Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson

43 Beelzebub’s Survey of the Process of the Periodic Reciprocal Destruction of Men, or Beelzebub’s Opinion of War

43.1063-4

“On this last occasion which was quite recent, only about four or five of their centuries ago, such a society was formed also on the continent Asia, in the city which it seems was called ‘Mosulopolis,’ and at their arising this society was called, ‘The-Earth-Is-Equally-Free-for-All.’

43.1064

“But when some dispute shortly afterwards arose among the members, they renamed their society and it later ended its existence under the new name of: ‘The-Earth-Must-Be-Only-for-Men.’

43.1064

“The members of this latter society, namely, ‘The-Earth-Is-Equally-Free-for-All,’ might perhaps have accomplished something effective because, in the first place, they had as the basis of their aims an actualizable program and secondly, because they were all, without exception, old and honorable beings who had already had a great deal of experience during their planetary existence and had in consequence become disillusioned about everything that their ordinary planetary existence could in general give them.

43.1064

“And, thanks to this, they had fewer egoistic, vain, and other properties, on account of which similar societies there usually break down.

43.1090

“Well, now, my boy, after this digression which I have made for your practical benefit, let us return again to the serious question touched upon; I shall begin with the history promised you about how the society of terrestrial beings which had as its motto ‘The-Earth-Is-Equally-Free-for-All’ arose and fell, because the information about this will give you the possibility to understand well just about that first and chief cause why there on your planet this terrible process of periodic reciprocal destruction by these unfortunate three-brained beings of our Great Megalocosmos must already almost inevitably proceed.

43.1091

“The said society of terrestrial beings-men arose, as I have already told you, six or seven centuries ago on the continent Asia in a town then existing under the name of Mosulopolis.

43.1092

“And so, when on their continent Asia these terrible processes of reciprocal destruction there became already too frequent, certain brothers of the said fraternity, with the most venerable Brother Olmantaboor at their head, just decided for the first time to try whether it would not be possible to obtain by some means, if not the total abolition of this terrible phenomenon proceeding on their planet, at least the reduction of this crying evil.

43.1092

“Having devoted themselves to the carrying out of this decision of theirs they then began to visit various countries of the continent Asia and everywhere very movingly preached the colossal criminality and sin of these actions of men and in this way they found many people earnestly with them.

43.1092

“And as a consequence of all their impartial and truly philanthropic labors, there was formed in the city Mosulopolis the mentioned large and serious society of men-beings under the title, ‘The-Earth-Is-Equally-Free-For-All.’

43.1092

“Already quite from the beginning, the members of this society of men-beings actualized to this end many things which no beings of the Earth, either before or since, were able to actualize.

43.1092

“And they were able to do this, only because the program itself from the very beginning was very well drawn up in respect of its actualizability in the conditions existing there.

43.1092-3

“Among other things, there entered into the fundamental program of this society—gradually to act in such a direction as would enable them to obtain a result—in the first place, the actualization for all the beings of the continent Asia of one common religion which they wished to base upon the teaching of the sect of what are called the ‘Parsis,’ only changing it a little; secondly, one common language, and for this common language they wished to adopt what is called the ‘Turkoman’ language, the oldest on the continent Asia and one whose roots had already entered into very many Asiatic languages.

“And thirdly, there entered into the fundamental program of this society finally to bring about the organization in the center of Asia, namely, in the city Margelan, the capital of what was called the ‘Ferghanian Khanate,’ of a chief and basic government for all the countries of Asia under the name of The-Council-of-the-Elders,’ the members of which had to be honorable beings from all the Asiatic communities.

43.1093

“It had to be so named because only the oldest and most deservedly honorable beings could participate in it.

“According to their understanding only such beings of their planet are able to be impartial and just toward other beings of the Earth, irrespective of to what religion or nationality they belong.

43.1093

“Among the members of this society then in the city Mosulopolis, there were already beings belonging to almost all the Asiatic communities.

43.1093

“Among them were also those called ‘Mongols,’ ‘Arabs,’ ‘Kirghizes,’ and ‘Georgians,’ ‘Little Russians,’ and ‘Tamils,’ and even the personal representative of the then famous conqueror Tamarlane.

43.1093

“Thanks to their intensive and indeed impartial and unselfish activities, those increasing wars and civil wars on the continent Asia began to diminish, and it was anticipated that many other good things might still be done for this same end.

43.1093

“But something just then happened which began the breakup also of this society of effective men-beings of that unparalleled planet.

43.1094

“And everything subsequent came about through the influence of a then very famous philosopher, Atarnakh, and his theory expounded by him in a treatise under the title: ‘Why do Wars Occur on the Earth?’

43.1094

“When this philosopher made his appearance among the members of this society, all their notions were confounded.

43.1094

“I know very well the history of this same philosopher Atarnakh also, because during my studies of ever the same consequences of the creations of the Most Saintly Ashiata Shiemash it became necessary for me to learn in detail about his activities also, and of course also about himself.

43.1094

“This philosopher Atarnakh was born in that same city Mosulopolis in a family of those who are called ‘Kurds.’

43.1094

“In the very beginning, this same Kurd, Atarnakh, perseveringly studied during many Earth-years every possible question which it seemed to him might give him an answer to the question, ‘what in general is the sense of man’s existence,’ and during his study of these questions it seems that by some means there fell into his hands a very ancient but well-preserved what is called ‘Sumerian manuscript.’

43.1097-8

“The first of these convictions was that everything takes place precisely according to the theory of the philosopher Atarnakh, that is to say, that there must necessarily proceed ‘wars’ and ‘civil wars’ on the Earth quite independently of the personal consciousness of men; and the second conviction was that which all the members of the society had already previously had, namely, that if they succeeded in carrying out the program which their society had set itself, this evil also which proceeded on their planet might be destroyed root and branch, and everything might proceed in a desirable way.

43.1098

“It was just from that time that discussions, quarrels, and disturbances arose among all the members of that society; and in this case also the same began to proceed as I already mentioned and as had in general long before become customary there: Those quarrels and disturbances of theirs gradually spread also among the ordinary beings there, in this case to the citizens of the city Mosulopolis, and were the cause of the inflaming of their abnormal psyche.

43.1098

“And I do not know how all this would have ended, if the brothers of the society, ‘The Assembly of the Enlightened,’ had not also just then arrived there and had not taken a hand in this affair.

43.1098

“Thanks to their influence, all the members of this serious society gradually calmed down and started anew peaceably and seriously to ponder and deliberate upon just what to do in the future.

43.1100

“‘From this it follows that if the number of deaths required by Nature is made up by the deaths of other forms of lives of the Earth, then obviously the need for the number of deaths of men themselves will thus be of itself correspondingly reduced.

43.1100

“‘And it will be quite possible to attain to this if all the members of our society continue to work with the same intensity, only not with the aim of realizing our former program, but of reviving upon the Earth on a larger scale than before the ancient custom among men of offering sacrifices to their gods and saints by destroying the lives of other forms.’

43.1100

“When this proud Kurd had finished his speech, there arose among the members of the society ‘The-Earth-Is-Equally-Free-for-All’ an astonishment and agitation not less than on the occasion when he had first expounded his famous theory.

43.1100-1

“For nearly three days and three nights following that memorable day they scarcely adjourned, but in the halls that had been put by the citizens of Mosulopolis at the disposal of this all-planetary society of men-beings there was a continuous rumble of discussion and deliberation; at last, on the fourth day, an official general meeting was convened at which by general consent a resolution was carried, to do in the future also everything exactly as should be indicated by the great Kurd, the philosopher Atarnakh.

43.1101

“Some days later, the members of that society now under the new motto, ‘The-Earth-Only-for-Men,’ dispersed from the city Mosulopolis to their native countries where, under the general instructions issuing from the philosopher Atarnakh, they so acted that among the populations of the continent Asia the idea should be strengthened and again take root of ‘making themselves agreeable’ to their gods and idols by killing beings of different forms.