Prometheus, in a voice of utmost fervor, proclaimed loudly, "You the great regard humankind as Your children, and humankind revere You, the loving, as their Father!"
"A father should shelter and care for his children, and children should in turn honor and provide for their father!"
"So long as they abide by Your sacred and righteous order! So long as they carry Your great heart of benevolence!"
"Within this sacred relationship, humankind will, under Your loving guidance and under the protection of Your great sacred and righteous order, grow strong and at last bring greater flourishing to this cosmos!"
"Your Majesty! This is the final answer I arrived at after long, painstaking thought. I wonder… what do You think?"
Zeus listened quietly to Prometheus's impassioned speech.
Though these flatteries sounded a bit cloying,
he had to admit—they were unexpectedly pleasant to the ear.
And the core of this "father and son" relationship Prometheus proposed did indeed align, in some measure, with His wishes.
What did the possessions of mortals amount to, for Him?
If He wished, He could, with a flick of His fingers, bring forth as many materially rich worlds as He pleased.
If mortals believed they could delight Him with some trifling material—now that would be truly foolish.
What He required was not even those hollow, cheap devotions called faith.
What He truly required was simply that all existence develop healthily under the sacred and righteous order He had set, so that the whole cosmos might grow ever more prosperous and strong.
That was what He, as supreme God-King, truly needed.
Gods are mighty yet few; mortals, though small and humble, are many.
If the cosmos is to grow more splendid, its foundation is intelligent life; only with more intelligent life can the cosmos develop better.
Humankind are the first mortals to truly possess wisdom, but they will not be the last.
Not only humans—gods and all beings should not be two parallel lines that never meet.
Gods and all beings should, by nature, interweave and influence one another.
Only through constant interweaving can both become tougher, stronger, and more beautiful.
In this process, true intelligent life is needed, and that intelligent life must have a measure of autonomy and independence; if the gods are to do everything, what is the point of them?
Puppets without a self cannot make the cosmos beautiful.
Precious wisdom will not blossom among slaves and pets.
Humans are not the gods' pets; nor are gods humans' nannies.
Gods should not over-interfere in human life; nor should humans imagine they can rely on gods for everything.
Whatever either side wishes to gain from the other requires a corresponding price.
The gods are strong and humans weak; the gods do not need humans' meager trifles.
But humans must purchase their safety with their respect and obedience.
If humans wish to gain more, then they must pay more.
In careful dealings with the gods, they must keep learning, growing more wise, more strong, more excellent, so that the cosmos itself may grow more flourishing.
And the gods, likewise, by dealing with more truly intelligent lives, will themselves grow stronger.
This is not equal, but it is fair.
Zeus knew well that gods and mortals are absolutely different—and He is a god.
Only gods, together with their peers, are the true foundation that makes the cosmos more splendid.
Creating intelligent mortals is, in essence, to enable the growth of gods, and the arising of more gods—thus the God-King who rules all things like Him becomes ever more complete.
He would not put the cart before the horse.
And now Prometheus, on behalf of humankind, had made a decision that met this core need of His.
That was—rights and duties commensurate.
Though… Zeus cast a glance at the ever so respectful Prometheus below and laughed inwardly.
This fellow, the god of foresight and foreknowledge—what he had in mind likely did not wholly match what Zeus had in mind.
His talk of "father and son" was no more than an attempt to bind Him with "morality," to make this "father" shelter humankind for free.
But that was fine.
The "father and son" relationship was fitting enough.
Note that a father, while bearing duties and responsibilities, also holds authority and control.
Since Prometheus had proposed the framework, the power to interpret and execute it ultimately remained in His own hands as God-King.
What Prometheus thought did not matter; what He thought did.
So long as He deemed it so, so it would be.
I think, therefore it must be.
Zeus spoke at last, with a faint, subtle smile, His voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable dignity: "Prometheus, my friend, what you say makes good sense."
"What do gods need of those paltry things the mortals have?"
"All that mortals possess is to me but a passing mist and a drifting breeze."
"You are right: I am the Father of all beings, and I will naturally treat all with lovingkindness."
"If they can abide by my sacred and righteous order and live with hearts of kindness and love, that is the greatest recompense to me."
Hearing this, Prometheus was overjoyed; the great stone in his heart at last dropped!
He quickly bowed again and cried aloud, "Your Majesty is all-merciful and all-benevolent, utmost in goodness and beauty! Prometheus admires You beyond measure!"
Zeus smiled and raised a hand, telling him not to overdo it, then continued:
"Humankind are the first intelligent life among mortals. At their birth they stepped beyond bounds, true. But they are newborn—unknowing and naive—so I am willing to be lenient."
"For I have high hopes for humankind. I also hope they can live better, bring more goodness to this cosmos, and make it more flourishing."
"Moreover, my beloved goddesses went down together to observe humankind."
"After they returned, more than once they spoke in my ear of humankind's precious simplicity and purity. They too are fond of these lovely children."
"Prometheus, you have fulfilled the task I first entrusted to you well and successfully created humankind. I am pleased."
At this, Prometheus was the more elated and felt his decision to take five goddesses to learn about humankind had been supremely wise!
See—pillow talk works wonders!
But Zeus went on:
"I am the Father of humankind, yes—and I am fond of them."
"But I will still treat all beings in the cosmos fairly."
"For, as you just said, I am the Father of all beings."
"And a truly loving Father should not show partiality in His love, should He?"
Prometheus's heart gave a jolt; his elation cooled at once.
He hastened to reply, "Great Majesty! You—you speak the truth!"
Smiling, Zeus continued unhurriedly, "I have already given humankind what is most precious—the wisdom that can grow freely; and the warm fire that lights life; and I have pardoned their inborn original sin."
"I have even allowed them to become the lords of all foolish life among mortals, to represent the gods in ordering and leading those humble beings. All this suffices to prove my love for them."
"But," Zeus's tone shifted, now bearing a commanding gravity, "so that all beings can develop and grow healthily, and so the cosmos may in the end be prosperous and strong—"
"As a 'Father,' I should not bestow my love upon one race alone. I must not only be fair; I must also not overindulge."
"For I know well that children can never truly grow in indulgence. Indulgence only leads them to ruin."
"For children to develop better, they must also be given sufficient space to grow freely—even if for that they must suffer some setbacks and pains."
"Is that not so, Prometheus?"
The respectful smile on Prometheus's face stiffened at once.
These words of the God-King struck like thunder from a clear sky, startling him and filling him with deep shame.
Could it be… His Majesty already knew what I had done among mortals?
Nor could he tell whether the God-King was simply laying out principles—or… hinting at something more.
He lowered his head even further at once, making his posture all the more humble, and said in a low voice, "None more discerning than Your Majesty! None more perceptive than Your Majesty! What You say is the highest principle of the cosmos!"
A meaningful smile tugged at Zeus's lips as He finally rendered judgment: "The birth of intelligent life is, in the first place, to serve the gods."
"So humankind should not seek to please me alone; the great gods of Olympus must not be forgotten."
"Let it be as you have said. From this day on, the relationship of gods and mortals shall be as that of father and son."
"A father shelters and loves his child; a child, in turn, should honor and provide for the father."
"Whatever one would gain, one should give. Only then is it fair. And only fairness can endure."
"The gods created humankind and granted them the precious gift of life, and that most precious gift—the wisdom that can grow."
"Now we shelter and love them. Though the gods do not demand repayment from humankind, humankind should show a concrete attitude in return."
Zeus paused. His deep golden eyes rested quietly upon the bowed Titan below.
After a few breaths, He continued slowly, "Prometheus, humankind should let the gods see their devotion and respect. This must be shown in action, not merely expressed in hollow words."
"The gods do not need humankind's meager material offerings. But humankind must, through the very act of devout offering, prove to the gods that they are worthy of the gods' love and protection."
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