The+Greed+Punishment+Myth

To-Tong observed the human beings from his throne in the high heavens. He had noticed changes in the behavior of the peoples’ actions ever since he blessed them with the gift of their tongue and the gift of taste. They could now enjoy the food they put into their mouths and not suffer from starvation and hunger they had once felt. Strangely, To-Tong noticed that his people were beginning to devour every little crop without savoring the taste and being thankful. Many feet below him, hiding in the shadows of the forest, Ophio-Hannah looked down from the clouds where he sat with a smile that spread from ear to ear. He watched the people be consumed by greed and fight each other for the most food. Children were wrestling each other and stuffing their faces like animals, women were screaming and pulling each other’s hair, men were beating with their fists, and the elderly were arguing in each other’s faces. Chaos had engulfed everyone in its merciless hands and now, no one wanted to cooperate. Ophio-Hannah cackled as he turned away from the frenzy, feeling triumphant. He had finally deceived the human race, and told them that the food around them would disappear and that they must fight to survive. To-Tong watched in dismay as his heart began to fall apart. For countless days, To-Tong continued to give the humans a surplus of crops, but now he was getting tired. After the 13th day of fighting, To-Tong let out a load roar, for he was infuriated. In an instant, he caused every crop to wither and die. Rain poured from the skies, flooding villages and washing away plantations. This left the land empty with the exception of a few roots and vegetables deep in the soil. To-Tong then released snowstorms and hailstorms, covering all the lands and freezing the soil, so nothing could grow. This lasted for half a year, but then To-Tong saw something unusual. The people had started to cooperate with each other. Even though there was a shortage of food and cold, children and adults were working together to preserve their food and ration themselves. Seeing this relieved To-Tong, and he lifted the curse bringing good crops and beautiful weather. However, To-Tong did not let the happiness last forever. After half a year of joy, cold and bitterness returned. To-Tong continued the curse for another half a year to remind people of their wrongdoing. To this day, we experience the cold and shortages of certain foods for about half a year as a reminder for being the greedy and chaotic people we were.