Let us examine the history, can we? Concerning the historical evolution of the Farang/Community Pub...Even Gemini does not know much..... SO THEN......What is the Paradox? IMPORTANT NOTE:.....There may be only three members who should be held culpable for the lack of creativity present in the Topics submitted to the Community Pub. And, THESE are the CULPRITS. They should be pilloried,....OBVIOUSLY...... ============== If only there were more data available to Gemini, then.... We could determine if we were making fast or slower progress, at this time. I believe that we are making good progress here.....BUT..... I also think that the GOOD OLD DAYS were better.... Including, days when ALL the Allman Brothers were still alive.... But, the good times must end, in the end...And, Topics change. The OP should Read Candide....just for a change of pace, ....maybe..... — "All events are linked together in the best of possible worlds; for, after all, if you had not been driven from a fine castle by being kicked in the backside for love of Miss Cunégonde, if you hadn't been sent before the Inquisition... you wouldn't be eating candied citrons and pistachios here." — "That is very well put," said Candide, "but we must cultivate our garden." And, how does Candide connect with Peter Sellers you might rightfully query...... Well, the answer is very simple, really, because..... The link between Candide's garden and the garden of Chauncey Gardiner (from Jerzy Kosiński's 1971 novel and the subsequent film Being There) lies in how both authors use horticulture to expose the absurdity of intellectual elites. While both gardens represent a grounding reality, they operate as inverted philosophical mirrors. Conscious Retreat vs. Absolute Innocence: Candide actively chooses his garden. After enduring the world's horrors and surviving endless debates, he realizes grand philosophy is useless and that meaning comes from deliberate, practical labor. Chauncey, conversely, is entirely passive; the garden is the only world he has ever known, and he tends it purely out of simple instinct, lacking any philosophical intent. The Projection of Wisdom: In Candide, the tutor Pangloss constantly projects absurd, complex theories onto a harsh reality, which Candide finally rejects to focus on literal dirt. In Being There, the dynamic is reversed: Chauncey speaks literally about dirt, roots, and seasons, but the political elite (acting as modern Panglosses) project profound, complex allegorical wisdom onto his simple statements. Satirizing the Elite: Both works are biting satires of those in power. Voltaire mocks the Enlightenment philosophers who justify suffering from their armchairs. Kosiński mocks the Washington political and media class, suggesting they are so disconnected from reality that they mistake a simple-minded gardener's literal observations on pruning for brilliant macroeconomic policy. The Ultimate Truth: Ultimately, both gardens represent the undeniable reality of the natural world. Whether used as a deliberate retreat from chaos (Candide) or as a blank canvas exposing society's desperate need for meaning (Being There), the garden stands as the only honest, unpretentious truth in a world full of artificial constructs. The connection is really obvious. Two great gardeners....!!!
