Jeremy once told me a story about the six nations living in Canaan. The land was rich and arable. Water abounded. So far as we knew, they existed in harmony with the world and their neighbors. We’ve found no stories to the contrary.
But then the Hebrews showed up and asked them to move so they could have the land. Claimed God had given it to them.
Of course, the six nations said, "No. We were here, first."
The Hebrews responded, "Leave or be destroyed." Said the six nations were not worthy of the earth they tilled.
The six nations were offended by such a claim and refused to depart. So the Hebrews came roaring in and each nation was destroyed, in turn. Annihilated to the point of genocide...and everything they had was lost.
Everything.
A strong group of people had decided they wanted something that wasn't theirs and didn’t care who said otherwise. A bit like in Da’s story with the Tuatha de Danaan and the Ui Bruiuns. And definitely what the British had done in Ireland and India, Europe did with the indigenous nations and Africa, and Russia did with Eastern Europe. And so it continues to this day.
Some would call this attitude bleak and claim it lacked understanding of man’s capacity for great love and empathy. But in truth, man does not want to be different from the beasts, not really. The hope for such illusions is only in his head, not his heart, and one can achieve nothing without the other. It has always been so and always will be so, and all the belief in the world means little in the face of it. To claim mankind is a creature built of anything but animalistic selfishness is to fly in the face of reality.
I'm also still casting around for a cover image for the book. Crap, it would have been so much better if I'd been able to get a mainstream publisher to take the book on. Maybe I can still work that, once all three are available.
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