"This may be so," Ushi replied, smiling. "But as a human being Sylvia has the capacity to go to the cockpit and hit the starter switch for the engines and pull the nose up. Maybe they have batteries on board so that they wouldn't need a steep dive to start the engines again. Maybe it is your task as her husband and lover to wake her up so that she will perform this task to save herself. In fact, you have to awake her as soon as you arrive in Washington. That's when the role-playing ends and real life begins. But the principles are the same. The truths that we have explored together, at 48,000 feet altitude, are true. Remember, every scary argument that you could have possibly brought up against Heather coming to your home, I had been able to counter and overturn with what we both understand to be the truth about our humanity and the principles that reflect it. You could not deny a single argument based on this truth. So, it won't be denied by Sylvia either if you do your job right."

      I nodded. "Actually, you weren't quite fair with me during the role playing," replied. "You assigned me a role that didn't give me a chance to say anything, because there was nothing to be said."

      "I have been fair, Peter," Ushi protested. "I proposed the role playing in that particular way, in order to prove a point, and the point is that you can't make a point in defense of your fears about Sylvia being devastated, should this issue be addressed. I made my point strong and clear, right? But if you like, let's reverse our roles and see what happens. In this case you will take on the role of yourself, and I will represent Sylvia. I'll do my best to discredit your arguments, if that is possible. Only, let's not argue about the legitimacy of emotions that are but images of dreams, the kind of dreams that make it impossible for a person to storm the cockpit and restart the engines. Let's keep ourselves alert to nothing but universal truths."

      "Right," I agreed. "Let's not even focus on the by-products that come with the golden age of the renaissance that we want to create. Let's not make issues out of those secondary things. Let's focus on the principles of the renaissance."

      "Right, let's focus on the principles, the sunrise that portents the new day; the love that makes us human, which transcends sex, color, nationality, including the religions that all tend to divide humanity," Ushi suggested. "Let's focus on sex that way, all by itself, which is evidently the most powerful element in the human domain, since you are scared to death by it, fearing that it would injure Sylvia. Also, let's do it with absolute honesty, because if we strike sex from the list of the causes that divide humanity, and hide it under the table, what foundation do we have for creating a new Renaissance? Right now, we are hiding it under the table, together with all the other aspects that we should be dealing with. If we exempt a single element, like sex, and give it legitimacy for dividing and isolating people, then we deny the principle of our universal humanity and throw away the renaissance that it has in store for us."

      Wow! I almost applauded Ushi. "What would Sylvia say to this if I presented this approach as a platform for discussion? How would she respond? Can you think of a valid argument that she might bring up against it? Can you think of an argument that she might use to ask for a divorce over this issue?"

      Ushi nodded. "There is a legitimate principle she could use. She could ask for a divorce on the grounds of her individual sovereignty as a human being. The Principle of Universal Love opens up a privilege based on the scientific acknowledgment of applicable universal truths, as Steve points out. The Principle of Universal Love doesn't impose itself as a duty. The universe is not built on duties, but on scientific privileges. Every person of humanity has claimed the democratic right to stay forever locked up in the dark caves of mythological opinions, or remain fast asleep on an airplane that is crashing."

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Stories about  Sex from novels by Rolf A. F. Witzsche