Stories For Dudes

Betwixt and Between ©

Zeus was once traveling accompanied by his daughter Athena. He was struck by the beauty of a sculpture and asked whose work it was. The goddess of Wisdom said,” Phidias.” Admiring it for a while he asked his daughter,” You are perfection in wisdom. Why can’t you then do some thing like that- a work of beauty?”
Athena laughed,” I, a goddess- work? Why waste my time?” The eagle which always accompanied the goddess whispered in Zeus’ ear,” If she were to work it would mean her godly wisdom lacked something.”
“ Oh?”
“ That means she wouldn’t be perfect. Would it not?” the winged bird asked. Zeus could understand.
The sculptor was after all a mortal trying to achieve perfection in some area as best as he could. The bird looked at the sculpture with a critical eye and said,” Look at that index finger of the discuss-thrower. Shorter by a hairbreadth, - it would have been just perfect!”
Zeus snapped,” Phidias made it for his kind and for the praise of gods!”
Our smell is not as good as that of dogs; neither is our sense of sight anywhere near that of an eagle. Man is neither god nor a beast. From that middle state what we say for Truth has a hollow ring. So many religions; so many belief-systems. If you are entitled to claim your religion as the true one so shall others. There is no way to settle the matter given our middle state.
In a World of Illusions we may err on the safe side by giving other belief-systems the benefit of doubt.
benny