The fourth retained the story of the making of fire in their legends; some believed them, some did not. (Tales of the Dervishes, p.39)
If you don’t have fire, does it matter if someone else once could make fire?
Here we have indifference. If a topic or ability is not important to us, how much thought or attention do we give it? Chances are, not much. If no one has the skill, I’m not going to be able to learn it. Does it matter then whether fire truly exists or not?
Fables are created and told in order to teach a lesson or moral. Legends are fluff. Take them or leave them. True or fictional. What does it matter if Nour made fire? I can’t do it, and neither can you, so let’s just get on with our lives.
Oh, you can make fire. That changes the relevance of the information. Now I have to decide whether fire is useful or dangerous. What skills are needed to make fire? Who can or should acquire those skills? There’s a whole Pandora’s box of questions that arise once legend becomes reality.
This is the group with the most diverse reaction to the ability to create fire when greeted with it by the teacher and his disciples. The whole spectrum of reactions is opened up to them. How do you react to new information? Are you accepting? Fearful? Doubting? Happy? Excited? What happens when you try to teach me and I fail? Jealousy, rage, and depression can all arrive on the scene. If I succeed and my neighbor fails, perhaps pride and arrogance show up.
Relevance determines my relationship with the topic. If it has no relevance to me, I don’t need to reject it, hide it, or ban it. I also don’t need to celebrate it, control it, or master it. When the relevance changes, though, watch out, because life is going to get interesting!