History of the Recent World

In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth and called it good. And he created creatures of the sea, and animals on the land, and people who would tend the earth with great care and love, for they would know that it was only a temporary gift for them to enjoy and so was most precious.

One day, the earth began to weep, great storms of tears and ocean waves that ripped through towns and villages, displacing many human beings and even taking a great many human lives. The earth was weeping because the people had forgotten their task. They had become busy caring for only themselves, forgetting the precious gift that supported their very breath.

The humans took notice. They began to turn their attention back to the gift they had been given in the beginning. In doing so, they found the most profound gift of all. They began to recognize that their lives were not their own. They belonged to a much greater force that was in them, and yet beyond them. They began to see that everyone, all nations, all races, every sort and kind, were part of this force. And they were healed of their loneliness. They began to see each other with new eyes.

The planet breathed a sigh of relief, and began to cool down.