It was the time shortly after the coming of the scribes, men who made marks on tablets of clay to be hardened by fire or wrote stories on scraped sheep skin with a tree gall and rock oil ink.
People lived closer together than before, sometimes behind walls that protected them from marauding bands of thieves and armies sent to steal the food that they grew.
Often they were governed by a king, a chief deemed strong, or wise, or in rare cases both strong and wise. People who were happy to follow such a man gave him a portion of that which they took from the earth in return for his strength, or his wisdom, or both.
These communities often believed in something larger themselves, a god or gods who dictated the rules of the community and punished those who did not abide by such rules. Some such communities had a keeper of the rules, a priest, or judge, or a wise man. In some communities, this role fell to the king.
While it was good to be king and to receive food grown and wood cut by others and metals extracted from the ground, it was not an easy job. If there was a priest, he or she asserted that they spoke for the gods and sat in judgement of you, while exacting payment from the people to intercede with a god on their behalf. Those who collected your food and other tribute had power and were easily tempted to steal from the tribute they collected or to mistreat people, especially those with no power, the poor and disadvantaged.
In this day there were some who travelled from kingdom to kingdom, freelancing their skills for a living. There were itinerant farm hands who showed up at harvest time, or traveling builders who arrived when a community was growing and grave workers who came following Death’s visits.
One of the many traveling freelancers was the prophet, the seer, the holy man. These seemed to come when a community was doing well, but when there was discord, when some did very well and others complained. The prophet often had an unkempt style, ragged clothes, and poorly coifed hair. They often had “The Voice,” a way of speaking that immediately drew attention. “The Voice” might have boomed out or seemed almost a whisper, but one could not deny having heard “The Voice” or fail to pay attention.
Most holy men had some ability that set them apart, a detailed people’s perception that seemed like mind reading, an uncanny intuition about cause and effect that seemed like telling the future, an extensive knowledge of law, history, and the natural world that made them seem omniscient.
The prophets represented themselves as speaking for the god or gods and perhaps they did. For they were fearless. They spoke forcefully and directly to the powerful, demanding that leaders change, follow rules, and stop stealing others’ food, money, partners or lives.
The prophets told stories of kingdom conflagrations, and people turned to salt and the scribes recorded it all. “The Voice” that carried pronouncements was powerful, but when combined with the prophet’s unique skills, people listened, especially kings and priests.
Now in this time, as the scribes have passed down to us, there were two kingdoms, just on opposite sides of a mountain ridge, Ur to the east and Ny to the west. Both kingdoms were ruled by strong and wise leaders, but both had grown corrupt. Priests and tribute collectors stole from the king and mistreated the people. Neighbors imitated the powerful and cheated each other in exchanges, and lied to avoid accountability or to make themselves more important.
Two itinerant holy men, Rax and Pix, met on the Ridge Path over Ur and Ny.
“Where are you bound, Brother?” They each asked the other. They were each undecided.
“Ur and Ny seem equal, Brother Rax” said one.
“That they do, Brother Pix, equally rich, equally corrupt, equally in need of renewal.”
The Wager
They fell to boasting as itinerant professionals sometimes do. Soon one proposed a wager, which the other readily accepted. Rax would visit Ur; Pix would visit Ny. They would each use their best holy man skills to “clean up the town” and effect renewal for six months. Then they would each visit both communities one year after that. Whichever prophet had created the most lasting change would win and pay the other the agreed price.
The Holy Men Intervene
Now Rax and Pix were both holy men of the first order. Both had “The Voice” though Pix’s voice boomed a bit more. Rax’s intuitions were about people. It was said he could recognize a liar or a thief by just looking them in the eye for a few seconds. Pix had an uncanny ability to see the consequences of small actions; some called Pix “Seer,” which he waved away like he was shooing a fly
When each arrived at the city each wandered the streets before going to see the leader. When Rax saw King Ur he boomed out how his land had betrayed the gods, people were immoral and without honor. He named the most egregious sinner a priest, Clert who had taken great “gifts’ from a very rich man and delivered great judgements that oppressed the disadvantaged. “This man has debased Ur, he has defiled his office and cannot be tolerated.” He demanded that King Ur banish Clert. King Ur was cowed by Rax’s righteousness and sent Clert east into the wilderness. People saw the downfall of Clert and took heed of the warning to change or face similar punishment.
When Pix had his audience with Chief Ny he railed at the sinfulness of the community. He foretold of the destruction of the city due to poor livestock husbandry near the river, a just punishment from angry gods. He denounced Chief Ny and all his advisors as corrupt and he named the specific greedy and malicious actions of each and their ultimate consequences.
Pax then brought forth a shepherd, Iben he had met in the hills. “Iben’s flock is well cared for. He gets good but fair prices for wool. Though he is poor himself he has taken in others less fortunate than himself. He has healed their wounds and shared his own meager repast. Can you all not please the gods by following Iben’s examplar?”
Over the next few months, both Rax and Pix preached morals, right action and wisdom. In Ur and Ny some were called out and punished. In Ur Rax picked another high profile example, who was made to pay restitution for his actions. In Ny, Pix insisted that a sinner of whom Chief Ny flogged and demanded repayment of food tribute stolen, also work in a poorhouse at mealtimes.
Each holy man stayed in his town for half a year and then moved on. One year later they each visited both towns and then climbed to the Ridge Path to discuss the outcome of their wager.
Wherein Lies the Tale?
There is a tradition in many cultures of using stories to teach the rules of society, what is right and what is wrong, what works and doesn’t work in governing people. The ancient Athenians used the Eleusinian mysteries, Aesop told fables, The Celts and Germanic tribes told Fairy Tales, Lao Tzu and the Taoists wove the adventures of sages, Jesus told parables, and the Sufis to this day create stories to teach.
The point is not just the narrative, but critical thought and refining discussion. I invite you to discuss this story in comments here or less publicly with your friends and family.
Whose intervention do you think worked best? Why?
What are the downsides of each approach to change?
What is naïve about this narrative i.e., “not like the real world at all?” How would you change this story to make it more realistic?
This story seems to be about. . . _______, what else could it be about?
