One by one, the twinkling stars stopped twinkling. Their lights dimmed, then brightened, then dimmed again and, finally, died. Early that night, the sky was so full of stars there was no space between any two of them to place another. Before 4:00 a.m., though, only a dozen unfamiliar points of light remained in that massive eternity of blank space. Like the rest of the stars, our sun had disappeared and, with it, the comforting heat that had constantly radiated from it. The Fahrenheit-scale thermometers that day registered temperatures as high as -75°F and as low as -202°F at that predictable moment before gravity became so intense that spacetime itself shattered like. Many of our astronomer colleagues call that moment The Singularity. We who fully understand the way this entire situation unfolded are more apt to call it The Impropriety. Whatever the term, neither words nor the situation they describe could have existed until the discovery of Frangible Fluid, an exceedingly delicate liquid crystalline structure that can be bent, broken, stretched, compressed, and used as paint, among other applications. Absent the discovery of Frangible Fluid, human society would have been unable to successfully merge all religions into a single compelling belief system (incorporating…magically…evangelicalism, atheism, agnosticism, Christianity, Islam, voodoo, and others). Frangible Fluid, too, enabled us to combine all forms of government and governance into an innocuous mixture of accountability, empathy, morality, selfishness, and social obligations. Watch for news media announcements and widespread promotions/propaganda about both The Impropriety and Frangible Fluid.
+++
I have written in months past about the fact that various files relating to my medical history describe me as a “pleasant 71-year-old man.” I assume the “pleasant” is just a code word for “not overly obnoxious.” What would the doctor’s notes say about me if I filtered neither my language nor my behavior? I assume the files will be updated after my birthday to indicate I am a “72-year-old man.” What kind of person might they call me if I behaved badly on a regular basis?
| Surly | Psychotic |
| Offensive | Stupid |
| Nasty | Rude |
| Abusive | Cruel |
| Uncaring | Unfriendly |
| Deranged | Unnaturally Happy |
| Rectangular | Dangerous |
+++
I would be willing to sell my soul, except that I am afraid I would be disappointed and embarrassed to discover the demand for it could be astonishingly low. I wonder what an attorney who specializes in soul-based commercial exchange might include in a contract for sale? Perhaps I would be more successful if I were to offer a rental arrangement; the “buyer” probably would feel better about having some form of guarantee.
+++
I am considering the possibility of building nuclear weapons. Among the first purchases, I think, to enable me to begin production will be a centrifuge—I often read news articles about the importance of centrifuges in nuclear weapon proliferation. Where would I go for a construction permit? I could probably produce a counterfeit permit; after all, someone willing to buy centrifuges “under the table” probably is the kind of person who would engage in counterfeiting valuable papers. Next question, am I that kind of person? If something were to keep me from getting involved in counterfeiting, would that something be my own internal morality-based obstacles or my fear of the repercussions? I have to admit I have an apparently endless supply of fear of prosecution and imprisonment. But my fear of others’ judgment of me might be even stronger. I’ve always been advised not to put any stock in what other people think about me…unless they are people who have the potential capacity to “make” or “break” me. If others’ perceptions would play a big part in my thinking, I would be deeply embarrassed by who I am. But, then, if I didn’t value others’ opinions of me, what kind of person would I be? Once thing I would NOT be is a person I would want to spend time with.
+++
Biblical quotes sometimes consist of the most powerful set of words relevant to a particular topic. For example:
Matthew 7:1-6. Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
