Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Today's Random Wilde
Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.
"'Listen, Lady,' said Ransom. 'There is something he is not telling you. All this that we are talking has been talked before. The thing he wants you to try has been tried before. Long ago, when our world began, there was only one woman and one man in it, as you and the king are in this. And there once before he stood, as he stands now, talking to the woman. He had found her alone as he has found you alone. And she listened, and she did the thing Maleldil had forbidden her to do. But no joy and splendour came of it. What came of it I can not tell you because you have no image of it in your mind. But all love was troubled and made cold, and Maleldil's voice became hard to hear so that wisdom grew little among them; and the woman was against the man and the mother against the child; and when they looked to eat there was no fruit on the trees, and hunting for food took all their time, so that their life became narrower, not wider.'
'He has hidden the half of what happened,' said Weston's corpse-like mouth. 'Hardness came out of it but also splendour. They made with their own hands mountains higher than your Fixed Island. They made for themselves Floating Islands greater than yours which they could move at will through the ocean faster than any bird can fly. Because there was not always food enough, a woman could give the only fruit to her child or her husband and eat death instead -- could give them all, as you in your little life of playing and kissing and riding fishes have never done, nor shall do till you break the commandment. Because knowledge was harder to find, those few who found it became more beautiful and excelled their fellows as you excel the beasts; and thousands were striving for their love. . .'
'I think I will go to sleep now,' said the Lady quite suddenly. Up to this point she had been listening to Weston's body with open mouth and wide eyes, but as he spoke of the women with the thousands of lovers she yawned, with the unconcealed and unpremeditated yawn of a young cat.
'Not yet,' said the other. 'There is more. He has not told you that it was the breaking of the commandment which brought Maleldil to our world and because of which He was made man. He dare not deny it.'
'Do you say this, Piebald?' asked the Lady.
Ransom was sitting with his fingers locked so tightly that his knuckles were white. The unfairness of it all was wounding him like barbed wire. Unfair . . . unfair. How could Maleldil expect him to fight against this, to fight with every weapon taken from him, forbidden to lie and yet brought to places where truth seemed fatal? It was unfair! A sudden impulse of hot rebellion rose in him. A second later, doubt, like a huge wave, came breaking over him. How if the enemy were right after all? _Felix peccatum Adae_. Even the Church would tell him that good came of disobedience in the end. Yes, and it was true too that he, Ransom, was a timid creature, a man who shrank back from new and hard things. On which side, after all, did the temptation lie? Progress passed before his eyes in a great momentary vision: cities, armies, tall ships, and libraries and fame, and the grandeur of poetry spurting like a fountain out of the labours and ambitions of men. Who could be certain that Creative Evolution was not the deepest truth? From all sorts of secret crannies in his own mind whose very existence he had never before suspected, something wild and heady and delicious began to rise, to pour itself towards the shape of Weston. 'It is a spirit, it is a spirit,' said this inner voice, 'and you are only a man. It goes on from century to century. You are only a man. . . .'
'Do you say this, Piebald?' asked the Lady a second time.
The spell was broken.
'I will tell you what I say,' answered Ransom, jumping to his feet. 'Of course good came of it. Is Maleldil a beast that we can stop His path, or a leaf that we can twist His shape? Whatever you do, He will make good of it. But not the good He had prepared for you if you had obeyed Him. That is lost for ever. The first King and first Mother of our world did the forbidden thing; and He brought good of it in the end. But what they did was not good; and what they lost we have not seen. And there were some to whom no good came nor ever will come.' He turned to the body of Weston. 'You,' he said, 'tell her all. What good came to you? Do **you** rejoice that Maleldil became a man? Tell her of **your** joys, and of what profit you had when you made Maleldil and death acquainted.'
In the moment that followed this speech two things happened that were utterly unlike terrestrial experience. The body that had been Weston's threw up its head and opened its mouth and gave a long melancholy howl like a dog; and the Lady lay down, wholly unconcerned, and closed her eyes and was instantly asleep."
"'Listen, Lady,' said Ransom. 'There is something he is
ReplyDeletenot telling you. All this that we are talking has been
talked before. The thing he wants you to try has been
tried before. Long ago, when our world began, there
was only one woman and one man in it, as you and the
king are in this. And there once before he stood,
as he stands now, talking to the woman. He had found
her alone as he has found you alone. And she listened,
and she did the thing Maleldil had forbidden her to
do. But no joy and splendour came of it. What came
of it I can not tell you because you have no image of
it in your mind. But all love was troubled and made
cold, and Maleldil's voice became hard to hear so
that wisdom grew little among them; and the woman
was against the man and the mother against the child;
and when they looked to eat there was no fruit on
the trees, and hunting for food took all their time,
so that their life became narrower, not wider.'
'He has hidden the half of what happened,' said Weston's
corpse-like mouth. 'Hardness came out of it but
also splendour. They made with their own hands
mountains higher than your Fixed Island. They made
for themselves Floating Islands greater than yours
which they could move at will through the ocean
faster than any bird can fly. Because there was not
always food enough, a woman could give the only
fruit to her child or her husband and eat death instead --
could give them all, as you in your little life of
playing and kissing and riding fishes have never
done, nor shall do till you break the commandment.
Because knowledge was harder to find, those few who
found it became more beautiful and excelled their
fellows as you excel the beasts; and thousands
were striving for their love. . .'
'I think I will go to sleep now,' said the Lady quite
suddenly. Up to this point she had been listening
to Weston's body with open mouth and wide eyes, but
as he spoke of the women with the thousands of lovers
she yawned, with the unconcealed and unpremeditated
yawn of a young cat.
'Not yet,' said the other. 'There is more. He has
not told you that it was the breaking of the commandment
which brought Maleldil to our world and because of
which He was made man. He dare not deny it.'
'Do you say this, Piebald?' asked the Lady.
Ransom was sitting with his fingers locked so tightly
that his knuckles were white. The unfairness of it
all was wounding him like barbed wire. Unfair . . .
unfair. How could Maleldil expect him to fight against
this, to fight with every weapon taken from him,
forbidden to lie and yet brought to places where
truth seemed fatal? It was unfair! A sudden impulse
of hot rebellion rose in him. A second later, doubt,
like a huge wave, came breaking over him. How if
the enemy were right after all? _Felix peccatum Adae_.
Even the Church would tell him that good came of
disobedience in the end. Yes, and it was true too
that he, Ransom, was a timid creature, a man who shrank
back from new and hard things. On which side, after
all, did the temptation lie? Progress passed before
his eyes in a great momentary vision: cities, armies,
tall ships, and libraries and fame, and the grandeur
of poetry spurting like a fountain out of the labours
and ambitions of men. Who could be certain that
Creative Evolution was not the deepest truth? From
all sorts of secret crannies in his own mind whose
very existence he had never before suspected, something
wild and heady and delicious began to rise, to pour
itself towards the shape of Weston. 'It is a spirit,
it is a spirit,' said this inner voice, 'and you are
only a man. It goes on from century to century.
You are only a man. . . .'
'Do you say this, Piebald?' asked the Lady a second
time.
The spell was broken.
'I will tell you what I say,' answered Ransom, jumping
to his feet. 'Of course good came of it. Is Maleldil
a beast that we can stop His path, or a leaf that
we can twist His shape? Whatever you do, He will make
good of it. But not the good He had prepared for you
if you had obeyed Him. That is lost for ever. The
first King and first Mother of our world did the
forbidden thing; and He brought good of it in the end.
But what they did was not good; and what they lost we
have not seen. And there were some to whom no good
came nor ever will come.' He turned to the body of
Weston. 'You,' he said, 'tell her all. What good
came to you? Do **you** rejoice that Maleldil became
a man? Tell her of **your** joys, and of what profit
you had when you made Maleldil and death acquainted.'
In the moment that followed this speech two things
happened that were utterly unlike terrestrial experience.
The body that had been Weston's threw up its head
and opened its mouth and gave a long melancholy howl
like a dog; and the Lady lay down, wholly unconcerned,
and closed her eyes and was instantly asleep."
-- C. S. Lewis, _Perelandra_, pp. 119-122