The Book of Melior is the book of beliefs and rituals that the Colony created in 23/7 and uses as their moral yardstick – their bible, if you will. The final book in the trilogy takes the name of the colony’s bible as its title. Set some time after the end of 23/7, the Colony has made it through its difficult early years and is now well-established. With fewer challenges to occupy it, will Melior be enough to sustain it, to provide a sense of purpose to its citizens? All previous knowledge has been carefully preserved and now that people are starting to have some free time, it is being looked at again. Will the temptation of ease and convenience be too much to resist? Is it possible to find a new path using technology that keeps the human race and the planet healthy? What if technology embraced Melior?
The book’s Prologue is the opening chapter of The Book of Melior.
Prologue
In the beginning were the waters, the land, and the air. These made up the Earth, and the Earth was good. Plants and animals competed for their place in the waters, on the land, and in the air. Some flourished and some perished until nature was in equilibrium and harmony with the Earth, and it was a paradise.
This was a perfect state, and it lasted for many years.
A new animal grew on the land. It called itself mankind. It had a cunning possessed by none of the other animals. It wanted to dominate all around it. It multiplied without control. It used its cunning to find ways of taking from the Earth without giving back. It began to poison the waters, the land, and the air. The other animals and the plants declined. It grew restless and fought amongst itself.
The Earth grew sick and was no longer a paradise.
One man, Prophet Kutargi, saw that the Earth was suffering, and that his species had caused it. He retreated from mankind and for forty days and forty nights he thought and waited for inspiration. So hard did he think that for those forty days and forty nights, not one piece of food did he consume. Finally, he saw that mankind must be contained for the earth to recover.
Prophet Kutargi gathered his friends together for a feast. He told them:
We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs from this feast. It will be our last until our glorious Earth is restored. We eat this feast in recognition of the paradise it has come from and which we have despoiled.
He appointed them the Controllers of mankind, bidding them to contain and root out its excesses.
The Controllers built an Ark that sailed on a sea of consciousness. The Ark kept mankind’s cunning occupied and away from the Earth. No longer was mankind restless, it dreamed harmlessly. The plants and animals began to return to the waters, the land, and the air. The Earth began to recover and started to become a paradise once more whilst mankind slumbered.
The Controllers observed that the Earth was recovering. They saw that mankind had been contained. It no longer took from the Earth, but it had built machines to do its work and did not itself contribute. They questioned whether mankind should continue. They thought Earth did not need mankind and would be better without it.
A lone voice in the wilderness asked:
What has become of mankind? To be mankind is to be cunning, as to be a bird is to fly. Mankind’s cunning has been contained. It is as a caged bird. A bird may fly to many places if it be not caged. If it be caged, it can no longer fly and will decline. Mankind is declining in its containment. Does mankind’s cunning only have one destination if it be released? Can mankind be good?
Our Father Arche made a holy vow on behalf of mankind:
Oh, Earth that art every day more like the paradise we despoiled, mankind is in your eternal debt. Henceforth, we will strive to bring you back to the state of perfection that we sullied. Each day we will use our cunning to make you better. This will be our sacred purpose.
Father Arche called this sacred purpose the doctrine of Melior and set out three principles by which mankind would live:
One: Heaven is on Earth. It is a paradise.
Two: Life is everlasting. It precedes us and continues after.
Three: We live on in our deeds. Through our deeds, the Earth is maintained.
He founded the Colony and made Melior its creed. He brought Melior unto the people on the Ark. Those that solemnly swore to follow the doctrine of Melior joined the Colony, those that did not remained on the Ark. When all had been asked, the Ark sailed away to decline.
Those that joined the Colony Father Arche asked to make a solemn declaration of faith:
The Earth was dying
The Earth is rising
The Earth will come again.
In the Colony, he created a library of all mankind’s knowledge and by it he planted the Tree of Cunning. The Tree of Cunning had beautiful flowers and poisonous fruit.
Father Arche decreed:
Every year the Colony shall prepare and partake of the fruit of the Tree of Cunning. Thou shalt use thy cunning to remove the poison from the fruit. If thou art successful, so shall thou live. This shall be called The Ceremony of Reckoning. It shall be a reminder to mankind that cunning must be used for good.
Every month the Colony shall determine whether it has done more good than harm. This shall be called The Ceremony of Balance. Thou shalt look at the overall balance and the individuals that have contributed to it. Those individuals who have contributed the most good shall be rewarded. Those that have caused the most harm shall be identified and instructed to improve their balance lest they be punished.
Every week the Colony shall cease work for one day and meet for the Tally Ceremony. Thou shalt celebrate the Earth and give thanks for its munificence. Every person shall agree their tally for good and harm. The weekly tallies shall be provided unto the Balance Ceremony.
And so it was that the Colony was founded and prospered, following the doctrine of Melior.