics. But religious justice will belie with bigotry, religious medicine will fondle in malpractice and religious ethics will frustrate the attitudes of Humans.

"But I tell you this child. A man by the given name of Debate will come. He will stand as defender of Rights. Justice, the seeker of Truth, will be respected highly and it will give rise to a system of law. Thus the foundation will be laid for a better Humanity. But religious zealots will silence his voice for many generations.

"So a second man will come, who will be named Inquiry. He will stand as an advocate of Health. Medicine, the seeker of Truth, will shed a light of understanding to many mysteries, fomenting further experimentation. Thus the foundations will be laid for a better Humanity. But his voice will be silenced for many more generations by religious fervor.

"And yet a third man will come, whose name will be Advice. He will stand as a champion of Morality. Ethics, the seeker of Truth, will be greatly venerated and a wholesome Humanity will be fulfilled. Thus completing the foundation in which a better world will lay. And no longer will the placid voice of Reason be silenced by the shouts of Religion."

And the small child responded: "It all goes in accordance with a story I heard from no one. An inspiration of the mind, telling a beautiful story about Truth."

"Stories are fictitious," interrupted Recognition.

"It depicts Truth."

"As a god?"

"As a concept that has no definition but encompass all reality. That we must forever study the Universe, for all it is, so that we may know the truth of things."

"Truth is the Nature of Things."

"That is correct," reaffirmed the child.

So Recognition kept silent, and waited for the young boy to tell him the story

Recognition inferred, "Is creating the concept that created the Universe?"

"Figuratively speaking, yes."

"And everything is Truth?"

"Truth is everything."

"Though a fascinating story," Recognitionargued, "it could very well constitute a religion."

"What is there then to fill the unknown? What could be more damaging, a story that illustrates our lack of knowledge, or the lack of knowledge? In my opinion, one incites the pursuit of knowledge; the other frustrates it from the overwhelming lack of understanding. Our mind insists in attaining knowledge. Where as Religion claims Learning futile, this story if anything, incites it."

"I concur, and it is frivolous and hopeless to resist what will be unavoidable, Chaos will always prevail. What then, if I may inquire, is the name of such profound child?"

"To name me is to deplete me from my purpose. It would not be a choice but a definition."

"Hear here all, then, the story of Truth!"

EPILOGUE