what really goes on
ben goertzel
What really goes on around here anyway? Everyone stands around
looking normal, pretending they're real adults, smoothly functioning
social machines, but inside it's madness, fucking madness, teeming
psycho chaos. Everyone's lusting for the impossible, everyone's
nursing wild dreams. It's just a matter of the extent to which they
admit it to themselves, and others.
I guess I just admit too much. I should just keep the shell on. Here I
am: a normal man. I'm happy. I'm contented. I have a perfectly fine
life. I really do, you know. It's all so hunky-dory. I never get too
excited, no transports of overwhelming joy and wonder, no Eureka!
moments of illusory or sincere discovery. I never get depressed and
sense the senselessness it all, the pain of the limits of human
existence squeezing in on us like a vice. I never let my jaw drop in
amazement. I never scowl infinite disgust at raw human animal
stupidity. I'm overwhelmingly unoverwhelmed. In fact, I can hardly
stop myself smiling my wooden Howdy-Doody smile. What weird
contortions of the soul? What are you talking about? How would
you see those? You don't have psychic radar! It's Howdy-Doody
time, motherfuckers! Don't mind that radioactive goat bonking
poor old Howdy up the ass. Don't mind the chaotic emanations of
your insignificant little consciousness. Pay no attention to that man
behind the curtain, or to the microprocessor in his cranium, or to
the phosphorescent snake between his legs, wiggling and woggling,
trying to break off so it can race over to the Garden of Eden and pay
a visit to Evey dear. Everything will be fine. Everything will be
fine, people. Everything will be juuuust fiiiine…