A simple idea, the old man thought, is a dangerous thing. People do not like me, and they do not like their old gods criticized. They want everything to continue absolutely as before, but thoughtful contemplation of the world and its light does not allow that. The manifold problems of the silly proliferation of the gods are so clear that only a fool would be able to gloss over them. Yet he lived among fools, it seemed, and his role of priest did not simplify matters. The simple people still came to him and begged him to heal and consult omens. He was weary of explaining to them how limited his own poor powers really were. It was tempting of course to lie to them, but that was not the Truth, and the old man had spent his life devoted to the Truth and fighting the Lie.

The Truth was that there was both evil and good everywhere, closely competing with each other for the minds of people. He had first seen this so many years ago, and he was weary of repeating it.