The Ravings Of A Partially Educated Lunatic
The N. K. Sandars translation of the Babylonian Creation Myth
http://campus.northpark.edu/history/Classes/Sources/BabylonianCreation.html
To summarize: Tiamat, the mother of all the gods, prepared to make war against the Annunaki, her children. She gathered a host of old gods and monsters to destroy them. Marduk, the patron god of Babylon, gathered his forces and attacked Tiamat, killing her. From her body he created the world, and from the blood of the rebel god Kingu, created mankind.
The Babylonians, very early on, grasped an essential aspect of humanity's existence. From chaos, violence, and destruction come true creation. Only with bricks made of the bones of the old and mortar made from the blood of dissension can we build something new. From death, we breath new life into this world. Immortality leads only to stagnation. Each generation must fall so that the next may flourish. With this in mind, we must rush into this new world ready to lay ourselves down to form the bridge that others may cross. We must also be prepared after our brief moments of glory to become the rubble beneath the foundation of a new and better order. Supergiant blue spectrum stars go nova after only a few million years. The explosions devestate swaths of the galaxy lightyears across, bathing them in heat and gamma radiation. However, the explosion also throws out millions of tons of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and other heavier elements, the ingredients of life. Most people eventually endeavor for stability, to settle down, raise a family, get fat, and die. Good for them. We need the stable, yellow stars around which planets can form, and life. However, where would we be without the supernova stars, the vengeful, destructive gods, the chaos and disorder of those mysterious, awesome beings? Only from searing heat of death under the most violent and chaotic circumstances can come the richness of new life. Perhaps it is time for some of us to become more like the ancient, pagan gods, to burn bright and die young, and in doing so, bring forth Creation.
http://campus.northpark.edu/history/Classes/Sources/BabylonianCreation.html
To summarize: Tiamat, the mother of all the gods, prepared to make war against the Annunaki, her children. She gathered a host of old gods and monsters to destroy them. Marduk, the patron god of Babylon, gathered his forces and attacked Tiamat, killing her. From her body he created the world, and from the blood of the rebel god Kingu, created mankind.
The Babylonians, very early on, grasped an essential aspect of humanity's existence. From chaos, violence, and destruction come true creation. Only with bricks made of the bones of the old and mortar made from the blood of dissension can we build something new. From death, we breath new life into this world. Immortality leads only to stagnation. Each generation must fall so that the next may flourish. With this in mind, we must rush into this new world ready to lay ourselves down to form the bridge that others may cross. We must also be prepared after our brief moments of glory to become the rubble beneath the foundation of a new and better order. Supergiant blue spectrum stars go nova after only a few million years. The explosions devestate swaths of the galaxy lightyears across, bathing them in heat and gamma radiation. However, the explosion also throws out millions of tons of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and other heavier elements, the ingredients of life. Most people eventually endeavor for stability, to settle down, raise a family, get fat, and die. Good for them. We need the stable, yellow stars around which planets can form, and life. However, where would we be without the supernova stars, the vengeful, destructive gods, the chaos and disorder of those mysterious, awesome beings? Only from searing heat of death under the most violent and chaotic circumstances can come the richness of new life. Perhaps it is time for some of us to become more like the ancient, pagan gods, to burn bright and die young, and in doing so, bring forth Creation.