003 ✽ voice;

[goingsilent]

[ Kasumi's preferred method of dealing with the network is much like her preferred approach to life in general: lurk in the shadows, occasionally emerge to poke things just to see if they're entertaining. But every now and then, she has something she actually wants to say. This is one of those times.

Everyone's been buzzing about all these puzzles and riddles that have been showing up, and she's been keeping an eye on it more or less, though she can't say she's particularly engaged by it. That shows in her voice when she starts to speak. ]

Since we all seem to be enjoying thought puzzles so much these days, here's one to try out: What would you do if you found out that nothing you did had any real life consequences? Not for you or for anyone else. Not now or in the future.

Would you still follow the "rules" or would you toss them out and have a little fun?

Comments

[andblockbuster]

Both? Rules- the kind made by anyone but me- have always been... Kind of an oogie concept. I mean, who sets those rules? People with too much power and a lot of great ideas that they wanna make other people live by. It's so... Limiting. And it's just basic programming- they set the rules, you obey the rules, and if you break the rules, you're told there's gonna be consequences. We have that mantra drilled into our heads from the day our parents first tell us "don't do that."

[goingsilent]

Usually, I think, rules need a bunch of people to agree with them to actually be rules. If it's just the people with power making them up, no one's going to follow them. But I get what you mean. A set of rules is only ever one way of doing things, and it's usually not the best or even a very good way either.

[andblockbuster]

Not always the case. It's the herd mentality- one guy thinks he knows what he's doing, then everyone who doesn't have the mental fortitude to process disagreement goes "okay!" Not everyone's got it in them to back down from a proximate authority.

Take Moses- guy comes down off a freakin' mountain with some stone tablets and even now, people are still following those rules, because some touched bearded guy said God gave them to him. It's got some fair points. I'm not into murdering people- consequences or no, that's where I draw the line- but why all this judgment about coveting and... what if your parents don't deserve to be honored?

[goingsilent]

And "thou shalt not steal" always seemed unfortunately limiting to me.

But here's the thing, even if it was one guy who went up the mountain and came down with a bunch of rules, it wouldn't have worked if everyone around him hadn't bought into them. Rules aren't worth much if you don't have the resources to enforce them somehow.

[andblockbuster]

That is a good point.

[He lets that sit for a minute.] So what would you do in that situation? No rules, no consequences...