Holiness™ That You Could Probably Have Gone All Day Without Knowing.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Once upon a time, there were three cities.  Everyone lived in those three cities, and nobody lived anywhere else, even if they believed that they did.  Those who believed that they lived in Europe or the Midwest or whatever were simply dealing with facts their minds had distorted for the sake of their own sanity.  As it were.

Some were sent to Providence, where the mold grew over them until they were so weighed down that they couldn't move.  They are The Silent Congregation of Eris, and they will not speak until the End of Days.  If you were to X-Ray them, there is a good possibility that they are like the corpses of Pompeii...There's nothing inside the shell of mold.  Not if you are quick, at any rate.  If you are slow or stupid, or try to help them, then the mold will not be hollow for long.

Some were sent to Tucson, where they asphyxiated in the hellish heat.  They are The Tormented Congregation of Eris, and they prowl the airport and train depot (though only at night), looking for new arrivals to welcome.  Things are explained, and the new fish is restrained in place until the pitiless sun comes up and bakes away all the lies and self-delusion that the newcomer had comforted himself with.  Then he joins the others.

And some were sent to Portland, where they meet Her on the bridges.  She explains.  She tells them.  She demonstrates what their reality actually is, she shows them that elephant in the living room which they have learned to look around.  Then She walks off the bridge alone.  Perhaps a bicycle is left behind, perhaps a car with the engine still running and one door left open.  Some walk off the other side of the bridge.  They are The Debased Congregation of Eris.  These are the unworthy, those who were so base as to be mentally prepared for what She tells them.  Others, the worthy, wash up down-river, their sins washed away alongside all identifying features.

What is important to remember in all cases is that this isn't done at the behest of Eris.  Nothing is.  This is just the natural results of LOOKING, of tearing off all the masks and filters and looking around at this brave new world that they built around us while we were sleeping.  This new world isn't healthy for primates whose brains are geared for a limited number of stressors.  The young may adapt; they have their electronics and their social environments in which they block out unwanted stimuli.  The human race will go on.

It just may go on without you.  Or at least the you that is you right now.

[Suu]

[LMNO]

All day?

I could have gone all month without knowing...

[Telarus]

Excellent. The last line was just icing... sweet, sweet, insanity flavored icing.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

All day?

I could have gone all month without knowing...

It is not the job of a Holy Man™ to tell you pleasing lies, even through omission.

This is why it's best to stone the bastards, first chance you get.

[The Wizard Joseph]

I liked reading that quite a bit. What it meant, it's implications..less so.

What of the youth that have adapted? I wonder if they will be ready to adapt again on the day "the things" stop working or become inaccessible. Or they find need (or have addiction like a need) for something that was always available before and had taken for granted, what would they do to get it again?
Cut a throat for a cheap cheeseburger?
Try to make their own Albuteral inhalers?
Maybe that sounds facetious, but I sincerely wonder if the thing we've made is ultimately more of a grave than a reality tunnel. A dead end for our adaptation as we become fully dependent on a way impossible to sustain.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I liked reading that quite a bit. What it meant, it's implications..less so.

What of the youth that have adapted? I wonder if they will be ready to adapt again on the day "the things" stop working or become inaccessible. Or they find need (or have addiction like a need) for something that was always available before and had taken for granted, what would they do to get it again?
Cut a throat for a cheap cheeseburger?
Try to make their own Albuteral inhalers?
Maybe that sounds facetious, but I sincerely wonder if the thing we've made is ultimately more of a grave than a reality tunnel. A dead end for our adaptation as we become fully dependent on a way impossible to sustain.

I think you are projecting the behavior of the prior generation on them.  I think they'll be just fine.  It's us old bastards that are fucked.

[The Wizard Joseph]

I liked reading that quite a bit. What it meant, it's implications..less so.

What of the youth that have adapted? I wonder if they will be ready to adapt again on the day "the things" stop working or become inaccessible. Or they find need (or have addiction like a need) for something that was always available before and had taken for granted, what would they do to get it again?
Cut a throat for a cheap cheeseburger?
Try to make their own Albuteral inhalers?
Maybe that sounds facetious, but I sincerely wonder if the thing we've made is ultimately more of a grave than a reality tunnel. A dead end for our adaptation as we become fully dependent on a way impossible to sustain.

I think you are projecting the behavior of the prior generation on them.  I think they'll be just fine.  It's us old bastards that are fucked.

I think you may be right there. I happen to be on the border of genX and Y. It would be easy to project.

To the rest of the post I was struck by the similarity of your allegory to the "trican". The phoenix, dragon, and tiger representing stasis, entropy, and dynamism respectively.

The first city seemed to me a note of stasis until there's nothing left under the moss. The ease in which you could get drawn in seeking to help particularly is the danger. It's easy to be content in contented company.

The second the horrible toll of despair and being doomed to waste in the sun in Tucson. Those that say light is better than darkness just have not seen enough light to be worrysome. Not to diss Solomon.

The third city is clearly the misguided folly of dynamic action unchecked. The goddess jumping off the bridge because she can is no invite to follow, but sure to get a chuckle from her if you do. The guy who inspects your corpse will likely be unimpressed.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

.
To the rest of the post I was struck by the similarity of your allegory to the "trican". The phoenix, dragon, and tiger representing stasis, entropy, and dynamism respectively.

You lost me.  Allegory?  There is no allegory. 

The first city seemed to me a note of stasis until there's nothing left under the moss. The ease in which you could get drawn in seeking to help particularly is the danger. It's easy to be content in contented company.

The second the horrible toll of despair and being doomed to waste in the sun in Tucson. Those that say light is better than darkness just have not seen enough light to be worrysome. Not to diss Solomon.

The third city is clearly the misguided folly of dynamic action unchecked. The goddess jumping off the bridge because she can is no invite to follow, but sure to get a chuckle from her if you do. The guy who inspects your corpse will likely be unimpressed.

You are reading too much into it.  I was just trying to say that the future is BAD for us, but not necessarily for our children, who are smart enough to adapt to future shock via electronics and constant socialization.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Anyway, I had a question to which I really needed an answer.  Question was answered, in a way, so I'm on my way.

Good day to you, sir.  I say good day.

[Suu]

Remarkably, nobody actually lives in Providence anymore. We were able to abandon our husks of mold finally with a strong dose of lifebleach, and moved on.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

I've been slowly realizing I actually moved to Tuscon from Portland. It explains why even though I know the sun is always trying to kill me here, yet I cheerfully grab my asthma inhaler and bottle of ice water and ride off into heavy traffic.



But at least there's no mold.

[Suu]

That's just because Tucson is everywhere.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

That's just because Tucson is everywhere.

You aren't ever lying.

[The Wizard Joseph]

My mistake. I saw an allegory where none was intended. This happens to me a lot.
Please do not take my lack of timely response as disrespect. I'm often going to be hopping in and out of PD.com trying to find time to interact as I can.

I liked the post and saw a parallel to other things in what you described. Good day to you also sir.