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holonics |
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Being HumanAdapted from Hogfather bv Terry PratchettHe turned and asked “What would’ve happened?” “The sun would not have come up” replied the old woman. “Oh, come on the sun would have risen just the same, yes?” “No.” “Oh come on, you can’t expect me to believe that. Its an astronomical fact!” “The sun would not have risen.” The youth turned on her. “Its been a long night. I’m tired. I don’t need silliness” “The sun would not have risen.” “Really, then what would have happened, pray?” “A mere ball of flaming gas would have illuminated the world” They walked in silence for a moment. “Ah,” said the youth dully. “Trickery with words. I would have thought you’d have been more literal minded than that.” “I am nothing if not literal-minded. Trickery with words is were humans live.” “All right,” said the young man. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying we humans need ... fantasies to make life bearable.” “Really? As if it was some kind of pink pill? No. Humans need fantasy to be human,” said the old woman. “To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.” “Tooth fairies? Father Christmas? Little ¾” “Yes. As practice. You have to start out learning to believe the little lies.” “So we can believe the big ones?” “Yes. Justice. Mercy. Duty. That sort of thing.” “They’re not the same at all!” “You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet,” the old woman waved a hand “and yet you act as if there is some ideal order in the world, as if there is some ... some rightness in the universe by which it may be judged.” “Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point ?” “My point exactly.”
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know thyself - Socrates |
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