I was helplessly lying down, lost in the mountains for days, with my strength drained and my eyes dimmed. Aghast at a sudden sense that someone was very near, I sprang up and turned around to find two shin-suns, on a cloud, exchanging words with each other. One shin-sun, wearing a blue seamless robe spoke with a voice that sounded like a breeze blowing the blue sky. While the other one in a heavily stitched yellow robe responded in a voice that echoed the sounds of clanging metal.. The blue shin-sun did most of the asking while the yellow one answered with apparent difficulty.
What they said follows.
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Blue shin-sun : How have you been ?
Yellow shin-sun : Busy toiling away.
Blue : What are you trying to achieve ?
Yellow : ......
B : Improved human welfare ?
Y : Yes.
B : So, how long have you been doing so ?
Y : A long time. Seems like tens of thousands of years. I worked real hard this last millennium. And I've been getting even busier.
B : That's too bad.
Y : One thing after another keeps coming up so I can hardly rest. One thing brings about another that I can't disregard. It's like one ripple in the water causes a thousand more.
B : You poor thing. What's the good of all your effort ?
Y : Well, it is a .... uh...well....
B : Yes ?
Y : Well, I'm working on the diseases , first. I have helped man overcome many filthy diseases such as TB and leprosy.
B : Good. Then, once those diseases are taken care of, will it be possible for this world to be disease-free ?
Y : Not likely. It so happens that one disease disappears and another brand-new one comes before people even realize. I doubt if a world without disease will ever be possible.
B : That's unfortunate. Is there anything that can be improved ?
Y : I hoped that the machines that were invented would relieve man of the burden of manual labor which seemed plausible at first. But, on the contrary, they again have resulted in more labor for humans.
The new machinery has led to the defiling and destroying of the environment due to the pollution being gushed out. It really is not easy to protect the world from unanticipated calamities.
B : Too bad. Anything else ?
Y : I have gotten them to make books to increase their knowledge.
B ; That's a good news. Now, are they capable of getting over their own stupidity and looking more deeply at life ?
Y : You are putting words into my mouth. Religion was made with my intention of guiding mankind properly, and intimidation was used if necessary. My endeavor to get them to produce books to gain wisdom became fruitless and their stupidity remained unchanged. "Law and Order" was established, and "Democracy, Communism and Capitalism" were created and tried. They all started with good intentions, but eventually all failed in enlightening mankind.
B : Well, every once in a while, I also talked them into doing things the way I do. They were afraid of me and obeyed in the beginning, which didn't last very long. My heart was torn apart.
Y : I am not sure whether all my efforts may go down the drain even though I know mankind got on your nerves by committing nasty sins. I am sorry about that. I also know this world will be a burning inferno, if you allow it to be. Can you imagine what would happen if you left mankind to themselves?
B : ......
I'd better get going. When will we meet again ?
Y : You may have to find me in the next heaven, since I am becoming more and more exhausted every day.
Good-bye.
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The clouds parted into two, and one came this way and the other flew yonder,
which was an amazing sight. I collected myself and looked around. There was
no path to lead out from under the darkened sky. I could not hide how miserable my heart was now.