1. Analysing and Discussing Anachronism
Tiger and Moti welcomed us back enthusiastically. Moti was relieved to find his friend in good shape and unharmed. Giving vent to his joy, he trumpeted. Tiger brushed against Archie’s toga and my slacks. Then, bursting with curiosity, he asked me to tell them all about our venture.
When I completed my narration, Tiger raised a point that had baffled him. Archie must have been aware that Herodotus had lived before his time. Why then had he expected the historian to be familiar with the name of a mathematician yet to be born?
“I, too, am confused,” interceded Moti. “But then, Tiger’le, don’t you sometimes confuse early with late? Peter’le tells me that the composers of the Old Testament did so regularly.”
“I don’t know whether they did so intentionally. As to me, I often make mistakes of this sort,” conceded Tiger. “But I won’t upbraid a person before I am sure of my premises. I know that Archie is a hothead – no offence meant of course – but he is rather rational!”
“Of course I am rational. But you see, my friends, Herodotus too was a mere image. The days on earth of Peter’le and of me were over; but so were Herodotus’. So, surely, he too was shipped back to his own era, or time, by Lord Pan.”
“Well?” I asked perplexed.
“Archie means that Herodotus should have identified men of genius of all the periods covered on his journey back in time,” observed Moti.
“Precisely. You, Moti, always understand what I mean. You are a treasure.”
“I get the drift,” interposed Tiger, “but then, why do you say Herodotus travelled back in time? Lord Pan could have moved Peter’le and Archie back to Herodotus’ genuine epoch: I mean, his days on earth. Lord Pan didn’t have to transport two segments.”
“Actually, what is time travel?” asked Moti.
Patiently and thoroughly, Archimedes explained the well-known nature of the basic three dimensions. He then went on to explain that ‘time’, too, was a dimension. Every subject-matter known to us fitted into all four dimensions. If you were able to ‘travel’ along any one of the first three dimensions, you should also be able to traverse the fourth.
“When was all of this worked out?” asked Moti.
“After many ages of contemplation and study. In the 20th century a brilliant physicist proved that, conceptually, it was on.”
“But, practically, how can it be done? Do you know any time traveller?” asked Tiger sceptically.
“Peter’le and I have just travelled into the past. But I don’t know how this was done,” said Archie.
“Neither do I,” volunteered Theophil, appearing suddenly in front of us. “But I have shown you that it is possible. And the performance of an act proves its viability.”
“Even if you can’t explain the cause or method?”
“Precisely,” grinned Theophil. “If this were not so, how could you establish the very existence of Acts of God? And, coming to think of it, how could medieval thinkers believe in witchcraft?”
“You have a point there,” I conceded when Tiger found no reply. “Well, thanks for the ride, Maestro.”
“Always happy to please my friends,” he told us before he departed.
2. Selecting the Nest Punchee
Having settled these issues, it was time to pick the next punchee. We agreed that the candidate ought to be a representative of an Eastern culture. For a while we pondered Persia and India. Zoroaster {Zarathustra} and the Buddha {Siddhartha Gauatama} were, of course, great thinkers. Still, most of what is known about their philosophies and lives is shrouded in mystery.
Zoroaster (who presumably was active during the 10th century BC) was, basically, an Iranian poet and philosopher. His doctrine of good and evil, which was developed by Judaism and Christianity, went through numerous metamorphoses when related by his disciples. Buddha (273 – 232 BC) had given up his North Indian throne and became a mendicant teacher. We had no extant writings of either.
The two men’s traditions, passed to posterity by their disciples, may not have been authentic. In addition, both Persia and India were, from time to time, subject to Western influences. In contrast, China had remained a world of its own during its long history. So, in the end, we settled on it.
This took us to the next point. Who deserved a punch? The Yellow King was hard to identify or fathom. Kuan Yin may – or may not – have existed. In any event, was she human? Gods were of course out of bounds. After lengthy contemplations, I decided that only two men were eligible: Kông Füzî (K’ung-fu-tzu, dubbed Confucius by the Jesuits, 551 – 479 BC) and Qin Shi Huang (personal name – Yíng Zhèng; 260 – 210 BC). Both had lived during the long period of the Zhou Dynasty. The former was active during the era known as Spring and Autumn; the latter came to power during the succeeding Warring States period and founded the short lived Qin dynasty. Each had left a legacy to posterity.
“Peter’le,” protested Archie, “you refer to a very long period. Confucius lived three hundred years before Qin Shi Huang. How can we consider them in one breath?”
“Time was flowing at a slower rate at that time. And, of course, both of them lived well before the definitive Han period {202 BC – 220 AD}. Further, each cast his spell on all later periods of the Heavenly Kingdom. We can take them together.”
“Peter’le is right,” approved Tiger. “The Old Testament covers a purportedly longer period. But didn’t King David and Jeremiah the Prophet follow one and the same lead?”
“I agree with Tiger,” butted in Moti. “The human race has controlled the Earth for a very long period. But cruelty, stupidity and greed have been in command throughout. Technology and styles may have changed; but not human nature.”
For Moti, this was a long and definitive speech. To my relief Archie agreed. “Well spoken. As always, Moti makes sense. He is a persuasive fellow.”
Our comparison of Confucius and Qin Shi Huang led to further arguments. Confucius was a thinker. He sought to teach his followers good mores, self-control and reserve. His concepts of ethics were based on ‘righteousness’ – on the notion that do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. Yet, he had not initiated a faith. His dogmas continued to co-exist with the much older cult of ancestor worship and with Buddhism. His preaching related to appropriate day-to-day conduct.
Confucius’ teachings – compiled in the Analects of Confucius – saw light long after his death. Did he write them? Indeed, even his involvement with the classical texts of China has been disproved by modern analysis. In the event, his philosophy – highlighting piety, sincerity and ancestor worship – stifled China’s cultural development for generations. It may have given his disciples a sense of dignity, but it deprived them of any imaginative initiative.
3. Qin Shi Huang’s Achievements
Qin Shi Huang was a very different man. He had wrenched control of the whole of China by conquering states larger than his original fief. He then started a new dynasty and ruled his ever-expanding empire with an iron fist. He adopted a philosophy or dogma known as Legalism (or, Positivism – meaning, the strict duty to observe laws), which conflicted with the far more moderate teachings of Confucius. Unlike Confucius, he had no belief in tolerance.
Qin Shi Huang’s main achievement was the unification of the warring states of China into a kingdom stretching from the yellow river right to the north of modern Vietnam. Throughout this vast empire, he introduced a uniform script (abolishing the earlier divergent writing symbols), a uniform currency and a common system of weights and measures. In addition, he dammed some rivers and constructed an elaborate system of roads. To ensure these were usable by all, he further prescribed the measure of the wheels of chariots and carriages. When he completed these projects, he reinforced and connected the defensive walls initiated by the states he had conquered. The very notion of a Great Wall, segregating China from northern nomads, gained momentum during his reign. All men of his kingdom were conscripted for this project. More men died in his building projects than in the wars waged by him.
Unsurprisingly, Qin Shi Huang’s sway was resented by the population. In addition, he had invoked the wrath of the followers of Confucius. As his absolutism contrasted with their philosophy of moderation, he burned many of them alive and banished their writings. He became the subject of their tolerant hatred.
Shortly after Qin Shi Huang’s death, his dynasty was overthrown. Nevertheless, the innovations introduced by him ruled the Heavenly Kingdom from the vast grave he had erected for himself.
“Qin Shi Huang was not a thinker,” argued Archie.
“Perhaps not,” I conceded. “But he relied on the advice of Li Si (Li Shu): the greatest legalist thinker of the period. So, Qin Shi Huang knew where to look when he needed guidance. Confucius, insofar as he looked at all, faced the mirror! Further, Qin Shi Huang was a highly intelligent man. Confucius was an irresolute dreamer.”
“So you have made your choice, Peter’le,” pronounced Moti.
“I have rather. But, Moti, how did you know that I had made up my mind?”
“I can read you. And this time I want to come with you.”
“But your size Moti? A palace may tumble as you enter it.”
“I’ll ask Lord Pan to shrink me.”
“Then he might as well turn me into a gnome.”
“And why not? A man’s size is best measured by his brains; not by his appearance or sex appeal,” interceded Tiger.