This is a conversation that takes place on a fifth world and references planet Earth in discussing a philosophical statement by Ralph Waldo Emerson~
" ... a philosopher named Emerson who had some useful upsights about the difference between poets and mystics. I'm thinking that it's just as applicable in our cosmos as it is in his."
"I'll bite, what's the difference?"
"The mystic nails a symbol to one meaning that was true for a moment but soon becomes false. The poet, on the other hand, sees that truth while it's true but understands that symbols are always in flux and that their meanings are fleeting."
page 883, Anathem 2008 Neal Stephenson
http://www.longnow.org/anathem/
http://www.nealstephenson.com/
~
The mystic and the poet each experience truth in different ways... each creating their own reality of truth.
Republicans and Democrats each experience truth in different ways, each creating their own reality of truth as well.
The U.S. Government is actively working towards limiting the truth of that conversation for every inhabitant of planet Earth.
Actively pursuing covert and open war... mass murders and mass incarcerations,
maintaining complete surveillance of global telecommunication systems,
manipulation of global economic power with long term vision reserved for the rich and corporations.
The C.I.A. has been in the White House since V.P. Bush in 1980.
If you believe in Patriotism, than the C.I.A. exists as a covert servant of the people of the U.S.A. It has chosen to elect Bush II for the past 8 years. It is now advocating McCain/Palin for 2008.
If you believe the U.S.A. is corrupted and Patriotism has become no more than an abstract argument or nostalgic memory, then the C.I.A. has become more of a regulator of freedom than a guardian of it.
These are two possible realities to confront the state of our nation.
The U.S. Government and the mainstream media (television, national newspapers and radio) does not allow certain topics to be debated on a national level.
1. Support of Israel
2. Peace with Iran
3. Criticism of Saudi Arabia
4. U.S. Military and Covert operations in Latin America
5. Reparations for broken treaties
6. Ending the War on Drugs
It is possible that the C.I.A. tries to be a mystic while fantasizing it is a poet...
whatever truth it is hiding from the U.S.A. is destroying the morale of it's citizens through
1. Contentious and false elections
2. Pharmaceutical pacification of the public.
3. Global war on false pretenses
4. Rapid growth and use of prisons
A fictional entity from Arbe in Anathem can see the truth in the duality of poets and mystics that Emerson described to Americans over 100 years ago...
perhaps the C.I.A. will realize that unbridled truth is superior to covert manipulation of it
and liquidate itself.
