Chapter 7 – Insights
Alana allowed the arguments between the Vedeks to continue for almost ten minutes before she stopped them. At this point Worf had made several comments to her regarding the methods she was employing. She had to repeatedly tell him that the entire idea depended on them getting to this point. Finally they had reached the place she had wanted them to be when she had begun this debate. What they were currently discussing was a specific prophecy that appeared in every text, and very well known, the arrival of the Emissary. It appeared in every text, but in radically different forms, yet it had been agreed upon several years ago that each one was the same prophecy. This was where she stopped them. "Gentlemen, I believe I can settle this argument once and for all, and fairly to each representative." She had pitched her voice louder and deeper than she normally would have, to command attention. "If you would indulge me I believe I have come to the solution that you seek."
There were skeptical looks but no one denied her right to speak. "To begin with I want to draw your attention to the prophecy that is currently being discussed. Every text in question has been deemed accurate in regards to the arrival of the Emissary. Yet the wording of the arrival is different in every one. This can be easily explained by taking into account when and where it was written. This is where I have been trying to get you this morning.
"When you asked for Federation assistance in this matter, you believed that you would receive a religious scholar who had spent years at least studying Bajoran culture. Such a person was not available. When I was asked to chair this summit I had very little experience or knowledge of your culture. But I had made an avocation of studying religion prior to this point. In the case of Bajor specifically the problem of the accuracy of a text is not the issue that it is in either of the two cultures that I specialize in. However the answer to the codification is the same, language."
Several of the Vedeks began to protest but she headed them off before the could get anywhere, "What I propose is this. The most viable solution is the merger of the texts into one. No one questions the validity of these documents. What is question though is the phasing and language used. I suggest that we spend the rest of this session focusing on this one prophecy. Using every text simultaneously, you will want to filter out the extraneous parts and discrepancies, as well as using the actual event you can build an interpretation that all can agree upon. This will require you to look only at the text and actual history. By doing this you can build a text that is more whole and complete than any single collection that you have now."
"But what of the texts themselves?" This came from the youngest and most vocal of those assembled.
"They will remain as they are and available for any that wishes to study them. They shall retain their sacredness much as a book called the Tanakh, a Terran religious writing. That text is almost seven thousand years old and has been preserved in its original language. Your new collection will serve the same purpose as another collection of works from the same Earth culture, the Talmud. Where the Tanakh is concrete writing that is never changed, the Talmud is dynamic and updated every five years or so.
"The main difference here, is that you are going to use this to build a common ground from which to begin study and once you have completed the initial work you will need to change it every time a prophecy is fulfilled. By doing this you will create a new text that shall be considered as something referred to as the sacred secular. What that means is an object that is know to be of conscious secular origin, which modernizes or interprets the sacred. The writing itself will take on its own sacred meaning as it is written. Who knows, maybe one day one of the texts will reveal that this summit in and of itself was predicted and that the outcome would be this. But until such time this will serve to give every sect of your culture a common ground on which to agree, while still allowing room for their own personal growth." When no one spoke she continued. "Don't accept this task or turn it down without examining this one case. I urge you to spend the rest of this session to try to begin to blend this one prophecy into a coherent form. I believe that in doing so every one of you will find an inner peace at seeing these different views become one."
Much to Alana's surprise, no one voiced an objection. The youngest one, which had asked her the question earlier, immediately offered to be one of the note takers, much like a group assignment in school. The assemblage began to talk, not argue, about how to begin.
Well, that went better than I expected. But then again, what should I expect from a group of people that find the truest joy in their lives by sifting over papers day in and day out.
"My child," began the Kai as she came close to the Counselor, "you have remarkable insights for one so young. I would have expected months before anyone would begin to get a compromise put in the works. Instead you gave them the spark to fix it themselves in less than two days. How is it that one so young knows as much?"
"I would love to tell you that your prophets guided me through this, but I can't. No, this was entirely a case of listening to a conversation and connecting something from childhood. The two texts that I used as examples are from a Terran religion called Judaism. It is still widely practiced among human culture. My father was raised Jewish. When I went to the Academy I was given the chance to study that religion as well as others. A friend and I were talking last night and he triggered a memory of the Talmud. That's what gave me the idea."
"Who is to say how the Prophets guide an individual. What truly matters is the good you did here today. You have my gratitude as well as that of Bajor." In the traditional Bajoran fashion the Kai reached and gentle took her left ear in her hand. Closing her eyes, she said farewell to the counselor. "Walk with the prophet my child. Though you do not give it a name you are blessed." Then she backed away bowing.
"Thank you Eminence." Alana silently thanked that anonymous power for letting her have the insight she had needed, and Geordi for being her muse. A small smile played on her face as she saw Worf standing behind her. Both his posture and his emotions radiated pride in her. If it weren't for the fact that the man standing there was a Klingon she felt as if her father were looking at her. The man felt as if he was watching his own child accomplish something. Deanna had told her everything that she knew about the burly second officer. If you earned his respect you were very lucky. If he saw you as a warrior, you were someone that he would fiercely protect, and would be his friend. Maybe not a close friend, but someone he would respect.
In this instant in time she learned why Deanna had stayed here for so long, and why she had chosen the path she had. This was her family. Still smiling she went to the Klingon and spoke quietly. "Worf, when is the last time you played poker?"
"Too long Commander, too long." His voice was gruff, but she thought she saw his face brighten, just a bit.