For The Sake Of Argument...

Posted by parhad on June 28, 2001 at 14:28:05:

Retelling the island story puts me in mind of us Assyrians. Imagine we were all stranded on an island, which in a way we are. In a fight over leadership many of us have

been killed, the winners can't seem to inspire anyone to follow them anyway so it was for nothing that they fought. The survivors wander off in groups, each one finding

some reason to mistrust and eventually hate the others.

We hunt separately, use different streams and watering holes and try to raise our children as best we can, hoping they'll stay human enough to make the effort

worthwhile. On this island we are not alone. There is a tribe comes raiding every once in a while and they pick off stragglers, the old and infirm and every now and then

a child.

We've developed a religion which tells us not to fret over our condition cause when we die we'll get off the island and live in Turlock forever...well....it's as good a

definition as any I've ever heard? In addition, this religion stresses that those of us most willing to suffer on this island will get to "Turlock" first and have the best condos

there. Any of us dissatisfied with the arrangement will not only be denied Turlock...getting Ceres instead...but get hounded and villified by those of us content with things

the way they are.

On this island, anyone trying to improve living conditions, or better yet...or worse...get off the island will be viewed as an enemy and traitor to the promise of Turlock,

especially because you might get the kids to wondering if this island is all the life they can expect to know. If you decided to get off and began preparing to build a boat

or something, the very ideas, thoughts and actions which boatbuilding requires would become an especial threat to the community. So much so that they would put aside

all animosities and jealousies to unite in hating YOU!

The net result for you would be that life on the island would become even more intolerable and you'd work that much harder to build your damn boat and be gone. The

happy ending comes, if you build a large enough boat, when a line of younger kids will follow you out to sea, away from where their parents might notice, and climb

aboard.

The wood's being chopped and fashioned right now.