Okal'a'ni

Gelack term meaning, "contrary to or destructive of Okal Rel". Anti-life. The ultimate selfishness of putting oneself or one's cause before the security of life sustaining habitat or the odds of life surviving in the universe. Okal'a'ni acts are the greatest and most unforgivable sin against Okal Rel, and inspire spontaneous mob attack. Okal'a'ni souls are not permitted rebirth. Destruction or poisoning of planetary habitat is unquestionably okal'a'ni. Sabotage of a space station's life supporting capacity is just as evil. Accidental destruction of space habitat while reality skimming is functionally as bad, but may invoke a little sympathy for the damned soul responsible. Gelacks consider biological warfare to be okal'a'ni (anti-life, anti-Okal Rel) and are suspitious of bilogical sciences and medicine, in general, due to their misuse by Lorels in past eras. (Particularly true of post-Fifth Civil War Gelion, but acceptance of bioscience and rejection of it as evil has waxed and waned in previous eras, as well, according to the behavior of its advocates.)

Many Gelacks have a "slipper slope" attitude concerning dishonorable behavior leading, inevitably, to okal'an'i behavior, but the two concepts are distinct. One can be eminently deserving of death, for dishonorable conduct, in the Gelack world view, and not necessarily okal'a'ni. (Think in terms of the distinction between criminal or immoral behavior, and heretical behavior, in other theologies.)

Cheating in a duel is typically considered okal'a'ni, because Sword Law is viewed as the last stop short of all out warfare, and space war definitely destructive of habitat. Like Christian soldiers who rationalize killing for nationalist motives, Sevolites of the Okal Rel faith do go to war in space, periodically--but it is cultural essential to them that the enemy be the okal'a'ni one. That justifies "mob" behavior to exterminate them, quick, before their evil destroys the life-supporting capacity of the universe. The righteous, in such a case, do not believe that their okal'a'ni enemies intend to destroy life in the universe, only that they lack the self-disciplie and right-thinking to constrain their ambitions by the rules of Sword Law, and must therefore be put down like mad dogs before the contagion of escalating warfare spreads.

Okal'a'ni souls must be weeded out of the population, according to Okal Rel. Someone who commits an okal'a'ni act is therefore banned from rebirth by all members of the Watching Dead, just as Fountain Court--among the living--is expected to unite to deliver them into the hands of their ancestors.