Play Party of the Imagination: 7
It was just a matter of time before the talk turned to politics. The question before us was Gore or Bush? I pointed out that this was the same choice given on cable pay-per-view every night. A few others made a few silly comments about how there should also be Bushians if there are Gorians. After the jokes, most folks got up and returned to the play-space to watch the scenes in progress but I stayed and talked with puppyslave about the upcoming election.
“Who do you plan on voting for in the election?” I asked her.
“I don’t know yet”
“You haven’t made up your mind on the issues?”
“No, my master hasn’t told me who I am going to vote for.”
“What?” I went a little goggle eyed. “You’re letting your master decide who you will vote for?”
“Oh Im not letting him do anything. He is doing it. If I let him or not is totally beside the point.”
“But we are talking voting here. Ok? This is your choice to make, not his.”
“Yes it is his choice. 2 years ago I gave over all my decision making to him. He controls me totally and that includes controlling who I vote for.”
“You can’t say that”
“I just did say that”
“I meant you cant mean that”
“I do mean it. Every action I perform it is him controlling what decision or course of action to take.”
“Every action? You’re sitting here talking to me? Aren’t you? You’re expressing things to me yourself.”
“There is a pre made set of rules that I have already been trained on. That covers most normal interactions I have with people so I am free to talk to others when he has already told me how I should answer. Any major choices or questions I would have to consult with him.”
“Oh don’t be silly! Surely you can make at least some choice on your own. What if I asked you what you like better as a pet? A cat or a dog?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” She stood up and walked out of the room, returning in about a minute. “It turns out that I like dogs better as a pet.”
“Why did you have to go and ask your master for? Couldn’t you have just answered that question yourself?”
“I don’t see how that would be possible. How do I know what I like better unless my master tells me?”
“Couldn’t you just ask yourself what you like better?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” She stood up and walked out of the room again, returning in the same amount of time. “It turns out that I can’t just ask myself.”
“And why is that?”
“My master is helping me explore myself. Because of my childhood and the way society has suppressed my basic nature I am unable to understand that side of myself unless it is pointed out to me. In a way it’s a lot like the principal in psychology where one cant understand ones own subconscious and must go to a councilor to be told it.”
“I don’t think that’s the same. With a psychologist you talk to the therapist and tell him things then the therapist analyses them and tells you stuff back. But in your situation its just your master telling you stuff and you never tell him stuff.”
“I trust my master totally though. And I know he only has my best interests in mind. He would only tell me stuff to help me, not to harm me.”
“But how is he able to determine what is best for you? Can he read your thoughts?”
“In a way he can. We have been together so long and are so close he can tell what I am feeling just by looking at me. Our relationship is that close.”
“Couldn’t you tell him how your feeling instead of him trying to “read” you?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” She made the round trip again. “It turns out that I can’t tell him how I am feeling.”
“Why not?”
“Because the only thing that matters to me at all is pleasing him. In my own mind, I see my needs and wants are totally unimportant.”
“Don’t you think that is an unhealthy attitude to take. Not caring about your emotional happiness even in the slightest?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” Another trip. “It turns out that it is an unhealthy attitude to take.”
“You admit that it’s unhealthy for you.”
“I didn’t admit it. My master did.”
“It doesn’t matter who admitted it. Your doing something mentally unhealthy. You must be crazy.”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” Another trip. “It turns out that I am going crazy.”
“Screw you and your bloody master. Are you under his thumb so totally you cant do anything for yourself?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” Another trip. “It turns out that I can’t do anything for myself.”
“Doesn’t that frighten you?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” Another trip. “It turns out that it does frighten me after all. I am very scared by all of this.”
“Can’t you do anything to stop?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” Another trip. “It turns out that I can do something to stop and it will end my unhealthy attitude, restore my sanity, and remove all my fears.”
“What is it?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” She left once more but did not return for a full 15 minutes. When she did come back she was shaking uncontrollably and all the color had gone out of her face.
“Well?” I asked, “Do you know what you have to do?”
“Yes” she said with tear filled eyes. “But I don’t know if I can do it.”
“What is it?”
“My master told me that I have to realize he is just a human being and not perfect. I have to come to see that he makes mistakes just like everyone else and I cant depend on him to solve all my problems for me”
“Sounds like pretty good advice to me”
“But it’s totally flawed!” She was shaking so much she had to sit back down on the sofa. “If I trust my master totally then I have to believe everything he says and that includes the statement he made just now that I am not to trust him. But if I DON’T trust my master I cant believe anything he ever tells me. That would mean I would have to NOT trust him when he says the best thing for me is to stop depending on him.”
“You do seem to be in a quandary. What are you going to do about it?”
“Hold on a minute. Let me go ask my master.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth a horrified look came to her face as she released the flaw in the statement. The pressure was building in the veins on her forehead and just a few seconds later she completely vanished in a puff of logic.
With nobody left to talk to I went off to view the scenes that were going on.