In the beginning before time had meaning, there was only Logic and Emotion. They were two halves of the whole that had no beginning and no end. Logic and Emotion shared the vast nothingness. Each believed that theirs was the true path to ultimate fulfillment. However, a time came when Logic had shared all the thoughts he thought with Emotion, who was hardly ever had the patience to listen to his long and difficult explanations of matters she wasn’t really interested in. While he never raised the volume of his voice, he had a habit of interjecting his disapproval of her mind’s wonderings with “ahems” before starting at the beginning again.

Emotion was hard pressed to keep her indifference to Logic’s serious and often boring pronouncements from showing. Usually she just let Logic talk and paid little attention. To keep Logic from knowing it she occasionally said things like, “that’s interesting” or “I didn’t realized that” or when too tired or bored to listen any longer “I need to go to the end of the nothingness and inspect the edges for intruders”. She knew there were no intruders, there couldn’t be. Eventually Emotion felt the need for something more to spend her feelings on.

Logic acted as Emotion expected. He questioned the need for such an expenditure of energy. She countered the question with a simple, “Because I want to!”

Logic demanded rather than requested time to ponder the point. Emotion’s temper was building along with her frustration from the delay. When Logic returned from his deliberation, “What was there to think about?” she asked with barely hidden sarcasm. “Let’s just begin.”

Logic ignored Emotion for a time, but eventually said, “In order for us to see what we are creating we will have to pierce the darkness. As the words floated through the void, the empty darkness was filled with blinding light.

“Logic,” Emotion shouted, “We still will not be able to see anything we create. The light is too bright.” As her words echoed throughout the void the light began to shrink. Emotion told it to fashion itself into a winged creature. There was so much energy in the creature that immediately erupted into fire and flew away dripping flames from its wingtips and tail. The globules that fell from the firebird formed themselves into spheres of fire of different sizes. Emotion cheered and shouted, “This is wonderful. We will call these spheres of fire stars.” And thus the millions of suns were created in the void.

Logic approved of Emotion’s actions and the name given even if Emotion’s cheering and shouting was totally illogical. It wasn’t as if either of them could be surprised by anything that happened as a result of their thoughts. However, an unfamiliar feeling was creeping into Logic’s being. Logic knew that Emotion would call it pride. Logic had to admit that the feeling was pleasant. The contrast between the blackness of the void and the brightness of their creation allowed them to see each star no matter how far away the firebird was flying.

Emotion was not surprised when Logic announced they needed to count the number of stars that the firebird left in its wake. “You can do that; I’m not interested in counting."

A long time passed before Emotion heard from Logic. However, she did hear a barely audible murmur that from many places in the void. Honing in on the sound, Emotion followed it to its source. Before long Emotion realized that it was not a single voice making the sounds, but the combined lament of a large portion of the stars Logic was busy counting. The discovery that the suns would communicate fascinated their creator. Emotion strained harder to understand the chant, but the overlaying of voices was too confusing. “I cannot understand what you are saying with so many voices competing for my attention,” Emotion told the stars, “select one speaker to represent all of you.”

There was the undeniable sound of chatter, a combination of low harsh throaty voices and almost whinny high pitched voices. In the end, the star chosen to speak had a deep rich tone and pitch that resonated through the void. Emotion tried to imagine how the voice would sound if she had physical ears for it to filter it through. Emotion decided it would be very pleasing and melodic.

“What is it that you are feeling that caused you to call out in so many voices?”

“We are sad because we are so far apart that we are lonely.”

“How can I alleviate your loneliness the firebird has used up all its energy. It cannot create companion stars for all of you.”

“They wouldn’t have to be stars. Couldn’t you fashion something else from within yourself? You did it before when you created the firebird.”

“You’re right. Something could be created to keep you company. I will address the issue with Logic. I’m sure between the two of us we can fulfill your wish.”

Having decided to find Logic, Emotion withdrew from the stars and began searching for him.

Their creator was gone for so long that the stars began to doubt they would ever be in Emotion’s presence again and that all hope for companions was futile.

Emotion was just as frustrated as the stars. Finding Logic was no easy task it took her to the far corners of the void. When Emotion did find Logic, he said, “Be silent, if I lose count I will have to begin again.”
Emotion didn’t like being ordered about, but soon realized if Logic had to begin again; it could take a very long time to fulfill the stars’ wishes. When Logic finished, Emotion asked, “How many stars did the firebird create?”

“Enough that I had to establish a number system that could contain so large a number. Some of the stars are very close together and others are very far apart. If you drew a line from star to star from a distance some of the stars seem to form shapes by their alignment.” Directing her attention to the western side of the void, he explained that one of the constellations looks like a duck, one like a frog and one like a wolf.

Emotion looked at the star clusters Logic mentioned and saw that with imagination they did resemble the animals he mentioned. It stuck her that Logic’s assertion that the stars looked like animals was the most fanciful thing he’d ever said. She liked this “new” Logic, but she wasn’t going to waste this new side of him. Now was her chance to bring the stars plight to Logic’s attention and she took it. “Have you been hearing the distant murmuring in the nothingness?”

“Yes, but I can’t understand who is speaking or what they are saying.”

“I know the answer to both those questions. The stars are talking; they are lamenting their loneliness.”

“I knew there would be complications with this venture eventually. I suppose you have a solution to their problem,” Logic said with much sarcasm.

“We could give them companions that would stay with them always.”

“Should we create another firebird for the task?” This time there was no sarcasm in Logic’s voice.

“No. Some might not want companions.”

“Then, we will ask each star before we give it a companion.”

“Very good, I should have thought of that.”

“Does it matter who thought of it?”

“No…not really.” Logic’s question was even more unusual than his fanciful star cluster animal idea. It seemed to be a softening of her companion’s arrogant perception that only Logic was valuable when making decision.

Without further conversation Logic and Emotion set out on a journey across the nothingness to question each star. As soon as the companions were formed and Logic had set them spinning around their star so that it would never be without companionship, Emotion decorated them. Logic decided that the new creations should be called planets. It took an enormous amount of time, but when the planet creating and decorating was done, silence once more reigned in the nothingness.

Emotion found great joy in watching the stars. They seemed to twinkle and once in a while a planet positioned itself just right and Emotion could see both at the same time. Most often she watched the sun that had the most beautiful planet. It was called Sha’Mung. It’s true that there were many beautiful planets that were red, green, yellow and brown, but Sha’Mung was different. It was blue. And in its blueness were white puffy things called clouds that swirled around it. Emotion loved Sha’Mung so much that she gave it its own child called a moon. Emotion tried to make the child moon beautiful, but no matter how hard Emotion tried, nothing would grow on it.

Emotion was still trying when the sound of crying came into the void. Listening closely Emotion tried to make out the words Sha’Mung was saying, but she was too far away.  Emotion thought Sha’Mung was crying because her child moon was not beautiful. “Sha’Mung, I am trying to make things grow, but cannot. I think I do not have the necessary strength to make things alone. I will have to have Logic help me fix your child moon. “

“I love my child moon just as it is. At night it reflects my sun’s light; reflects off my oceans casting tiny sparkles and creates wonderful shadows of my trees, flowers and mountains. You need not change it at all.”

“If you are not crying about your child moon, why are you crying?”

“Creator, what is my purpose? I have water but there is nothing to drink it. I have trees and flowers, but there is nothing to see their beauty. There is nothing that walks upon my soil or swims in my water. There is nothing to reap my harvest. I have mountains, but nothing to live on them and valleys with nothing to enjoy them. What is my purpose, Creator?”

Emotion immediately called to Logic. “We must do something for Sha’Mung. She has grown in understanding enough to ask her purpose. We must give her one.”

“What do you suggest we give her?”

“What she has asked for--living things to walk and swim upon her and in her vast waters.”

Without the usual delays for pondering Logic agreed to Emotion’s plans for Sha’Mung. Together they created all the beast of the land and the creatures that lived in water. They created so many that it would take a vast amount of time to name them all. Cognizant of the time needed, Logic suggested that they both rest before beginning it, and they did just that.

Emotion was still resting when Logic heard Sha’Mung’s voice calling to them. Leaving Emotion resting, Logic went to answer Sha’Mung’s call. “What is so pressing that you must disturb our rest? What will you have of us this time? Have we not already given you a child moon, unsurpassed beauty and all manner of creatures that walk your land and swim in your waters?”

Sha’Mung knew she would have to phrase her request in a very logical way if she was to get her wish. “You have been very generous to me indeed. I will ask only one more thing of you. It is true that I have beauty, a child moon and creatures, but the creatures I have cannot value my beauty. Neither can they dream of things other than what they eat or drink. Nor can they desire to know more about me and what lies on the other side of me from where they are. They can not talk to each other, or to me or you and the other creator. They have only instinct and can not decide what they want to do or where they want to go. I would like very much to have beings that could do these things--beings that had the qualities of both you and Emotion. If I had such beings, they would worship you and her as their creators. They would appreciate my beauty and dwell happily in my valleys and climb my mountains to see what was on the other side. They would talk to me and listen for your voices. These are only some of the things they would do.”

Logic was stunned by how well thought out Sha’Mung’s argument was and looked upon her with new respect. “I will take this under advisement with Emotion. However, I have a question.

“What is your question, Creator?”

“Why did you call Emotion “she”?”

“All the creatures on me and in my waters come in twos--“hes” and “shes.” Since there are two creators, I assumed you were the “he” and Emotion was the “she” of your kind. Am I wrong?”

“What are the differences between the two?”

“The “hes” are stronger, bigger, and fathers things. The “shes” are smaller, gentler and mothers of new things.”

“It would seem logical that you would make such an assumption. However, we are not like your creatures, Sha’Mung. We have no “hes” and “shes.” We simply are.”

“If it offends you that I use those terms, I will stop.”

“I do not know yet whether I am offended. I will ask Emotion for her opinion. I have another question for you. “Why did you assume that Emotion was the “she?”

“Her voice is softer, and she is the decorator rather than the builder of planets. When she visits she whispers of her love for me and my many creatures.”

“This pleases you, Sha’Mung?”

“Oh yes! It is wonderful to know that you are loved. It makes you feel beautiful, and happy and full of promise.”

“Is that why you want new beings? So they will give you more pleasure?”

“Yes and no. Yes they will give me pleasure, but that is only one of many reasons.”

“I will wake Emotion and if she agrees, we will come back to talk to you.”

Logic’s answer was less than what Sha’Mung wanted to hear, but more than she expected. She agreed to wait for the decision without complaint about time.

While Logic went to wake Emotion, he repeated the unfamiliar names “he” and “she” over and over. He liked the way it sounded and decided he was not offended by being called “He.”

It was hard for Sha’Mung to wait because as she expected it took a long time. So long, in fact, that she feared that she would not get the beings she asked for. Unpleasant symptoms began to show themselves as Sha’Mung’s frustration grew. Some of her smaller rivers dried up because her temperature began to rise as if she had a fever. The tops of some of her mountains began to belch out fire and smoke and the waves of her oceans grew in size, quantity and fierceness. But just as she was beginning to despair, she heard Emotion’s voice calling to her.

“Sha’Mung, we have debated your request for new beings and are here to create them for you. However, there must be restriction on them.”

“What restrictions?”

It was Logic who answered her. “I’m sure you will understand that beings who share the qualities of both Emotion and I cannot be allowed to live as long as we will. Therefore, your beings’ time will be limited. Also they will not only know love and joy, they must know pain and sorrow. They will not only be capable of laughter, but of tears. They will be plagued by fears and disappointments all of their existence. Do you still want us to create them for you?”

“Yes, but I ask for one concession.”

“What is it?”

“That only their flesh passes out of this world and not their essence.”

“I do no agree to your concession,” Logic said. “Why would Emotion and I want beings that can do the things we do to live forever?”

Sha’Mung knew that she much present her point so logically that Logic could not find any excuse to deny her. “Because it is logical. Such being would see and understand the beauty you have given me for them. They would create wonderful things that gave you pleasure. They would understands your greatness and appreciate the wonderful gifts you have given them. They would fill life with laughter, and imitate the songs the birds sing, the frogs croak, and the wolves cry. They would love each other, the animals that walk upon my land, and you.

"They will learn to overcome obstacles and recover from disappointment by trying harder to accomplish great things with the gifts you gave them. Their tears will foster growth and understanding. And their voices will drift throughout the void and fill it with music. When they are old they will look back on their lives and be happy that you created them. They will thank you for your gifts and long to come home to you.

“Their old ones will teach their young ones to love and worship you as their creators. They will grow in wisdom and knowledge and pass it on to the new generations. When death is near they will look to you and long to be with you for eternity. When death takes them they will be your companions for all time. Once with you, they will spend eternity sharing their memories of the life you gave them.

“It would also be wasteful to produce such a wonderful being and then after a short time force it back into nothingness as if it had never existed. That would be both cruel, wasteful, and totally illogical.”

Logic was as proud as he was amazed with Sha‘Mung‘s argument and said so. “I cannot argue with your reasoning or you conclusion, Sha’Mung.” To Emotion he said, “Sha’Mung has earned the beings she craves. We shall create them and infuse them with an immortal soul that will continue after their physical bodies cease to exist and these beings will be blessed with the qualities of both of us. And they will call us The He and She.”

“No, Creator!”

“No?”

“No, they will call you “The Great He and She!”

And this is how Sha’Mung convinced our creators to bring us into existence and how They acquired the name “The Great He and She.”