The Myth of Garbage

A-8 A story about Aumhu.

Apr 11, 2024

In one or two thousand years, if there is any memory of our current Machine Ages civilization, we will be remembered for the overarching myth or our time. The myth of garbage. There is no garbage in the world except for what we think as garbage. It is magical thinking. Myths have power. Myths have purpose and are valuable.

Our systems and the way life is lived is predicated on the concept of garbage. Our technology is formed on our understanding of garbage.

Aumhu was living in a beautiful meadow inside a great forest. Aumhu was maybe 10 or 11 years old.

One day Aumhu realized that the saddle that had been there a long time could be put on one of the friendly horses that came around. Aumhu could ride! It was wonderful. Aumhu could travel farther, go faster and even carry things better. Aumhu tied the horse to the front of the house in the meadow. The horse would be right there whenever Aumhu needed or wished to ride.

Soon the first horse was not in very good condition. The hair got matted and smelly, there were bugs under the saddle, and it got boney. Soon Aumhu had to let it go and get a new horse. There were lots of nice friendly horses around, so that was no issue.

After a while there were a number of dead horses in the forest. All around in fact, they were not very selective about where they died.

One day, the water in Aumhu’s stream got bad, if one could call it Ahu's stream. Aumhu thought of it that way. Aumhu got on Horse #15 to go see what had gone wrong. Aumhu called it #15 since Aumhu could not think of names as fast as the horses had to be replaced. A few kilometers up the stream Aumhu found that horse #12 had keeled over and died right in the stream.

Aumhu had a great idea. The living horse could pull the dead horse out of the stream. Unfortunately, the dead horse simply tore apart, and that was a horrible sight. The smell was worse. Somehow, at that moment Horse #15 went lame and would not move.

Aumhu took the saddle and walked up the mountain to where the stream came out of the ice. The view was amazing, the air clean and the water was just wonderful to drink. Aumhu decided that it was time to leave the meadow and find a new home.

The house was surrounded in horse manure and the smell of urine had gotten quite strong. All around there were new bugs that Aumhu had never seen before and a lot of flies. New birds were coming to the area. Big ones that looked strange. In the forest it was hard to avoid the places with dead horses. Some were just hide and bones now. Some were scattered around. There were new plants growing that Aumhu did not like much.

Aumhu got a new horse and started off. After quite a lot of travelling and three more horses, Aumhu realized that the meadow had been very special. It was hard to find such a meadow anywhere.

Aumhu had a great idea. Aumhu decided to make a meadow! All that Aumhu would have to do is to cut down lots of trees. A new house could be made from the trees. Simple!

This time, wherever a horse started getting lazy and sick, Aumhu took the horse far away and tied it to a tree. That way, there would not be a dead horse in the stream. This is what Aumhu though of as 'planning ahead'. It was part of a new concept to allow Aumhu to prepare the new meadow to last a long time.

Once Aumhu had cut the trees and made the house, the space where the trees had been did not seem much like a meadow. Aumhu used horses to pull the leftover tree parts into the forest. But it took three horses and a long time to remove just one stump and the roots.

Aumhu had become a good mathematician too. The calculation was that it would take at least 150 dead horses to clear the new meadow of stumps. And a long time too. This was not the best way to spend Aumhu’s time, Aumhu decided.

Aumhu put the saddle on Horse #39 and headed off again, having decided that it was worth the time and more horses to find the ideal meadow. Nevertheless, winter came.

Aumhu made a small hut to keep warm. There is little food now, but at least the snow can be melted for water. Horse #57 is dead, lying frozen outside. So Aumhu feels lucky to have more food. Horses are immensely valuable.