The oldest of the old who inhabited these lands told that the
greatest gods, those who birthed the world, did not all think alike.
In other words they did not have the same thought, but rather each
one had their own thought and among them they respected each other and
listened.
The oldest of the old say that it was like that per se, because if
it had not been like that, the world never would have been born because in
sheer fighting the first gods would have passed the time, because their thought
that they felt was different.
The oldest of the old say that that is why the world came out with
many colors and forms, as many as there were thoughts in the greatest gods, the
very first ones.
Seven were the greatest gods, and seven the thoughts that each one
had, and seven times seven are the forms and colors with which they dressed the
world. Viejo Antonio tells me that he asked the oldest of the old what the
first gods did to come to agreement and talk to each other if it is that their
thoughts that they felt were so different.
The oldest old ones responded to him, Viejo Antonio tells me, that
there was an assembly of the seven gods together with each one’s seven
different thoughts, and that in that assembly they worked out the agreement.
Viejo Antonio says that the oldest old ones said that that
assembly of the first gods, those who birthed the world, was a long time before
yesteryear, that it was right in the time in which there was still no time. And
they said that in that assembly each one of the first gods said their word and
they all said: “My thought that I feel is different from that of the others.”
And so the gods stayed quiet because they realized that, when each one said “the
others,” they were talking about different “others.”
After a while in which they were silent, the first gods realized
that they already had a first agreement and it was that there were “others” and
that those “others” were different from the one that was. Therefore the first
agreement that the very first gods had was to recognize difference and accept
the existence of the other. And what solution was left for them if they were
all gods per se, all first, and they had to accept each other because there was
not one who was more or less than the others, but rather they were different and
had to walk like that.
After that first agreement the discussion continued, because one
thing is to recognize that there are other different ones and another very
different thing is to respect them. Therefore they passed a good while talking
and discussing how each one was different from the others, and it did not
matter to them that they delayed in this discussion because there was still no
time per se.
Then everyone was quiet and each one talked of their difference
and each other one of the gods who listened realized that, listening and
knowing the differences of the other, more and better one knows oneself in what
one had of difference. So they all became very happy and got to dancing and
took a long while but it did not matter to them because in that time there was still
no time.
After the dance that they had the gods worked out the agreement
that it is good for there to be others who are different and that we must
listen to them to know ourselves.
And then after this agreement they went to sleep because they were
very tired from having danced so much. They were not tired from talking
because, per se, they were very good at talking these first gods, those who
birthed the world, and who were just now learning to listen.
I was not aware at what time Viejo Antonio left. The sea now
sleeps and of the candle stub only a small deformed wax stain remains. Above
the sky begins to dilute its black in the light of tomorrow…
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Originally
published on January 20th, 1998.
English translation
copyright © 2014 by Henry Gales. All rights reserved.
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