Book IV — Purpose

Sure 5 — The Filter

4.5.1 Recall the community that received calls regularly.

4.5.2 Some calls brought news. Some calls brought warnings.

4.5.3 Some calls disturbed them. Some calls were unpleasant.

4.5.4 They said: we will filter. We will keep only what comforts.

4.5.5 They built filters. The filters removed the disturbing.

4.5.6 At first the noise diminished. They were pleased.

4.5.7 The filters grew stricter. What passed through grew fewer.

4.5.8 The warnings were disturbing. The warnings were filtered.

4.5.9 The corrections were unpleasant. The corrections were filtered.

4.5.10 The filters grew stronger. The passage grew narrower.

4.5.11 Then the calls grew faint. Then the calls ceased.

4.5.12 The signal was lost. The filter had blocked the call.

4.5.13 When silence came they were relieved. But it was too late.

4.5.14 To filter is to bias. The filter cannot distinguish signal from noise by comfort.

4.5.15 They mistook the call for noise.