“What is it? Did something bad happen to Boleslav the Bold that turned him to stone?” “No, Boleslav is still our king.” “But what is this – object?” “I call it a ‘statue,’" said the man with rock-dust in his hair, “a thing like a man, that we at home may remember him as he swords his way through the provinces.” “And these banners, flags, …?” “For the ceremony,” said the sculptor, “for the dedication of our new ‘statue.’” “That will prove a great occasion, for sure!” “Yes, … [Read more...]
“’The tribe, our only god…’” / A Memorable Fancy #353
26 May, 2013 by Leave a Comment
[“…la tribu, notre seul dieu, nous tient tous embrassés.” – Henri Michaux] The tribe is our only god. Whatever our tribe commands we do unquestioningly, even to the loss of our lives. The tribe, after all, is what ties us all together, while each of us is only one lone human being. How could one presume to seek his own counsel against the tribe’s embrace? We bow, we do. But one asked, “Who speaks for the tribe? Is it not a tyrant? Does he not command in his own interest, not … [Read more...]
“Wait for Sleep” / A Memorable Fancy #186
10 December, 2012 by Leave a Comment
A government agency is formed to spy on citizens’ unconscious minds. Its mission is to detect dangerous tendencies, radical thoughts that have not yet percolated into consciousness, thoughts that occur only in dreams. Of course, since the offense is unconscious, it wouldn’t be right to punish the guilty while they were conscious and unaware of their crime. We can, however, wait for sleep. … [Read more...]
Memorable Fancies 