By Don Kasparek (Darkness – Faith - Perplexed)
Only a few days earlier, darkness had covered the face of the earth.
Now, Adam was naming the animals. It was tedious work. One name every second for 10 hours a day without interruption equaled only 36,000 different names. And, in fact, theological research has determined that Adam required an average of 2.7 seconds for each creature encounter and name assignment. At that pace, it would take him close to a month for the beetles alone. Then there were the rest of the insects, the animals that walked on land, the creatures beneath the sea, and the multitude of birds. Good grief, the birds. He had no idea how many birds there were.
Usually the names flowed off Adam’s tongue with ease. Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! For example, when that tall, long-necked animal reached the front of the line, the word giraffe popped out of Adam’s mouth without hesitation. And so it was.
On those rare occasions when Adam failed to instantly generate a name, the creature in question had to return to the end of the line and start the process over. This necessitated a trip of several miles and a redoubling of patience.
The biggest problem, however, was that the entire process verged on chaos. Prior to being given a name, all the animals were equal and without classification. Adam couldn’t say, “All the mammals line up here. All the fishes over there.” Such commands simply wouldn’t have made any sense.
Giving the problem some thought after a grueling day, Adam developed some rough descriptions and groupings, and was able to construct a crude plan. He was especially pleased with himself. This bit of strategy allowed him to schedule the birds last. He knew he would need extra time to deal with them.
Some months into the process, at a particularly frustrating moment, Adam blurted out, “God, what a mess!” This was the first blasphemy ever spoken aloud, but because he had not yet tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God excused Adam’s outburst. However, people throughout the ages have continued to utter those words when confronted with a particularly perplexing problem. As such, it became the world’s first cliché.
At long last, the time arrived for the birds. Adam had no doubt that naming the birds was going to be an enormously complex task. So many of them appeared to be identical except for slight color variations or beak shapes. He would have to concentrate for weeks.
And so, Adam did the unthinkable. He took a day off.
Adam’s day of rest proved to be a brilliant move. He felt rejuvenated, both mentally and physically, and he leapt into the final leg of his assignment with renewed faith. Hour after hour and day after day the birds paraded by and Adam created name after name. Finally, the only birds remaining were those with tiny bodies and whose wings beat with a blur.
Adam craned his neck to the side and could actually see the end of the line.
“Hmm,” he sighed.
And verily, with that prophetic exclamation, the final 339 species forever carried the collective classification of Hummingbird.
Only a few days earlier, darkness had covered the face of the earth.
Now, Adam was naming the animals. It was tedious work. One name every second for 10 hours a day without interruption equaled only 36,000 different names. And, in fact, theological research has determined that Adam required an average of 2.7 seconds for each creature encounter and name assignment. At that pace, it would take him close to a month for the beetles alone. Then there were the rest of the insects, the animals that walked on land, the creatures beneath the sea, and the multitude of birds. Good grief, the birds. He had no idea how many birds there were.
Usually the names flowed off Adam’s tongue with ease. Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! For example, when that tall, long-necked animal reached the front of the line, the word giraffe popped out of Adam’s mouth without hesitation. And so it was.
On those rare occasions when Adam failed to instantly generate a name, the creature in question had to return to the end of the line and start the process over. This necessitated a trip of several miles and a redoubling of patience.
The biggest problem, however, was that the entire process verged on chaos. Prior to being given a name, all the animals were equal and without classification. Adam couldn’t say, “All the mammals line up here. All the fishes over there.” Such commands simply wouldn’t have made any sense.
Giving the problem some thought after a grueling day, Adam developed some rough descriptions and groupings, and was able to construct a crude plan. He was especially pleased with himself. This bit of strategy allowed him to schedule the birds last. He knew he would need extra time to deal with them.
Some months into the process, at a particularly frustrating moment, Adam blurted out, “God, what a mess!” This was the first blasphemy ever spoken aloud, but because he had not yet tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God excused Adam’s outburst. However, people throughout the ages have continued to utter those words when confronted with a particularly perplexing problem. As such, it became the world’s first cliché.
At long last, the time arrived for the birds. Adam had no doubt that naming the birds was going to be an enormously complex task. So many of them appeared to be identical except for slight color variations or beak shapes. He would have to concentrate for weeks.
And so, Adam did the unthinkable. He took a day off.
Adam’s day of rest proved to be a brilliant move. He felt rejuvenated, both mentally and physically, and he leapt into the final leg of his assignment with renewed faith. Hour after hour and day after day the birds paraded by and Adam created name after name. Finally, the only birds remaining were those with tiny bodies and whose wings beat with a blur.
Adam craned his neck to the side and could actually see the end of the line.
“Hmm,” he sighed.
And verily, with that prophetic exclamation, the final 339 species forever carried the collective classification of Hummingbird.
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