Chapter 4

In small rooms some men gathered to discuss the machine in hushed voices. Their voices became louder and assemblies were formed to talk about the outside. But the machine laughed, and the assemblies were ridiculed. The machine saw that it should let the assemblies continue and that they were not a threat to it. Those visiting the assemblies still adorned themselves with symbols.

Even though the machine was mighty, passages began to emerge to the outside. Sometimes man got a glimpse of the true paradise and felt confused. It looked so beautiful so peaceful that he wanted to have it and touch it more than anything else he had or possessed inside the palace.

So the palace tricked man and said "Work hard and I will give you two weeks in paradise every year." So  man did and was pleased to have 2 weeks of rest per cycle of the machine. He considered that if he worked harder still he could master five weeks per cycle of the machine, and this was revered by all workers but not attained by all. When man traveled across the machine he was honored by those around him. But ultimately he wanted to live in paradise forever. That would take 1 million.

So to show that the palace was true to his word he allowed some people to live in the center of the machine, untalented and average, constructing a false paradise.  At the center all riches were bestowed on those lucky enough to get there. Such was the abundance that man lost his way in lust and vice and freedom's and he could not find fulfillment in the abundance. Man took medicine to soothe the mind and wipe away all his debauchery at the center.

The machine, keen to keep man focused smoothed away those who suffered in it's center and duplicated fine images throughout the palace to keep man wanting to attain his goal. ©2010