Eventually we have to leave the cactus.

[That's both literal, and metaphorical, he supposes. For now, however, the relative safety of it provides a venue for a conversation that must be very painful.]

You know intimately the power of superstition. How it can drive people to such things. As much as I wish everyone could see reason, and logic, it's more often than not a futile effort.

[Especially in the face of actual gods.]