Story Of B

According to our Taker mythology one of the most important values is the belief in “right” and “wrong” which is dependent upon positing a single God’s existence. If there is no God then there can be no “objective” good and evil or right and wrong. From murder is wrong, infanticide is wrong, stealing is wrong all the way down to gossiping is wrong if it can hurt someone, these are ideas that were taught starting with Judaism. Was this idea (Ethical Monotheism) that Judaism brought to the world not a positive thing for the world?

Some questions concerning the NO RIGHT WAY TO LIVE idea… Are their wrong ways? Does your answer imply that you did not, do not oppose human slavery? Do you not believe Nazism/Fascism is a wrong way? Are you positionless? And what would that mean? Do you believe in any moral absolutes? Aren’t “ways” that do not foster life, and the law of life WRONG ways? Is not adopting ways in harmony with a new vision a right way? (I am aware of the point about the Gebusi in the book, and who are we to say their way is wrong, but they are supposedly of a different culture, a Leaver one, so within OUR culture can there not be better and worse paths? Clearly not all of the distinctions that exist in our huge Taker culture can be explained away as different programs, and different currents in the same flooding waters?)

I often encourage people to read Ishamel (and now I suppose I should tell those people to read The Story of B as well), and they almost always ask me, “OK, what’s it about?” I’m kind of at a loss for words. I don’t really want to mention the gorilla aspect, and when I say, “It’s a dialogue between a student and a teacher about saving the world.” or something similar, they usually just smile and tell me that sounds “interesting.” What would be a better response to the question of what Ishmael is about?