Prayer of the Bear - Fire Contd

After many years of labour an inventor discovered the art of making fire. She took her tools to the snow-clad northern regions and initiated a tribe into the art-and the advantages-of making fire. The people became so absorbed in this novelty that it did not occur to them to thank the inventor who one day quietly slipped away. Being one of those rare human beings endowed with greatness, she had no desire to be remembered or revered: all she sought was the satisfaction of knowing that someone had benefited from her discovery.

The next tribe she went to was just as eager to learn as the first. But the local priests, jealous of the stranger's hold on the people, had her assassinated. To allay any suspicion of the crime, they had a portrait of the Great Inventor enthroned upon the main altar of the temple; and a liturgy designed so that her name would be revered and her memory kept alive. The greatest care was taken that not a single rubric of the liturgy was altered or omitted. The tools for making fire were enshrined within a casket and were said to bring healing to all who laid their hands on them with faith.

The High Priest himself undertook the task of compiling a Life of the Inventor. This became.the Holy book in which her loving kindness was offered as an example for all to emulate, her glorious deeds were eulogized, her superhuman nature made an article of faith. The priests saw to it that the Book was handed down to future generations, while they authoritatively interpreted the meaning of her words and the significance of her holy life and death. And they ruthlessly punished with death or excommunication anyone who deviated from their doctrine. Caught up as they were in these religious tasks, the people completely forgot the art of making fire.

adapted from A. De Mello The Prayer of the Frog p.7