This is a revised version of one of the tales in Triadic Tales, available at the Kindle Store http://buff.ly/PdQOqU
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The following conversation took place between Archibald Fleetwood and a person we must assume to be the deity. Or at least Archibald assumed so, Archibald was in the habit of having long conversations with him. He maintained to anyone who asked that he (the deity) was within him (Archibald) and that such conversations were not much different than talking to oneself. The reason he was adamant about the deity was that their conversation involved powers ordinarily associated with the deity. I mean the protagonist of various holy books, including that perennial best-seller, the Bible. I offer here, with no further comment, Archibald's remembrance of the exchange. D stands for Deity, A for Archibald.
A:
I was playing slots today on my computer and I spontaneously asked you for a little help. And then I wondered, do you do that sort of thing?
D:
Ixnay. No way. There is nothing more silly than the notion that I would intervene in such a situation. That would ruin everything. I do not intervene. It's your show.
A:
Wait a minute. Atheists have a field day with your omnipotence and omniscience. What are you saying?
D:
I am saying that it would be a huge violation of the freedom that is universally bestowed on all creatures for me to muck with a process that evolves naturally, according to the way things are.
A:
The way things are?
D:
I don't like the way people draw a distinction between chance and mechanistic notions, as though I had no sophistication when it comes to such things.
A:
I got you. So you are saying that most prayers lofted in your direction are useless.
D:
Don't get me started. The only prayer that is worth anything is what we do. You know I am around and you make use of that. We go back and forth. You know enough to realize that I am not involved in altering things that work perfectly well with no interference, not because they are machines but because they are real, reality, now and so forth. Getting the world to work is your job, not mine.
A:
What about when I do ask for something? And you come through?
D:
You are simply aware that things have turned out as you wished.
A:
So you are quiescent, Taolike. Zen?
D:
Tucked into the book of Job there is a bit of poetry that comes pretty close to saying who and what I am, in addition to being your friend and a friend to anyone else who has the wisdom to seek me out.
A: You are transfixed, awed, in love with the whole thing and you wonder why we aren't as well.
D:
That's one way of putting it. People are too afraid. They invest their energies in shutting things out. People are the crown of creation! Life is there for you to solve.
A:
The mind, you mean. But I want to press you. You say things turn out as they might have. But I say that when I ask for help, you often do help and I notice the result and even sometimes remember to thank you.
D:
OK. You are utterly right. While you cannot force reality, you are affected by our interaction. Particularly when we are dealing with the psycho-physical realm, the individual realm, the transitory realm, your interaction may have tangible results. It becomes more difficult to speak of when there are huge options like impending wars. If everyone prayed as you do the world would have no wars. But given the lack of interest in the exercise, I am afraid hostilities will continue.
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That is the end of Archibald's message. I doubt anyone will credit it as being more than the supposition of a fellow who has nothing better to do than to while away the day playing slots on his computer.
