The Blue Knight and Spot the Light followed the Thread with diligence and attention until they came in final to a large black obelisk with a design of white dots.
This, if I am not mistaken, is a giant domino, said the Blue Knight, Famous throughout, for its effect, which has become proverbial.
Unlike the law of unexpected consequences, he continued, The Domino effect is predictable in and of its design.
The only unknown is what is being crushed by the final Domino?
I shall follow the line of to its termination, said the Follow Spot, and put the outcome in the glare of publicity. The Spotlight took to the air, and, swooping low, highlighted the line of giant Dominoes which bestrode the hilly landscape, like the great wall of china plates or that other thing which was supposedly visible from space, but then again so is my cat these days.
When he had passed an entire set of domination, he came to the finale, and there, ready to be crushed, was the Uprising which appeared to consist of a Revolution and Rebellion.
Why crush this particular Rebellion, thought Spot, when the last Domino could crush your expectations or the green shoots of growth. It could crush unwanted cars into unlikely cubes or curvy and potent bulbs of garlic? It could crush. It could crush the block of ice, so that we could have Manhattans. I always thought that turning the ice to mush on an upturned symbol, using the back end of a drummer’s brush, was visually entertaining but not acceptable, as we all want chunks of ice in our Manhattans, not slurry. Its potential energy is quantifiable.
It could crush the grass, and, when it finally gets lifted, the grass has gone long and yellow like hybrid hair. It could bang in a nail, although it wouldn’t work very well, and the face of the domino may be damaged.
It could press some spring flowers between semi absorbent paper so that they can be forever dead, but pretty in another way.
What are these expectations that may be crushed anyway? Do we all want to be told, You are the One. How can that be when there are so many of us? Do we expect to be happy and content, just as a matter of course we do.
Then, said The Blue knight, we should support this first Domino to prevent its beginning the process until we know the outcome and consequence. What or who are they rebelling against? Until we know, crushing is out of the question.
They erected some scaffold with large chains leaning in that direction, so that the first domino was secured and it’s potential was held in abeyance.
We must prevent the inevitable crushing before we know the make up of said Rebellion. Is it a blood thirsty power grasping coup or a strike for higher wages for an exploited minority? I believe there is a difference to be discovered.
They followed the Thread beside the long, long, long row of enormous Dominoes to the very last and there, looking nervous was the Rebellion.
What is your nature, rebellion? Asked the Blue Knight, we have secured the Dominoes so that you are safe for the present tense. Tell us your direction of travel and current progress.
Phew, said the Rebellion, that is a relief, I had thought I might be crushed at any moment? I owe you. As to my nature, I am not so much a rebellion as a relaxation of the rules, to allow a widening of the envelope, a little excursion outside the box if you will.
Why then, asked the Spotlight, do the powers that be feel the need to apply the crushing Domino and extinguish your endeavour?
Great question, said the Rebellion, I surmise that they feel threatened by anyone or anything that has a revelatory nature, as they keen to keep the machinations of the power structure extant, hidden and in the shadows at all times. The status quo that they preserve, where money and power in one instance, supports and profits equally from money and power in another place, is hidden. Hidden within governments and regimes as well as in the multinational conglomerates, which are indeed almost interchangeable at this point, as foretold by Leotard. They know that the general public must be kept in the mud at all costs, and whipped into a furry over inconsequential political dramas to stop them seeing the real bones of power.
Quite a statement, said the Spotlight. The Blue Knight just nodded. I thought as much, he said.
It seems then that I have arrived at an apposite moment in the socio-political cycle, said the Spotlight, I do have the power to invert my rays into those of an x-ray. If I could get close enough to the body politic, perhaps I could x-ray the corpse and reveal the bones of power in all their, well, glory would be the wrong word, but you know what I mean.
Sounds like a plan, said the Blue Knight, and I can see that the Thread of our Quest is also keen, as it is bucking in my grasp. Let us take this road together, that the truths of power may be revealed.
All well and good, said the Rebellion, but first you must release me from this Domino effect as I am just an idea and have no agency of my own.
Consider it done, said the Blue Knight, and releasing the Rebellion, placed it in a side pocket of his wallet. Let us be on our way.
The Guardians of the Cave 