Bold War 2020

by Redemption

  "Rung 4. Result is 10 Q - vastly 'upgraded' people.

  "Rung 5. From which 10 R is achieved. CCitizens, Deeemocracy and CCivilization for individuals, organisations and governments.

  "Rung 6. From which Sofah Inc. uses its financial proceeds to launch into the Third World. QED. Chrysalis to Christiana.

  "How to get there is clear and straight-forward now - in retrospect. But way back then, in prospect, it was totally unclear, confusing, complex, and difficult to the point of being impossible."

  "Very good Andrew," she smiles, patting him on his inert shoulder. "You're obviously getting the hang of it." She starts to speed up her speech as if in a hurry. "Now for the last few terms and phrases. Related to Smiles is 'DIMPLES'. Deeemocracy (through) Inspiracy, Mentology, Provolution (and) Life Enhancing Smiles. DIMPLES is an acronym of acronyms, hence in capital letters. An aide-memoire for the overall process which may be of use to you in future.

  "Also, mankind has been through various 'Ages', the most recent one for you, and still current then being the 'Information Age'. Much of the twentieth century has been dubbed by us as the 'Twilight Age'. Twilight, as in 'dimly illuminated' and 'state of imperfect knowledge and understanding'. Twilight can be evening or morning. Some saw it as a twilight darkening before a new Dark Age. Few thought the uncertainties could lead to the dawning of another Renaissance. Most didn't think about it at all, they were too preoccupied in their quest for pleasure, fun and excitement - they were completely in the dark!"

  Noticing him frown, she says "I will elaborate for you. Another diagram. Yes, it is detail, but it also clarifies and I know you will appreciate it."

  VV

  D: Twilight Age:

  Line (1) Technological change. Very slow since the time mankind existed, until the last few centuries when it, 'the racehorse', began to accelerate exponentially.

  Line (2) Social capacity. Society's ability to handle the use and results of technology stayed ahead of (1) until recent centuries. While (2) stayed ahead of (1) society progressed, at a slow but generally orderly pace.

  (3) Then (1) overtook (2) at point 'x'. The rate of progress of (2) slowed and began to fall away. The difference between (1) and (2), negative and increasing, was a measure of discord, disabilities and dysfunction. The racehorse was getting out of control and kicking down stable doors. One commentator likened it to the 'Twilight of the Gods' - the Norse myth where gods and giants were fighting and destroying each other. Disorder and disequilibrium in society were increasing towards the threshold of stability found in the complexity and diversity of advanced dissipative structures.(41)

  (4) Enter Mentology at point 'z', the turning point in 4AB, which began the transformation of the abilities of individuals and society. The Provolution pre-empted the nightmare of revolution. Smiles enabled society to manage technology, to get the best out of it, to use it to help society fully instead of impeding it in dangerous ways. Smiles enabled CCitizenry, Deeemocracy and CCivilization. The crisis of civilisation was averted - instead of heading disastrously to (2a), beyond rescue, society leapt to the elevated position of (2b). Technology was also enhanced. The racehorse was under control and going even faster. Instead of drooping to (1a) because of a society in disaster it rose triumphant to (1b).

  (5) The area 'xyz' became known as the Twilight Zone or Twilight Triangle, or TTTT - Twilight Tragedy (to) Triumph Triangle. Initially as mysterious as the Bermuda Triangle but ultimately and incomparably more significant. 'xz' was the evening twilight, descending ominously into the cusp of the Triangle, the nadir, the dark of night, the leap of lemmings. 'zy' became the morning twilight, the dawning of enlightenment, ('piccaninny daylight' as Pip called it), the march of Mentology.

  Line (6) Our silent partner PP1, evolved over aeons and worked perfectly in our service. By 2050 Mentology has developed our minds to the extent that we have rocketed through (2b) and are at point where 'mindpower' (PP2) equates with the complexities and sophistication of PP1 ('manpower'?). We are approaching the period (2c) of genuine full PPartnership and optimum Social Capital.

  (7) The time from point 'z' is known as the Naissance Period and/or the Mentology Era. We are now entering what we believe will be the Golden Age, when the unearthed Buried Treasures are in full use - perhaps to be termed 'etherialisation', the development of higher intangible riches as the ultimate growth of civilisation, as one historian put it a century ago.(42) (Mind you, we have to admit that a perfect world is not an attainable goal, but at least we are much closer.)

  =

  Andrew: "Profound imagery of 'twilight'. Kent and I, if you think about it, had our personal twilights; he in his near-death experience followed by his transformation, me in my thirty year coma and present 'conversion' process."

  Christiana: "I hadn't thought of it that way - very perceptive. The world emerging from that Twilight Zone to the Mentology Era and the Golden Age saw more wide-ranging reforms and greater elevation of the human race than any, indeed all of the preceding Ages. A prominent scientist (43) once opined that science is incomparably the most successful activity that humans have ever engaged upon. And he may well have been correct - until the Bold War which replaced science, indisputably, in that lofty position. In general scientists believed it necessary in the long run to elevate ourselves by conscious evolution and proactive priming in order to stay ahead of computers and their rapidly improving intelligence.

  "I noticed you also gave a little frown when I referred to the Naissance Period and tried to dink it when it failed to automatically provide detail. I should have told you I would be turning off the VC word definition feature today - too many interruptions to my talk. Some people wanted to call it the 'New Renaissance'. The old one in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries had been accompanied by a world explosion of arts and science, voyages of discovery and riches and travel. In 21C we experienced a new explosion - of discovery within ourselves followed by wide application of the new found resources. But the Team could not be persuaded to use the term. 'This is about more than finding new lands, or a re-birth of arts and letters,' they said. 'This is totally new, the birth of full use of human abilities, never happened before - so, if anything we should call it "the Naissance."' (They somehow overlooked the 'renaissance' of citizens as CCitizens, democracy as Deeemocracy, and civilisation as CCivilization, but by then the new word had taken root.)

  "Some went further and called it 'Noon' - Naissance Of Our Nascence. After the morning of our discontent, the gestation period and its problem pregnancy were overcome and our nascent, hidden abilities emerged to the troubled world to begin shaping our destiny, instead of just living it out.

  "And now is a good time for that other term, the biggest tragedy of all time, the one you had a hand in, the one that hovered unrecognised in the background of the outstanding success of science. It was disaster so monstrous and, in hindsight, so unnecessary. The 'TTragedy' that you have twice dinked without success. TTragedy stands for 'Titanic Tragedy'."

  V

  D: Titanic Tradgedy:

  "As in the ship?" Andrew asks, feeling he is nott going to like what he is about to hear.

  "Partially. Firstly, titanic, as in huge, gigantic, tremendous, colossal. Secondly, needless, like the ship that sank. If only the captain,… etc. Thirdly, and far worse than the loss of several thousand lives on the ship, this TTragedy was responsible for many millions of deaths and unnecessary suffering through wars, crime, etc… The incalculable tragedy, recognised so belatedly, was that many if not all the enormous consequences could have been avoided. Smiles could have been mounted half a century earlier. But like movable type in the printing process, the stirrup, and many other inventions so obvious in retrospect, it was 'overlooked' for years. Nobody saw the larger view, the possibilities, the totality. Or if they did, they hadn't the means or interest or fortitude to pursue it."

  =

  "Your point has been made - again," said Andrew, in exasperation. Trying to change the subject, "They seem to b
e relegating themselves of late to the 'double capital' words - as in TTragedy, CCitizens, CCivilization. Because it's easier?"

  "To some extent - and quicker. But it can get the message across just as well, especially if a suitable acronym can't be found. Better a reasonable double-cap than a poor acronym. But, since you ask, there was an alternative term to TTragedy, an acronym that was a serious contender for a time. It was 'the Bigstuffup'.

  V

  D: The Bigstuffup:

  Christiana: "People were blind to the dangers, the trends and their causes. They were ignorant and irresponsible, foolish and lacking sense - gormless. They squandered the chance to use their inbuilt assets, resulting in tragic outcomes through their unthinking and uncaring inaction. The result was a farcical (ridiculous proceeding) fiasco (ludicrous failure) and an unnecessary (because the solutions were at hand / already known) predicament.

  "How big was the Bigstuffup? It was as enormous as it was pathetic. Its mounting danger was matched only by its seeming invisibility. Breeding inside myopic minds, it had the ingredients to plague the planet to its knees. Left alone it would have rent society asunder, undone much of the world's 'progress' over centuries."

  =

  "And along the way they demolished a few myths and oxymorons. It's now a world where, generally speaking of course, sense has become common, learning is lifelong, wisdom conventional and peace (almost) universal. And a lot of trust is implicit, truth evident, achievements great and community respected.

  V

  D: Browns (4)

  John B: "I was delighted to elevate to CCitizenship. I always had a feeling it would be great if everyone could move in that general direction, but I had no idea what could achieved realistically. The extra involvement and responsibility has been stimulating and rewarding. And not difficult or worrying or too time-consuming - because of 10Q."

  Leonard: "Provolution - the revolution in thinking. Mentology - so obvious, so incomprehensible that the so-called 'superior status of man' hadn't latched on to it earlier."

  Harrison: "You may have thought things were bad, but obviously they weren't bad enough, for mindsets of the time at least, to instigate action. There wasn't enough pressure to think about, let alone act for, something better."

  Leonard: "They were 'getting by'".

  John B: "And there were so many general problems, so large and complex 'out there', and too much, too difficult for any individual to initiate action and make an impact. So numerous, and yet so ill-defined, like Sed."

  Harrison: "In the end it was a matter of putting together in a new way the various available knowledge. All the components had been there, converging, waiting for the trigger."

  Eleanor: "Under their noses all the time. Why weren't more women involved? Most people want security and freedom, roots and wings. Smiles is the coupling that embraces all. One of the best things the government did was to give full empowerment to all people."

  Harrison: "Not so. The government didn't give it, empowerment came from within. The inner resources broke through the outer limits. And if governments had stood in the way, as is their habit, they would have lost office, especially under Deeemocracy. Our mature Deeemocracy is as far above the pseudo-democracy of 2020 as that in turn was above the infant democracy of ancient Greece."

  Chancy: "Although man had achieved a lot, there was so much more to achieve. Tools had been the extension of his arms, and instruments of his senses. Smiles gave him the extension of his great unused abilities. Smiles is the DNA of the Mentology Era and the wellspring of Social Capital."

  John B: "My one regret is that McTrue didn't get going. It would have got rid of the crooks and free loaders much faster. It was criminal to let criminals get away with what they did for so long."

  =

  Andrew feels a glow of enlightenment and understanding, which cools as she adds "I must be going now, or I'll be late for the opera. By the way Dr Dench has given permission for a special visitor to see you. We have been given to understand his visit is important and confidential. It's my day off tomorrow, I look forward very much to seeing you Monday, maybe with some news about your progress.

  'And Andrew… ," She pauses, looking thoughtful and, for the first time since he had known her, frowning. "This man you will be seeing…… . He has been checked out by security, so he will be OK,… but overall security has been increased substantially and Dr Dench won't say why. So be careful, won't you?"

  "Of course," Andrew responds, wondering how, in any stretch of the imagination, anything a man in his limited position might do could amount to carelessness. A twinge of nervousness and possible danger creeps in as he wonders.

  She bends and gives him a warm kiss on the cheek. He wishes he was going with her, instead of 'Duke' or whoever. He finds himself very, for a man of his age, jealous. In his imagination he hears patches of opera music as, unsettled and left at a loose end for the first time without being sleepy, his mind drifts by a process unknown to him to 'MMM'. None of the disclosures so far have elaborated on the meaning, if any, of the inscription in Kent's near-death experience. He dinks the VC and after a short search, with an eagerness belying his distaste for new words, dinks MMM.

  ~

  VV

  D: MMM (1):

  Rose: "Although he kept himself busy on the Quest, Kent was intrigued by the unexplained vision in his dream. He remembered clearly the image of the inscription and his deep conviction at the time that it was both meaningful and important - not just an insignificant insignia. It niggled at his mind and rubbed off on the rest of us. To the point where one day when the project was well advanced and we needed a break I said, 'Kent, let's see if we can get to the bottom of this MMM. We know it's bothering you, and that bothers us; for a change we could exercise our team, instead of acronym-making, at acronym-breaking.' Kent jumped at the chance, though he would never have been the one to suggest it."

  "I've racked my brains on many a night," he said. "I expect each of the letters represents a word related to the contents of the cauldron - perhaps its nature or composition or features or use. Certainly I hope it's something more meaningful than Monty's Murky Molasses."

  Rose: "Yes, indeed. I suggest we use this as a mental exercise. "Each of the group put their minds to it, sleep on it, and tomorrow lunchtime we pool our thoughts."

  Next day: Mario, (before he left the Hebrides): "I have a bright idea, I say it stands for:

  Mafia - the bad influence from which people need to be rescued,

  McTrue - the saviour, and

  Magnum Opus - the great story which follows."

  Pip: "Not bad, Mario, but how about:

  Malaise - the general condition we've fallen into,

  Mentology - the way out of it, and

  Maturation - the resulting condition of society."

  Rick: "What a creative bunch. I suggest:

  Mindless mess - from which we can't see our way out,

  Modified mindsets - which is what we need, and

  Meta-management - sustainable outcome from which we all benefit."

  Ed: "Cheeky for using double m's, but since you've started it:

  Myopic materialism - from which it is hard to extricate ourselves,

  Marshalled multi skills - which are there for the Mustering, and

  Mega-metamorphosis - to which we all have a RRight.

  (What about a series of stories on 'The Three Bold M's from the yeast?)"

  Xena (yawning): "What about Miniscule Moribund Mumbo-jumbo?"

  ~

  ==

  Andrew thinks, with his eyes paused to dink, "Maybe Xena's right. That's enough. For a few moments I was beginning to like playing with words, but this is too much. It's what Rose would have to admit is a 'plethora of profligate pedantry'.……… But, on second thoughts,… what the hell, let's maintain the momentum."

  ~

  VV

  D: MMM (2):

  Rose: "The discussions obviously stimulated something in Kent's subconscio
us because next morning he emerged triumphant."

  Kent: "The answer came to me in what I can best call a 'meditation montage'. It wasn't 3M as in third millennium, it was like a three-act play. We were on the right track, but the answer, at least the one I see, is more sophisticated and gets at the gist of what we have been about in our Quest.

  "M1 refers to the tragedy the world was in - unnecessary difficulties and looming dangers when the solutions were in front of us. Or, actually, within us - the unseen and unused Buried Treasures and PPartnerships. But M1 wasn't any of the single words we put forward, it was a composite. It was (is) Musty - on the one hand generally descriptive of the mess we were in: material in form, mental in cause, and misguided. But Musty in my meditation stood for 'Mister Unawares Syndrome Tragedy Yaws'. Yaws? It didn't make sense until I looked it up - 'contagious tropical skin-disease with large red swellings'. Alternatively, 'yaw - fail to hold a straight course, go unsteadily'. Both indicative.

  "M2 relates to the solutions to problems, for so long overlooked, neither magical nor miraculous, but certainly of the mind and with merit. The word I saw, and I couldn't believe it at first, was MustarD, (hotting things up?) standing for Mustering Universal Secret Treasures (to) Actualise Resources (through) DIMPLES.

  "And M3 referred to the result. Yes, it could have been meta-management, maturation, or even magnum opus, certainly metamorphosis. But none of these words by themselves is enough. It was a nice metaphor - Music - Metamorphosis Utilising Smiles (to) Implement CCivilization."

  Rose: "We were all happy with that. Other possibilities were endless, but we had to get back to work. MMM - Musty MustarD Music - encapsulated the whole situation - the problems, our efforts, our goals and the answers. It was emblematic. And many other combinations of letters can achieve the same result - can be whatever anyone wants it to be, as long as they think about it carefully and deeply. (Try it, readers.)"