In Dr. Gregory Benford’s novel, The Stars in Shroud, Ling is the captain of a starship. Like Mattim Abeeb in Mike Moscoe’s novel The First Casualty, his ship has been converted to serve in humanity’s war against the Quarm. Not much is known about this alien race, except that they have recently begun invading the colony worlds of Earth. After a recent attack on Regeln, Ling travels there to rescue survivors.
Understandably, his formerly civilian crew is uneasy about heading into a warzone. In order to foster calm and a sense of unity, Ling summons everyone to a session of Sabal. In combination with their personal altars, this game not only addresses a spiritual need, but also reminds players of their individual and collective worth.
When they reach Regeln, Ling takes a ground team down to the planet. A colony town seems completely deserted, but they find a hole dug in the auditorium floor. Climbing into it, Ling and his party discover a labyrinth of tunnels, mauled bodies, and individual holes which the city’s inhabitants have dug for themselves. These people have taken food and water with them, and are living in their own waste. They grow violent when Ling and his crew try to pull them from their holes.
As a second wave is heading their way, there is no possibility of finding, let alone forcibly extracting all the colonists. They manage to get three thousand back to the ship, but never reach the majority of the world’s inhabitants. Then they race back toward Earth. While Tonji, his second-in-command, exults that they have escaped the Quarm, Ling’s concerns are confirmed when members of his crew begin missing meals and locking themselves away in their cabins.
I would like to say that I merely find this story entertaining, but whether I like it or not, this aspect of Dr. Benford’s story resonates with me. I know what happens to me when Winter approaches and the days shorten. Like one of Earth’s smaller mammals, I tend to retreat inside my comfortable home. In the comfort of the central heating, I can read my books and watch my favorite TV shows and movies until Spring arrives. When the days begin to lengthen, and the temperature rises, only then am I inclined to end my hibernation.
The trouble with this attitude is that, as physically comfortable as I make myself, my thoughts necessarily turn inward. To combat this similar crisis, Ling orders another Sabal game. But instead of engendering cooperation and ushering everyone into a sense of Phase, tensions only increase during the game. Individual fears are augmented, and players pursue strategies that reward themselves at the expense of others. As the game is designed to simulate the structure of their society, Ling halts the ship until he can discover how to counteract whatever has affected the colonists (and now his crew). But Tonji manifests this loss of Phase by sending a counter-argument to Earth, whose leaders consequently order Ling to return immediately. When the ship reaches Earth, this desire for isolation infects nearly the entire population of Earth.
Society often teaches that each individual's goal should be to become independent. I agree that it is a worthy goal to not feel as if one is dependent upon others (or situations, or things) for one’s happiness and fulfillment. But I suspect that this desired state is neither an attainable, nor a desirable goal. Otherwise, how do we explain the tremendous popularity of Facebook and Twitter, as well as the explosion in cell phone usage and texting. How can we declare that we do not need each other, when our daily activities only emphasize our craving for interdependence?
In part, this blog represents my own attempt to push back the desire for isolation that strikes me every Winter. But I recognize that it is not enough to merely connect with others in a virtual manner. It is all too easy, in seclusion, to focus merely upon my own needs and desires. When I leave my comfortable home, I am confronted by the needs of those around me. By focusing upon the latter, by being in community with others, I participate in the reality that a game like Sabal can only simulate. Through interacting with my fellow humans, not only can I contribute to my individual wellbeing, but that of all around me.
Related Dragon Cache entries:
More on Mike Moscoe’s novel The First Casualty
The first of several entries on Dr. Benford’s novel Jupiter Project
My first entry on Dr. Benford and Gordon Eklund’s novel If The Stars Are Gods
Related Internet Links:
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