Naturally the two warriors are quite stunned — they haven’t the slightest idea what is going on. Shall I reveal what is decided (skip the next two paragraphs if you would rather be surprised)? We’re all still here, so obviously Siva didn’t win the debate — at least, not quite:
- “Agreed, but upon one condition. The mighty law of karma demands that they be returned, and this is my condition, O Preserver and Maintainer. In every other birth they shall change places, the Christian be reborn a Muslim and the Muslim be reborn a Christian and then back again. And in every fifth rebirth, each shall be born a Jew.”
- “For a thousand year then,” agreed Vishnu, “they shall change places and then we shall reconvene our congress here.” A smile played faintly on Siva’s face for, as cosmic dancer, he realized that in men hate travels unabated and concentrates like heavy metal in the soul from birth to rebirth. Now this hatred of each for the other would in generation after generation also turn Christian against Christian, Muslim against Muslim, and Jew against Jew, each against his kind every more intensely to a thousand year crescendo that even Vishnu could not resist, a crescendo within whose fury nature too must cease to leave and breathe.”
I can’t claim that every story has quite such an interesting ending — it is, after all, my favorite - but many do and all of them offer equally interesting things to think about. In this case, we are asked to think “outside the box” of Christian/Muslim/Jewish conflict and consider what would face the combatants should they discover that, say, Hinduism was correct all along. They wouldn’t be too happy, would they?
If the above sounds like an interesting story, I think that you will enjoy reading the full thing — as well as many of the others Benesch has to offer. Nominated for The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association 2004 Book Award, it’s well worth the time of anyone interested in a different way of talking about philosophical and theological matters.
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