Inherit the WindmillsWhen it comes to quixotic quests, perhaps none is more
intractable than nudging a hopelessly dysfunctional system in the
Bokononic direction of enlightenment.
A year ago, Dave Souza had
reminded me of
Augustine, who is notable for having introduced the term "Original Sin" into the conversation. Of course, being a systems scientist rather than a theologian, I'm more inclined to analyze ''
systemic errors'' rather than reckon anything as mortifying as "Original Sin." Still, it occurred to me that Augustine might have been on to something, so I took a closer look at what he was blathering on about with all of that godspeak.
Turns out a few of those pioneering oligarchs (e.g.
Solon and
Hammurabi, among others) had introduced a tragic logic error into their calculus. Rather than call it "Original Sin," I'd rather call it "Hammurabi's Original Logic Error" or "Humankind's Original Logic Error." Either way, the acronym comes out
HOLE, so that one can smile and say that those who embrace their flawed paradigm have a HOLE in their head.
But I digress. It's difficult to do peer-reviewed original research in the field of
Neuro-Mathematical Systems Theology, so one is obliged to follow the lead of
Umberto Eco. Eco said, "Whereof we cannot make a theory, we must tell a story instead." And I say, even if we ''can'' make a theory, we damn well better present it as a story anyway, since theory tends to make most people's eyes glaze over. Alas, I suck at
storycraft, which is why I like to hang out around
journalists. Mebbe some of their gift will rub off on me someday.
Meanwhile, I struggle with a compromise somewhere between
scientific essay writing and
amateurish comic opera. I figure it can only get better, cuz it can't get much worse.
Barsoom Tork is my name, and I rode on the paintball train,
Til so much rivalry came and tore up the tracks again.
In the fall of skandalon, we were rollin, just trollin for bait.
I took the train to Wiki, that hell, it was a time I remember, oh so well.
The Night They Drove Old Moulton Down, and all the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Moulton Down, and all the people were stingin'.
They went
Na,
Na, na, na, na, na,
Blah, blah, buh blah,
Buh blah blah, blah blah
Back with SBJ at Epiphany, and one day he said to me,
"Moulton, quick, come see, a-there goes Guillaume on a spree!"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood, and I don't care if Jimbo's no good.
Just take what ya need and efface the rest,
But they should never have wiped out the very best.
The Night They Drove Old Moulton Down, and all the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Moulton Down, and all the people were stingin'.
They went
Na,
Na, na, na, na, na,
Blah, blah, buh blah,
Buh blah blah, blah blah
Like my father before me, I'm a working man,
And like Awbrey before me, I took a rebel stand.
Well, he was just pissed off, proud and brave,
But the God-King laid him in his grave,
I swear by the verse below my feet,
You can't raise the Torkel back up when it's in defeat.
The Night They Drove Old Moulton Down, and all the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Moulton Down, and all the people were stingin'.
They went
Na,
Na, na, na, na, na,
Blah, blah, buh blah,
Buh blah blah, blah blah
CopyClef 2007-2008 Joan Baez and Barsoom Tork Associates.
Moulton 01:36, 16 September 2008 (UTC)