Dagge and Gut
Dagge Dorsell and Gut Golly both enjoy talking about the big issues in life. Gut is constantly worried about the size of the human population and wants to see it reduced, not through some horrid war or famine, but in a humane way simply by lowering the Birth Rate Below Reproductive Replacement BRBRR. He said you pronounce it like a baby, burrrrburrrrraaah, bit of dribble, that’s it. BRBRR, should be introduced into to the high consumption western world first, he claims. That would reduce the strain on the environment dramatically and in only a couple of generations, the balance would start to take effect. His idea is to make BRBRR a voluntary scheme, where participants get to permanently live on luxury self-sustaining cruise ships. The only condition is that their copulation does not result in procreation.
Dagge thinks that there is lots of merit in Gut’s idea. He was curious to know whether the entertainers on the cruise ships would have to be part of the scheme, or would they be part of a rotational crews.
Interesting point Dagge, there would need to be thousands of ships, so I suppose the entertainers could be rotated through the fleet, in fact, there could be a constant rotation through the fleet of everyone, so if participants were not exposed to enough social stimulation, then, mono-societal boredom could result.
Gut said mono-societal boredom is a completely unrecognized condition in the western world. Citizens are constantly bombarded with extraordinary amounts of information that is designed to activate certain behavior and they confuse this with believing they have choices. When this deluge of information stimulation is reduced, for example being sent to a nursing home, then, mono-societal boredom occurs, which can lead to a form of dementia.
Dagge your question has opened up a huge number of possibilities to keep the participants happy before they transition to the post living state. Gut went on, because of the nature of the ships, there really would not be many crew members required, because most of the work could easily be carried out by robots and Ai. Ai would constantly be monitoring the well being of the participants to keep them satisfied with themselves and each other.
You know Gut, that is a very good point you raise there, keeping the participants satisfied with themselves. Even though the consumption on board, I assume, would mainly be food and everything else would-be perception, slash, entertainment, the food and atmosphere could be regulated quite easily.
Another good point Dagge. I have been reading up on how trees are connected to each other through bacteria in the soil. It is my belief that once humans become aware of something in the natural world, then, before you know it, someone will appropriate the knowledge and replicate it.
Bacteria holds the answer to this issue. The idea that viruses and bacteria control the host is nothing new. Through the study of the bacterial connection in the effluence from the participants, the aim will be to maintain their affluence.
Dagge, I am sure there will be thousands of well-educated scientists with large education debts, they have no chance of ever repaying and will be very keen to be participants. Also, the current mega rich desperately wish to send humans off to explore the universe. What a great opportunity this will be to develop an artificial environment to work out lots of problems, a fabulous laboratory.
I am convinced they will be very dependent on bacteria. It has occurred to me, happy bacteria, happy host.
I have read propositions that bacteria travel through the universe in ice on meteors, then, when they land on an appropriate planet, they begin an evolutionary development process. This makes me realize what a silly understanding of time we have.
Dagge was stunned by the depth of thought that Gut had gone into with his idea to save humans from themselves. He said, Gut have you ever had the experience of someone say something to you, something you have been thinking about, but mentioned to no one.
Of course, Dagge, it happens to me often. I suspect that humans transmit to each other by means similar to radio waves. After all, science has demonstrated that our brains work like an electronic circuits through tiny electrical pulses between neurons. Maybe, it should be said, electronic circuits imitate the brain by sending tiny electrical pulses that progress through a switching system, not neurons.
Dagge said, where do all these thoughts of yours come from Gut? Oh, I can read Dagge, well, I don’t actually read, but I listen to audio books. Did you know, once you have listened to a book about a subject, you start getting recommendations of similar books and the next thing I know, I am aware of the most amazing things.
I think I am a member of a neo-religion called science. The only thing that bothers me is, if a very clever algorithm collected all the information that I took in, then it could possibly know more about me than I do. That is a bit scary. The other thing is, people since, whenever, for a long time anyway, have believed in Gods that know and control everything. Now, people like me are experiencing a world where the same thing is happening. Sometimes, something appears on the line, that knows everything.
By the way, have you ever listened to religious sermons and how much they fill you with fear. Politician do the same thing, if you vote for the other another party, you will be constipated for eternity.
Dagge was becoming aware that he was being drawn into a very interesting world, that appeared to be integral part of the corporate world’s image. Maybe, he thought, the big corporations are using a business model based on the great religions and they aren’t even aware of what they have appropriated.
He thought, I could be doing exactly what I think I am objecting to. There is only one way to get a better understanding of this and that is, have a chat with Bic.
Dagge and Bic, have a chat
Bic, I have been chatting with the troupe members and something occurred to me. I am starting to wonder if the idea of success is a very good idea after all. Spike Milligan, the great philosopher of the previous century, asked, is there life after birth, after all. I think I am beginning to understand his profound statement. The troupe members all appear to be reasonably well-adjusted people who are competent and generally satisfied with how their lives are going, so why on earth would someone disrupt it all for some cultural fantasy world.
Goodness Dagge, are you giving up before things are even getting started. Or, have you found what you are looking for already. Maybe, the indoctrination at the Business School is beginning to untangle.
Dagge, several years ago it occurred to me that I might not really be making that many decisions in life. We are constantly being bombarded with so much information and we don’t consciously process much of it. I once started counting every advertisement I passed by through the day, I lost interest very quickly as the numbers got into the hundreds. Information in, behaviour out. Now, humans are being exposed to so much more, because, they are hanging out on the line. Who knows what the wind carries.
Bic had seen Dagge like this before, a stunned look on a faded face. Dagge said, I could have been conditioned to believe that the purpose of existence is to never be satisfied and to keep building vigorously towards a bigger and better future. Oh no, I feel like my psychopolis is about to explode.
Dagge, it may not be a bad thing, a major mental break down occurring in a library. In fact, it maybe the best place for it to happen. If you were currently in a hospital, then, you would be directed into an isolated area, locked up, that is, and given medication. Before you know it, your stay will be determined by how long your health insurance covers you. Whereas, in the library, you are another client with access to lots of knowledge and you can leave at closing time or when you get hungry.
The colour began to return to Dagge’s face as Bic reassured him that his psychopolis was not about to explode there and then in the library, creating an unimaginable mess of thoughts, feeling, ideas and goodness knows what else, spread all over the reading room in the library.
Dagge spoke slowly and quietly, Bic, he said, have you ever had a moment when you suddenly feel that most of your beliefs and activities have been programmed into your brain?
Dagge we are the first humans to have a primitive replication of our brains in the form of personal computers. Computers do seem to resemble autistic behavior in some ways and I can accept that programming and indoctrination could resemble each other, but, at the present time, I would say most humans have a slight intellectual advantage over a smart phone.
Bic went on, I am only thinking out loud, I don’t really know what I am talking about. The current ability to process large amounts of data quickly is so recent, that the ramifications of how the computer is going to impact on the evolutionary developments of humans is way beyond the scope of a fellow like me sitting in a comfortable library.
Sorry Dagge, I lost it and started to ramble on. I really don’t know whether there is a clear distinction between programming and indoctrination. One is done with a clear result defined at the outset, the other hopes for a desired result.
We definitely are indoctrinated from the outset and it is totally unavoidable and necessary for survival, culture, in sickness and in health. Do we ever get clever enough to be able to make choices on everything that affects us, I would say no.
Dagge remained silent again for some time and then said, I am almost certain I have been brainwashed and now, I do not agree with what I have been indoctrinated with. Sorry, Bic, if I am having a mental breakdown in front of you. I have no previous experience of doubt at this depth. I promise you I will not go anywhere near a hospital though, could you please recommend something for me to read.
Well, Dagge, when I have been overcome with the inability to cope with the world, I would get a book titled,” When all else fails, it’s time to turn to frog farming”, but now, it doesn’t work for me anymore, because I now imagine what the current system would do to such an enterprise.
Sorry Dagge, I am of little help, you are not alone, the culture we exist in, only seems to deal in economics. The functioning problems of an independent biological computer are only of interest, when it can be quantified and incorporated into the GDP.
Bic said, I wonder how long it will take to replicate a biological computer in a laboratory. It would be really funny if it was achieved and then, it turned out to be totally lazy with no desire to follow instructions, cost a fortune to maintain and gave off a putrid odour.
Dagge started laughing at this and finally said, what a glorious day for humanity. I think I have overcome my mental breakdown Bic, “No matter how bad you think it is, it can always get worse”.
Dagge opens up to Bawd
Dagge did not know how to resign from a job he really didn’t have. Not much had been established formally about the establishment of the troupe Psychopolies, except, an agreement that it could be a possibility. He felt though he had to declare himself to the troupe. He decided his first contact was with Bawd and so, he would talk with Bawd.
Dagge came straight out and said, Bawd I can’t go through with it, there are too many issues that I can’t resolve about being manager of a musical troupe. I no longer feel a part of the culture of the corporate world.
Bawd totally shocked Dagge when he said, join the club, the world of contradictions and hypocrisy. If I had the wealth to not have to worry about looking after my family and of course myself. I would be gone in a flash. I can see my self in some small community where music is important and people wish to live calm happy lives.
Life for me Dagge is being a little creature existing on some great monster that has no idea about what it is and what enables it to survive. I am lucky to be able to associate with other little creatures that have similar ideas and together we have managed for several years to survive at a reasonable standard. How long this will last for, who knows and if it falls apart, then, what to do, and how to adapt for what lays ahead.
Dagge thought, oh no, Bawd knows more about me than I do. He started to fade and think his neurons are going to short circuit.
Dagge, Bawd said, in a reassuring manner, it’s okay, everything is fine. No damage, it’s all good, in this occupation, there are lots of fizzers, you are not a heavy.
Dagge, felt like a kid when he said to Bawd, this is the first time in my life I have felt like a person who is beginning to get to know other people. Up to now, my world has been a career, networks, dog eat dog, if you are not some great hero, you are a failure. You fellas are all really good at what you do and are satisfied with that, this has been a real eye opener for me.
Dagge, live fast, die young is the fantasy land of the corporate entertainment world, it is not real. There is nothing behind the imagery, it is all, two-D cardboard.
Bawd, went on, Dagge we are keen about Psychopolies. We probably have a different concept to what you have been proposing though. We are not interested in becoming corporate fodder, there are thousands of hopefuls every year lining up to be minced up in the corporate meat grinder. A very small number get to become greatly indebted and manage to pay off some of the debt. An even smaller number come out the other end with something to show for it and then, kaput, they are gone through exhaustion.
We would like to record some original material at this stage of our lives. Something we can be proud of and enjoy for however long we live for. We need someone to organize all that. By the way, Watt is impressed with Bic and would like to co-write with him.
We are really only basic journey men who happen to be musicians, we don’t believe that Dolly and Bubbles are even real.
We deal with agency people all the time and they have a very narrow perspective of the world, they are not bad, only narrow. They are like those monks from the past, that would argue endlessly about how many angels fit on a pin head. Bread and circus, that is our world, though, we like to ensure there is enough bread for everyone.
As you know, we spend a fair amount time in recording studios. They exist through making advertisements, not pop songs. Sometimes, things don’t happen and because the studio, engineers and musicians have been booked, we hang around and get paid. Our idea is simple, we do our recording instead of nothing. Also, we sometimes finish something quickly and there maybe an hour left on the clock; we will take advantage of this.
We can get you included on the roster of enough jobs to earn enough for you to survive on. There will be some very ordinary tasks for you to do, but you will be paid. This will help you to learn lots of important things. You will get to know those who will be able to happily help us. For all the air heads and bums in this industry, there are lots of very good people simply getting on with life.
Dagge sat in stunned silence, when Bawd said, what do you think?
Count me in, at the present time, I think it would be a good idea if I started my life over again.
Bawd said, a very old friend on mine is very fond of the drink and one day he said to me, what is the difference between a five-dollar bottle of wine and a one-hundred-dollar bottle, Bawd. I have no idea Wobbley, I said.
Ninety-five dollars, I thought you were smarter than that, Bawd.