From: wessir@shelley.u.washington.edu (Wesley Aldridge)
Subject: A parable, and more...
Reply-To: wessir@u.washington.edu
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 21:01:31 GMT


I took this from the newsgroup alt.sex, I thought it was quite interesting.
what do you make of it?
Is it clear what each of the writers are talking about?
wessir

Article 76812 (19 more) in alt.sex:
From: elf@halcyon.com (Elf Sternberg)

Subject: A parable...
Organization: The 23:00 News and Mail Service
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 02:25:22 GMT

   This is disgustingly self-indulgent, but I also feel it's necessary.

   I was recently sent a copy of the following parable; I've seen this
before, many time, so I don't think post thing will violate my personal
injuction against posting another person's email.  This is a common and
classic story.

>A beautiful little boy is born into the world.  In this world, all children are
>given glasses to wear -- the glasses are called "normal".  Now, our little boy
>receives his glasses and wears them all the time.  But as time goes on, life's
>circumstances bear down on the little boy and his glasses start to chip and 
>crack.  It is a gradual process, and the little boy never really comprehends 
>what is happening.  Others around him with "normal" glasses also fail to see 
>what is happening, except to see that the little boy is no longer acting 
>"normal".
>
>And so the process continues.  The boy becomes a man viewing the world through
>his distorted lenses. He knows he is different, that he feels and sees things 
>differently, but doesn't know why.  Not satisfied with what "normal" people are
>telling him, the man makes contact with others whose glasses are similarly
>broken.  Many theories are espoused, and anecdotal evidence given, as to why
>having cracked/broken lenses is as normal as "normal".  The man is also readily
>accepted by this group.  
>
>The decisive factor in this man's quest for inner peace is that whenever he
>tries to not wear his glasses, he is afflicted with immense unhappiness.  These
>glasses, however ruined, are all he knows and nobody could tell him that he
>wasn't "normal".

   The person in question then goes on to tell me how cracked my
glasses are and offers to "help" me, if I want it.

   Unfortunately, he made a worse mistake than handing me a loaded gun.

   He handed me a loaded analogy.

   When I was born, I was given a pair of glasses the people around me
called "normal."  Looking through this set of glasses, I saw a great
many things, most of which were shaped by the specific nature of the
lenses.  I could feel comfortable with the fact that everybody else
around me had the same kind of lens, and therefore I could rely that
what I was seeing was the same as what everyone else was seeing.

   And yet, one day, I'll grant, the lenses did crack.  And although
nobody else saw the crack, it was a pretty big crack indeed.  In fact,
for the first time in my life, light struck my eye without the
intervention of the glasses I'd been given at birth.

   But the crack was small, and it took a while for me to notice things
through the crack when the much-larger remaining lens was still
filtering the world for me.  But eventually I noticed that there were
many different kinds of glasses, made up of different frames with
different lenses.

   For example, I noticed that, when looking through my lenses at two
different people, one of whom wore the same glasses I did and the other
wore glasses quite different from mine, the one with the different
glasses looked like a hideous and ugly creature.  When I looked at them
both through the crack... they were both just people wearing different
glasses.

   But everybody else who was wearing my glasses thought that that
person was a hideous and ugly creature, too.  Since they were still
wearing the glasses given at birth, they couldn't see anything else in
that person.

   I started to notice that this was true of everybody; people who wore
glasses saw only what was filtered through those glasses, and saw other
people who wore different glasses only as the product of the kind of
glasses they were wearing.

   One day, in trembling fear and alone in my home, I took off my
glasses and I looked at myself in the mirror.  And what I saw was just
another human being looking back.

   I did indeed seek out people who didn't wear glasses then.  At first
surreptitiously, then openly, I talked to them about how they lived
without glasses.  And eventually I did take off my glasses in public.
And I will say, loudly, that I took off my glasses.

   Now I know the lenses of my own eyes aren't perfect; God only knows
how imperfect they are.  But I am an individual, and I think it's
important that I look at the world _my_ way, rather than having someone
else's lenses do the job for me.  The people I associate with agree; we
look at each other, and since nobody here is wearing glasses, I have no
way of lumping them into a group.  It's a little confusing, admittedly,
with all these people to deal with.  But it's more fair to them, and
it's more fun for me.

   Take off your glasses.

         Elf Sternberg
 
Elf Sternberg    __   |     I have looked into the abyss, and the abyss
elf@halcyon.com  \/   | has looked into me.  Neither liked what we saw.
elf@polari.online.com |                              - Brother Theodore
End of article 76812 (of 76841)--what next? [npq] 


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Elf Sternberg) writes:
>    This is disgustingly self-indulgent, but I also feel it's necessary.

This is disgustingly self-indulgent, but who gives a shit, its the way I live
my life..

I was born into the world.  On the way out, I tripped over a pair of glasses
someone had stupidly left on the bed, and broke them.  Bastards.

What a way to start a life!  Poor Me.

The glasses were called "Look out".  I missed them, and then they were broken.
As time went on, I noticed the lack of glasses, so I stole someone elses.
Fucking nice pair too, little mirrors on the sides so I could see behind me -
great party trick.

Only hassle is, the ones I stole were tinted.  Not those neat ones that change
with the sunshine either, they were those fixed ones that are always too dark
to wear to the movies and not dark enough so that people can't see you looking
at them.

So I made contact with people in tinted glasses, and we used to hang out in
places where the light wasn't so good, but good enough that we could see, and
couldn't be seen.  Everyone I met there said my glasses were cool.

Every time I tried to change glasses, I couldn't get the right prescription,
because the optometrist always said "You don't need glasses, fuckhead" and
"What are the mirrors for?"

I had to kill him - you understand, he didn't like my glasses

>    The person in question then goes on to tell me how cracked my
> glasses are and offers to "help" me, if I want it.

What, crack them more, clean them, get a new script, squint your eyes,
get those big milk bottle kind that burn your retina when you accidentally
look at the sun, fit contacts or walk around bumping into things.

>    Unfortunately, he made a worse mistake than handing me a loaded gun.
>    He handed me a loaded analogy.

I dunno.  He could've handed you a loaded weed-spray gun.  They're real
bastards up close.  'specially if you fill them with kerosene and pump them
up reeealll hard.  'bout 5 minutes later, your neighbours see you running
across the front section to the nearest fire hydrant, covered in flame..
Not a pretty picture, let me tell you.

>    When I was born, I was given a pair of glasses the people around me
Ray Bans - Cool

> many things, most of which were shaped by the specific nature of the
> lenses. 
Shit - did you get those astigmatism correction kind?  I hate them, everything
comes out oval.  But you can get an operation that makes it all better.

>    And yet, one day, I'll grant, the lenses did crack.  
Never put your glasses in your back pocket!  I don't know how many times
I tell people this!  And another thing, when you put them on a table, put
them with the lenses facing UP!

> nobody else saw the crack, it was a pretty big crack indeed.  In fact,
> for the first time in my life, light struck my eye without the
> intervention of the glasses I'd been given at birth.

SHIT!  A crevicular split.  What sort of fissure are we talking about here?
.1 mm or larger.  .1s are the worst because you can almost see thru it, but
you also get that black, fish tank effect.

> many different kinds of glasses, made up of different frames with
> different lenses.

Yeah, but if you can't unsrew the frames, don't buy them - it's too hard
to get new lenses to fit!

>    For example, I noticed that, when looking through my lenses at two
> different people, one of whom wore the same glasses I did and the other
> wore glasses quite different from mine, the one with the different

Must be some polarisation effect.  Try turning your head 90 degrees sideways

>    But everybody else who was wearing my glasses thought that that
> person was a hideous and ugly creature, too.  

Yep - sounds like polarisation to me.

Or sun spots.  They do funny things too.

>    I started to notice that this was true of everybody; people who wore
Not me buddy, I clean my glasses every day.  And I found this dinky gadget
that makes the dark go up like on clip-ons

>    One day, in trembling fear and alone in my home, I took off my
> glasses and I looked at myself in the mirror.  And what I saw was just
> another human being looking back.

A *key* point.  We are *all* humans

> And I will say, loudly, that I took off my glasses.
I hope you put them down with the lenses up

>    Now I know the lenses of my own eyes aren't perfect; God only knows
> how imperfect they are.  But I am an individual, 

Key point

> look at each other, and since nobody here is wearing glasses, I have no
Secretly, the could be wearing contacts, and only WANT to not wear glasses...

>    Take off your glasses.
Or put them on.  It's up to you.  It's not up to Bob, Martha, Me or Elf
to tell you what to do.  Get a new pair if you like.  Get contacts.
Buy a set of those neat binoculars if you like.

Or a microscope.

Use water as a lens.

Wear those things they give you so you can sleep on planes.

Whatever.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Simon P Travaglia,   || Kia Kaha E Hoa!  
University of Waikato|| PSI:0530171000004::, Intr: spt@grace.waikato.ac.nz
Private Bag, Hamilton|| Disclaimer: No-one here but me can read and write,
New Zealand          ||             and I can only write.  What did I say?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the
 morning, and does not stop until you get into the office.      - Robert Frost
End of article 76814 (of 76839)--what next? [npq] Article 76815 (24 more) in alt.sex: