.
/ Forum > TheologyOnline: Philosophy ~ Religion /
/ Newsgroups: alt.fan.authors.stephen-king and /
/ alt.philosophy and alt.religion.apologetics / 19oct02 /
.
In '' the main character is the Overlook Hotel,
and a key feature of this place-that-shines is that it harbors
a boiler in the basement. Now this boiler was designed and
built to last forever, and it only has one small flaw. Like most
boilers it tends to build up the pressure when times are good.
So when the pressure gets too high (ie. into the red zone on
the gauge) a safety-valve automatically opens, thus releasing
the excess steam and gradually lowering the pressure to
acceptable levels.
.
But the Overlook's boiler has a safety-valve that is rusted
shut, and so can't do its job (which is to say that it doesn't
really have a safety-valve at all). This peculiarity leaves
the hotel (and its ghostly occupants) absurdly dependent on
the goodwill of ordinary human beings, since somebody must
become its living safety-valve by going down there every
day and manually turning the wheel that releases the
excess pressure.
.
This vitally important task is the caretaker's chief
responsibility, of course; but if the man ever forgets that
he is a living safety-valve, then the pressure builds and
builds and builds until it pushes the needle deep into the red
zone, and then ... one real nasty explosion results! In fact,
this is how the hotel is destroyed at the end of the story,
so obviously management did not succeed in retaining the
goodwill of its human safety-valve.
.
However, this is a happy ending; owing chiefly to the fact
that the Overlook Hotel is a 'very bad place' anyway. So okay.
Let us now liken the world to the Overlook Hotel (both things
are, after all, closed and finite systems). For many people it
is a nasty, miserable place; and all of these people generate
heat and steam, and so put pressure on the boiler. As the
world's population steadily increases, so does the pressure
on the boiler.
.
In the past this population-pressure thing was not a big
problem since the world does, in fact, have a functional (and
automatic) safety-valve; namely, war. The problem for the
current century is that there is a considerable (and growing)
counter-pressure working against all forms of warfare. The
problem is that if the anti-war forces succeed in eliminating
all war, they will have effectively wrecked the world's only
working safety-valve. In this scenario there is no caretaker
to come along and manually relieve the excess pressure.
The final result can only be calamity.
.
- the almost nasty and miserable one - textman ;>
.
P.S. First Proof of the thesis that perception is intentional:
Have you ever noticed [thx to George C.] that your own farts
are always so much better and sweeter than everyone else's?
x
/ Newsgroups > alt.politics.economics /
/ and alt.philosophy and alt.religion.apologetics /
/ Forum > TheologyOnline: Philosophy ~ Religion / 09Nov02 /
.
Dear Cyber-Saints, today's sermon will involve following the
example of the great philosopher Albert Einstein, who owes the
bulk of his more scientific achievements to his rigorous method
of thought experimentation. So let us now conduct a little
thought-experiment of our own. Let us suppose that there is
a wonderful and wealthy land in the north. And let us further
suppose that this prosperous northern kingdom is ruled by a
benevolent tyrant known throughout the nation as King Klang.
Now this king is a wise and powerful king; and so he is much
feared and admired, not only by his own people, but also by
the kings and peoples of all the neighboring nation-states,
including even the mighty eastern emperor himself.
.
All around the world people look to the peaceful and beautiful
country of King Klang, and long to be there. And so people come
from all over the world to be as peaceful and beautiful and
prosperous as the good kingdom itself. And when they arrive,
they usually end up in one or the other of the twin-cities that
are the pride and glory of the kingdom. So whereas most nations
have but one main metropolis of cosmopolitan nature (being
the center of the country's commercial, industrial, and political
affairs), the kingdom of King Klang can boast of two: Tisza in
the south, and River-City in the north (where the great king
rules and resides; although he was born and raised in Tisza).
.
Now the king's city in the north has a slow and lazy river
meandering its way through the midst of the city in a north-
easterly direction, and this is why they call it River-City.
The people of the kingdom, you see, are a practical and
sensible sort of people who are generally content and grateful
to be living in the Promised Land. They frown upon crime and
violence, and care not for those who dare to disturb the peace.
They fear God, yet are mostly tolerant of the many new arrivals
from distant lands who will have curious customs and strange
ideas of their own. Thus they are a good people who love the
land, and the kingdom; and they pray that no evil shall fall
upon it (so as to upset them in any way). Many even love the
king, and pray for him; for it is the king's business to honor
the status quo, and to protect the kingdom from all harms.
.
So, for example, in order to protect the people from the harm
associated with smoking cigarettes, the king doubled the price
of a pack of cigarettes from $5 to $10 so as to disincline
the people (especially the young) from pursuing the nasty
habit. The king thus demonstrates his concern for the health
and welfare of his subjects by forcing smokers to contribute
more than their fair share to the king's already magnificent
Treasury. Did I not mention that the king is a rich and
powerful king? Yes indeed; for much of his wealth comes
from the ruthless exploitation of his land's abundant natural
resources (such as oil and gas). Even water is sold at profit.
.
But the large vaults of the king's treasury are also constantly
enriched by endless contributions from the citizens themselves,
in the form of heavy taxation and many penalties for various
sins and crimes. For example, all of those citizens who drive
cars and/or drink alcoholic beverages must pay great sums
to enjoy these privileges; and the bulk of these revenues
go straight to the king. Of course, King Klang is lavish in his
spending as well; and so there must be some goodly measure of
reasonable balance between the incoming and outgoing funds
(for a well-controlled economy is essential to the general
health and welfare of the kingdom and all its peoples).
.
However, maintaining the proper economic balance is not the
primary problem facing the king. The real problem is that the
actual value of the king's resources and treasury is entirely
out of his control; ie. the real value is determined by the
movements of the world economy. Now this total lack of control
over the numbers on the bottom line enrages the king, and
creates a sense of uneasy fear; since it seems a contradiction
(to some citizens) to rely on a controlled economy that is
ultimately determined by various external, and extremely
irrational, forces and conditions. As a result, the king is
very protective of his wealth, and also highly motivated to
attack anything that will endanger the general prosperity
of the kingdom.
.
Now the king has been maddened even further by the recognition
(on the part of many of the world's other nation-states) that
gasoline-fueled automobiles (of which there are far too
many for health of the planet) are a major contributor to the
greenhouse gases that cause global warming (one effect
of which is the ongoing drought that is causing the king's
farmers so much pain and anguish lo these recent years),
and the conjoined resolve to lower the levels of these
harmful emissions.
.
But this is all a big joke, of course; for if the nations of
the world were truly concerned about the problem of the soon-
to-be-imminent destruction of a habitable planet, then they
would at once cease to give assurances about future actions,
and instead act now to reduce the numbers of gasoline-powered
engines. This can be done by simply replacing gas-cars with
hydrogen-fueled vehicles that do not harm the world. Yet
this is not at all an easy project to execute on the global
scale! The conversion will cost billions; but could be well
under way in under a decade.
.
The main problem here is that the rich and powerful ones of
this world (the "movers and shakers" who actually control
our collective destiny) simply will not let this happen; for
without their active cooperation the project cannot even
begin. After all, why lose billions when you can far more
easily gain billions?! Thus these vile creatures do not
care one whit about the health of the planet, or about the
destructive consequences of their insatiable greed.
.
Therefore the suffering of the farmers is no real concern for
the king in the face of this major threat to his wealth. He
would much rather attack the eastern emperor for supporting
the other concerned nations, and for daring to impose his will
upon the king's domains. It would seem, therefore, that King
Klang is not so benevolent after all, since most of his power
and great wealth depend directly upon the ongoing poisoning
of the environment.
.
In light of all this, it seems rather hypocritical of the
government to force cigarette-makers to adorn their products
with large and impressive warning messages (such as 'Please
don't poison us!'), while at the same time poisoning the entire
planet on the grand scale. But the hypocrisy actually extends
far beyond the level of governmental legislation. Thus the
king's callous indifference to the poor (manifested in the
lack of control over landlords whose greed has run amok in a
situation where the people are coming in much faster than the
homes are going up to house them, and also in a minimum-wage
rate that is put to shame by the neighboring countries, etc)
would not be tolerated by the citizens unless the majority of
them fully shared the king's anti-Christian attitude toward
those beneath the middle classes.
.
This general lack of love and concern for the poor is
cut from the same cloth as the lack of concern for the
environment, and the apathy extended towards the well-being
of future generations. Thus the people are really no different
from their king; just as the king is no different from those
movers and shakers who find their power and wealth in the
blood, sweat, and tears of the poor. Sadly, the only ones
willing to make the necessary changes (to preserve the future)
are just those who are powerless to put them into effect.
.
Here in River-City there are many who can no longer afford to
pay the extortionist rents demanded by the blood-suckers, and
so are forced to live outdoors. And because their tents and
lean-to's are not equipped with toilets, they tend to leave
their deposits right there on the ground! But the citizens
really don't appreciate these low-life's shitting up their
lovely river-valley. It tends to rather spoil their enjoyment
of its natural beauty, you see.
.
Yes, the kingdom of King Klang IS a nice place to live; *IF*
you're rich enough to afford the many and various expenses
involved in living there! From a distance the river (like the
kingdom itself) looks charming and inviting, but if you get
right up close to it, phew, what's that smell?
.
- the partially smelly one - textman ;><
.
PS. From out of the abundance of the heart, the fingers typeth!
x
+
/ Re: The Kingdom of King Klang / Newsgroups: alt.philosophy /
/ alt.religion.apologetics, alt.politics.economics / 10Nov02 /
.
> Sir Frederick <[email protected]> wrote: <snipsome>
> Such is nature. In all slime mold colonies, some cells
> become fruiting bodies, others support fruiting bodies,
> and others die. Depends on the contextual story.
> Such is life.
.
textman replies: "slime mold colonies", you say? Hai!
.
>> Many moons ago Thomas Edison (1847-1931) wrote:
>> "There ain't no rules around here!
>> We're trying to accomplish something!"
.
tx: LOL ... haha, good one Mr Edison! I had no idea
that you were so bloody observant! :)
.
- the almost timeless one - textman ;>
x
Goto More Minors