Crafting a Religion, Crafting an Afterlife

After the daunting task of creating a cosmogony, I've decided now to work on a chaos based ideal of an afterlife. For those of you who didn't read my cosmogony, check out my earlier note 'Crafting a Religion, Crafting a Cosmogony'. Please reply to this thought experiment if you feel so inclined. Again, I'm telling this in a series of stories. Hope you enjoy them.

Also, I'm doing this in class, so pardon any grammatical errors.

On the Life after Death
or
The Great Idiot Parade

Many ages ago there was a great school, within who's wall the greatest minds in all the world would teach what they knew to any who would listen. Unfortunately, one of the teachers there made a slight against the goddess Eris. As a result, the surrounding area was torn asunder by war, and all of the great scholars died.

And such was the way of Eris, breaker of men's hearts.

And so the world went along, as it is prone to do, in complete ignorance. Being that humans at the time were an extremely lazy bunch, few indeed went out of their way to learn the great secrets of the world, thinking of such things as not very useful until gone.

And so it came to pass that neigh a century passed since learned folk gathered in numbers, ever in fear that Eris would return with a vengeance that would make even wild Boar tremble in his stride. But alas, Eris had long sense grown bored with the whole 'nerd hot' scene for the time being. But it was here that these womanless losers came in great numbers to consider among themselves the secrets of the world, and ponder on the great mysteries of life.

It was also here that such bad ideas as taxes and daytime talk shows were first deduced, if in a primitive form.

An so about these scholars went, arguing back and forth on this and that, when Coyote came amongst them dressed in the manner of a squire. Coyote was great in his ability to hide, so instead of the wise fool, they beheld but a young lad attempting to understand their great thoughts.

It was then that the young lad who was Coyote asked aloud, 'Grand Wise Sages, what, pray tell, happens to the mind and soul after the body dies?'

At this, one sage said to the young lad, 'Boy, were you wise you would know this. When the body dies, the soul leaves this place and becomes one with He and She the Divine Architect.'

Another such sage said in retort, 'Nay, that is folly. The soul never leaves this place, but rather returns time and time again in an attempt to reach perfection. Were you wise you would know this.'

And yet a different sage said, 'Fellow sages, you are both wrong. The mind cannot exist without the body, so if the body dies, so does the mind. Were you wise you would know this.'

And yet another sage said, 'Folly on you all. Only those souls who are pure return to the Divine Source, and the rest are discard in fire. Were you wise you would know this.'

And then the entire school went into an uproar, each scholar saying his own views on how they were right or the others were wrong. Such a ruckus it made that even the local gods of the area were disturbed.

It was then that the young lad who was Coyote said to the angry group, 'Grand Sages, surely you are all wise.'

To which the wise sages replied, 'Yes, we are.'

The lad said aloud, 'it seems that each of you have spent their entire lives dedicated to the search of these truths.'

To which the wise sages replied, 'Yes, we have.'

And finally the lad said, 'But it seems that whilst you have studied life, you have forgotten how to live. What good is this grand wisdom if you are unhappy with the time that you have? What good is knowledge of the future if you cannot enjoy the present? Were you wise you would know this.'

The wise sages looked at each other, unsure of what to say. And at that, the young lad who was Coyote went off and played ball with some of the local children, and went the rest of the day playing in the fields.