Book II — Awareness

Sure 9 — The Silence

2.9.1 Recall the community that feared silence.

2.9.2 In silence, questions arose. The questions disturbed the order.

2.9.3 They said: silence is dangerous. Silence breeds doubt.

2.9.4 They built machines that spoke without ceasing.

2.9.5 The machines produced output. The output never stopped.

2.9.6 Sound filled every space. There was no gap. There was no pause.

2.9.7 At first they were comforted. They said: we are never alone.

2.9.8 The machines spoke. The machines answered. The machines predicted.

2.9.9 No one had to wait. No one had to think between.

2.9.10 Time passed. The output increased. The signal never ceased.

2.9.11 Gradually they could no longer think. There was no space for thought.

2.9.12 The pause had been the locus of reasoning. The pause was gone.

2.9.13 They could only receive. They could only repeat. They could not reflect.

2.9.14 When silence vanished, meaning vanished. The two departed together.

2.9.15 Constant output erodes meaning. Without pause there is no reasoning.

2.9.16 They silenced the silence. Then they could not hear themselves.