From: aap@next01wor.wam.umd.edu (Alberto Adolfo Pinkas)
Subject: Adream
Organization: Workstations at Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 20:14:44 GMT

I have a dream, crazy dream....

There was a big room. No artificial light, but big windows. No curtains,  
but beautiful vitreaux.
Seated at one side of the table, all facing the same side, were seven  
people. 
In the middle of the room, a small table.
The door opened, and an old man came in. Walked to the table in the center  
and said "I am Galileo Galilei".
The man that seemed to be on charge of the situation said, "Very well, Mr,  
Galilei, you know why you are here, then proceed".
The old man, raised his chin and said, "The Earth is round and goes around  
the Sun, center of our system".
Those seated at te table were clearly angry. 
One of them raised his hand, and the one in charge said, "Mr Dauner has  
the word".
Mr Dauner, center of atention said, "Thank you Mr. Dier. Mr Galilei, do  
you have any proof or reference to back uo your affirmations, or whould we  
consider them as your fantasies?".
Galileo moved slowly. Put his right hand in one of his pockets and took  
from it a piece of paper. Then, he showed it to the members of the Commite  
in from of him, and said, "This, dear people, is a scketch I made of the  
shadow of the Earth on the Moon, during the last eclipse. As it can be  
seen, the shadow shows that the Earth is round and not plane. About the  
Earth not being the center of the Universe, I have made several  
measurements with my telescope, and I can prove my conclusion"
Mr Dier, then, started to talk, slowly, like measuring each word. "You  
know, Mr. Galilei what your problem is? Let me tell you: You believe that  
reality is something beyond our will. And you are wrong, Mr Galilei".
Then he left his chair and started to walk around the table while  
speaking. "Berkeley. Yeah. Berkeley has shown something important to all  
of us. There would be no difference if the world really existed of if all  
of this would be just my imagination. Can you see, Mr Galilei? I do not  
need any one of you, not even my body, to explain what is in my mind. I  
just need my mind, and all of you, the sky, the trees, anything else,  
would become just a product of my mind. Then, all these ideas of yours are  
no more than especulations of my own mind, and, of course, I can choose  
any one I want to be true or false. And I choose those that create my  
reality as I wish".
Mr. Dier stopped for a while looking at the old man, and continued.  
"Decartes said: I think, then, I am. You see, he could not show that God  
was there. In fact, he could not show anything but that he was there. So,  
why should you bother us with theories that can be painful for the small  
world we had created for us?"
Then he started walking again. "And your theories are old. Really old. The  
Vikings said that they had gone around the world to new lands. Even the  
Fenicians had said the same. And they had many ways to prove it. But, we  
are the ones that make new and modern theories, and we do not take those  
claims into acccount, because it would destroy the perfect harmony we had  
created in our own world. Why should we care about what you say?"
As he was siting, the person at his right started to talk. Mr. Dier was  
surprised, but said "Mr. Timi has the word".
And Mr. Timi, almost shouting said, "You know what is your problem, Sir?
Your problem is that you do not listen. Are you the Earth? Are you the  
Sun?".
And then he waited for a few seconds for an answer. Then he continued,  
"No, you are not!. And, the only way to know is to be. To be is to know.  
And that is why you do not understand. We, Sir, are the ones that had  
created this new Theology. We are the only ones that can understand,  
because we ARE. Tell me, Sir, can a blind talk about colors? Can a deaf  
talk about sounds? No, Sir. Because they do not are. We are, and we can.  
We have made possible to millons to live in this, our perfect fantasy. We  
are Gods, and that is why we can tell you that all what you say is wrong:  
Just because it is not what we say".
Then, he rested.
Mr. Dier, started again, as if he had never been interrupted. "Mr Galilei,  
I can understand that you come from a place that is in the backwater of  
knowledge. There people still believe in the authority of science. But  
now, Mister, you are in our land. And here you will have to learn out  
truth, the one that we had constructed to make us fell good. You must  
forget about all those old theories that made us suffer so much, that made  
us believe that the world was not perfect, and even worse, that we were  
not perfect. Now, WE are modernity. We are the New Word. We are the New  
Theology. We are Gods now. Mr. Galilei, you must evolve and learn that.  
Leave the underdevelopment behind".
Then, somebody else made an almost silent call. Mr Dier said, "Ela has the  
word".
Someone that was not easy to recognize talked, "Mr. Galilei, you are wrong  
not just in what you said, but in how you see the Universe. You just lost  
this argument because we had not accepted your evidence. And we are the  
judges here. You see, we do not need to prove anything, we do not even  
respect any logic, we just say, and that is the law. Because We are, we  
know. You see, Mr Galilei, here I have an orange and an apple. They are  
both fruits. Then, I conclude, an apple is an orange. Do I need proof? No,  
because I am The Logic. So, Mr. Galileo Galilei we had won, even if  
nothing was there to be won".
Mr. Dauner started to talk again, "Mr Galilei has come to perturbate our  
own little world with theories we had already rejected because they made  
us feel bad. I propose that all his books, papers, and other works are to  
be destroyed, and that his name should be put in the black list. We all  
know that it is just neccessary to say a lie about someone to make he or  
she look bad forever, after all, even if what we say is a lie, he she must  
prove that. We do not need to do anything else. And, if he she does not  
answer, our lie will stick as true forever".
All teh other agreed with joy. Then, Mr Galileo Galilei was oredered to  
leave the room. And the world of fantasy was back in happyness, without  
anybody else to bother the Gods again
_________________________________

This was just a dream. Any resemblance with reality or any person, dead or  
alive, is just coincidence.

AAP