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Date Posted: 17:36:53 05/01/02 Wed
Author: mark van dyk
Subject: The diamond of Elsinae

Once there was a great diamond. The diamond was the size of a baseball and stunning in its brilliancy. The people of the planet Elsinae placed the diamond upon a pedestal and said to one another, "Look at the marvelous thing. It is a beautiful thing, part of the creation of god." Strangely, though they put it upon a pedestal, it was not esteemed over other things. They had simply placed it there so that others could see a very beautiful thing. No one ever harmed it. There was no threat of theft, for the diamond, though beautiful, was only a part of all things, and not especially important. There were many beautiful rocks and trees and animals on Elsinae, too, and no one collected or stole them.

One day a spaceship from a far off planet landed upon Elsinae and a very strange creature emerged. The Elsinaens greeted him warmly. The alien then spied the diamond and went to examine it. Upon seeing it, he marvelled! He called his fellows to bring their equipment so that they might examine it further.

Great eye glasses and microscopes were hooked up to and around the great diamond, much to the Elsinaens surprise! There was a great clammer as the aliens probed and prodded the diamond. They measured and weighed the thing. Then, suddenly, one of the aliens took off his helmet and said, "Never mind, gentleman! This diamond is flawed!"

This dismayed the team of aliens and they returned to their spaceship in disgust.

One of the Elsinaens, however, who was very confused, asked the alien, "What do you mean the diamond is flawed?"

The alien held up his eyeglass and beckoned the Elsinaen to examine the diamond. "Do you see that large crack there?"

"Yes, of course," said the Elsinaen. "We have always known about that."

"There is your flaw."

"But surely the diamond is just as it is supposed to be!"

The alien laughed at this primitive idea. "We are looking for the perfect diamond! Not some cracked piece of glass."

The Elsinaen did not understand. "But surely it is perfect! The crack is very beautiful, is it not?"

The alien guffawed, then returned to his ship, satisfied that he would never be able to explain to the Elsinaen the worthlessness of his diamond.

After the ship had jettisoned away, the Elsinaens gathered to discuss this strange event, but after much deliberation, the only thing they could conclude was that the diamond was a very beautiful thing. They, then, dispersed, each to his own occupation.

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