#GOLDEN PATH

[biblioflyer]

Bad Dune Takes are the Mind Killer

I'm going to type up some more robust thoughts on Dune part 2, but I've seen some subtle bad ideas circulating that are drawn from shallow readings of either the films or the books or both.

First off, anyone who swallows the Bene Gesserit propaganda about their eugenics program needs to be pushed back on. They are NOT sorting humans from animals. The function of the Gom Jabar test (I will look up the proper spelling later and edit it in), doesn't even really seem to have anything to do with the metaphysics of the setting so much as its testing for self discipline. This is something that is nature AND nurture.

The dirty truth of the matter is that no one is a true Tabula Rasa, we do inherit some tendencies genetically, but barring a serious developmental disorder, those are tendencies. Tendencies can be ameliorated, if not even outright disappear in the noise of lived experience and explicit education.

If Feyd Ruatha can pass the Gom Jabar, you know its not actually testing for merit, its testing for a specific set of traits that the Bene Gesserit find useful.

Those traits are part of the ingredients they are seeking for the Kwisatch Haderach (yes, I know, I'll edit it later) but here's the kicker!

Major book spoilers ahead

While this is probably not exclusively the Bene Gesserit's fault, all of these secret societies, all of this obsession with bloodlines, and perfection is a time bomb. Paul is not a white savior. Paul is a labradoodle. He is an incredible endgame of generations of effort but he's a symptom of a broader problem that he himself vaguely glimpses and his son, Leto II, sees in all its terrible truth: the Bene Gesserit and their ilk are reserving autonomy for themselves, perhaps even at the genetic level, and trying to breed complacency into "the commons." The ones they regard as "animals" unfit for and incapable of self direction. People who are only fit to be ruled.

Sound familiar?

Its feudalistic "divine right of kings" merged with eugenics.

AKA fascism.

Paul and Leto II become despicable tyrants and authorial fiat would seem to indicate they are trapped by a sort of accelerationist framing of the problem. The end result of the millennia of power brokering in the background by all of these secretive societies and open monarchism is a humanity that is doomed. One way or another, it will be snuffed out. Whether by a total war, plague, or collapse of civilization.

This is why I say that the Bene Gesserit endgame is labradoodles. Pretty? Yes. Companionable? Sure. But like many, many, many designer breeds very, very lacking in genetic diversity.

This is what selective breeding gets you. Its why Leto II foresees the need to provoke a "Great Scattering." To ensure humanity exists in so many places, in so many different genetic and cultural forms that it cannot be subjugated by even the most charismatic and supernaturally powerful tyrant - not even by himself - and incapable of being extinguished by any plague or natural disaster. Because consolidation into too narrow and tight of a socio-cultural-political footprint means when (not if) that civilization screws up epically, it brings everyone down with it.

So if Roddenberry believed in the end of history, as expressed by the Federation: a society that is not incapable of error but IS capable of introspection and correction in the wake of error such that it is extremely unlikely to collapse from its own errors and contradictions. Then Herbert seems to be positing that history has no end. It will be one damn thing after another for all time and his implicit solution is that we desperately need diversity: genetic diversity and cultural diversity otherwise a self anointed superior sect of schemers and intriguers will get us all killed in the end by making us docile and homogeneous in order to make us more useful: to them.

Herbert also is suggesting that events like the Fremen Jihad is a likely bit of blowback from such consolidation. That human beings (the very same the Bene Gesserit regard as animals) naturally crave autonomy, dignity, and the essentials of life and if you press these things, the result will be a socio-political nuclear explosion.

I don't know if Herbert was an accelerationist. But it doesn't really matter because this leads me to the second bad take:

The Jihad and the Golden Path are not good, actually. Authorial Fiat dictate that they are necessary because authorial fiat dictates that human civilization in Dune has become so consolidated and bent to the whims of shadowy schemers that any attempt to wrest control away and return it to "normal" people, if indeed that is even possible given the technologies and superhumans running around, will result in such disorder and chaos that it be, functionally, genocide even if it is not genocide in intent.

The Jihad itself is also a consequence of the Great Man relying on people who only see a sliver of the overall project and interpret it through their own prism. That prism being one of anger, resentment, and a desire to see others conform to their worldview in order to ensure they are never again under anyone's boot.

Authorial fiat dictates that by the time Paul is born, there's no way back. No way to unwind all of this mess. The systems and structures are too complex, too interdependent. The Bene Gesserit, the Face Dancers, and everyone else I'm forgetting have too many contingency plans to fall back on. Not even a psychic can pull the Jenga pieces of civilization out delicately enough to restack them without the whole thing coming apart, not if he has to rely on millions of people with an axe to grind against the civilization he's trying to reform, a civilization that spent millennia trying to subjugate the Fremen or drive them into extinction.

But I maintain accelerationism is bad. You're not psychic. I'm not psychic. There's no Kwisatch Haderach lurking in the background to see what comes next. If you burn it all down, there might be a flourishing of dignity and freedom on the other side or it might be extinction because some other "cabal" will just take over and do the same things only meaner and dumber.

So if not accelerationism then what?

Federationism.

Introspection always. Seeking reform and equity before the power structures get too entrenched that gambling on a Great Scattering following in the wake of genocidal messiahs start seems like a good idea.

I'm not dunking on Dune to build a motte and bailey around Star Trek. I love Dune, but people tend to fixate on icky parts and call them good, when the whole point was don't let society get so bad you need to cross your fingers and hope the God Emperor is secretly an enlightened genocidal tyrant who is waiting for you to get restive enough to strike him down as part of some harebrained scheme to generate so much historical trauma it inoculates humanity against tyranny for all time.

Which of course, is a false premise. Herbert may or may not have known this in the mid-20th century, but we live in a world where 5-6 generations later, everything we were supposed to learn from and never repeat about tyranny, fascism, eugenics, and being disinterested in how and why there came to be fighters in difficult to pronounce faraway lands who seem to be rather upset with us, is now a thing that has to be taught and can be disputed and debated.

#dune part two #dune part 2 #dune #dune spoilers #star trek #scifi ethics #golden path #fandom commentary

[spatialapprentice]

The broken crown prince looked, looked forward. There is no meaning to looking backwards. There only lies the thorns of the past. the prince could not move backwards.

There was no reverse movement only continuing. continue. continue. into the breach. into the portal you must go. move forward.

broken crown prince, you seek the golden path. You seek its wisdom and direction. You seek foundation that has been broken in all essential ways. You seek answers to the mysteries of rule and the mysteries of the hearts of the people.

broken crown prince, you seek some new perpetuity. broken crown prince, seek out your new mistake. Will you fix the cycle? Or will you show it its proper end?

broken crown prince, continue.

#spatial makes an art #golden path #broken crown prince #thinking about ideas for a game again

[nandyrueman]

So I’m continuing my farcry 4 replay and I’m going through and finding all the collectibles which is something I’ve never done. I regret not recording this but in the souther region far to the east of the map there is a large pit with water at the bottom for a mask of Yalung and right at the top I found two men sitting together. I should have recorded this because it is the first time I’ve seen gay representation in this specific farcry game but they were sitting together at the top having a moment and the lines that stuck out to me the most, and I may misquote them, but they were talking about the war and I remember hearing this.

“If we win..”

“When we win, we’ll always be together” and they had a longer conversation then that but then they got up and embraced before starting to walk down the mountain.

Honestly that single interaction gave me more reason to help the golden path than either amita, sabal, or pagan min did the entire game. It was so sweet the way they were talking to each other.

#far cry 4 #gay representation #golden path

[stuffedeggplants]

Sabal, Amita, and the Sleeping Saints

I just finished a mission for Sabal where, instead of assisting with opium production/transport like Amita wants, you destroy it all. Amita feels the loss of that drug revenue as the loss of a medical clinic, of schools, and of other things they could’ve built to improve Kyrat. She confronts you about it, and says that if Sabal really cared so much about preserving Kyrati culture, he would be doing something to stop the Royal Army from blowing up the Sleeping Saints statues like the Bamiyan Buddhas.

That does sound like something Sabal would deeply care about, but instead he prioritizes using you as a roadblock to put a stop to Amita’s goals of developing Kyrat’s narcotics-based economy. Sabal does genuinely seem to hate opium and the idea of seeing the country become a drug state, but I think he chose to give you this mission over protecting the Sleeping Saints shrine because it helps him consolidate power over the Golden Path. 

Whether you destroy or encourage drug production, it becomes a statement about the direction of the Golden Path. Instead of being locked in a stalemate over certain kinds of policies, now either Sabal or Amita has the upper hand, able to push their goals forward because of you. One person gains influence and the other person loses it in a way visible to anyone in the country who is paying attention to the Golden Path’s actions. 

From a political perspective, regardless of what happens to the Sleeping Saints, Sabal cannot lose while he very much can lose if you side with Amita over opium policy. If you save the shrine, that’s perfectly in line with Sabal’s goals. There’s no problem. But the destruction of a major religious site would be an opportunity to bring over the fence-sitters onto his side, showing them how serious the situation is in the face of “Amita’s apathy” or “antagonism” as irreplaceable cultural heritage is blown to pieces. 

I’m not saying Sabal wants them to be blown up or that he rubs his hands together to be evil and sexy when no one is looking. I think he’s being quite shrewd about this and is willing to let whatever will happen to the Sleeping Saints happen because he sees his own leadership of the Golden Path as a superior moral outcome in the service of the Goddess Kyra, eliding over the fate of the Sleeping Saints which is less important in the grand scheme of things. 

#Cody plays Far Cry 4 #Far Cry 4 #Sabal #Golden Path

[kofidawolf]

if you play far cry 3/4 and kill the rakyat/golden path at every opportunity pls follow me and make out with me

#far cry 3 #far cry 4 #rakyat #golden path #fuck them #they are insane

[poligraf]

« In The Sun » (Walking the Golden Path, 1935) by Josef Čapek

#art #artwork #painting #paintings #oil #oil paintings #oil painting #sun #sunlight #sunshine #golden path #people #kids #fields #landscape art #landscapes #landscape #colours #colourful #greens #yellows #reds #oranges #blues

[b0om-butterfly3ffect]

Farcry 4

The first Farcry game I played :)

#farcry 4 #pagan min #kyrat #ajay bagga #shangrila #golden path #pagan mins temple #ashes #boss #slayyy pagan min fashion queen

[bogsleep]

#golden path #mine #this is from my last trip to collect persimmons last week #i’m slowly growing a pile in my freezer that will eventually become persimmon bread >:) #photographers on tumblr #my photography #autumn #yellow #autumn leaves #forest #midwest #woods #nature #nature photography #landscape #landscape photography

[squareblind]

The (golden) path not taken – the complexity of choice in Triangle Strategy

The (golden) path not taken – the complexity of choice in Triangle Strategy

By Neil Merrett Triangle Strategy, released on Nintendo Switch in 2022, developed by Square Enix, Artdink After undertaking hours of sometimes difficult decision on how to proceed and be a hero in Triangle Strategy, the player is given the chance of obtaining a ‘good’ ending depending on whether they can follow a so-called ‘golden path’.  However, the pathway to this so-called golden route is…

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#Front Mission #golden path #Triangle Strategy #Turn-based combat #Turn-based strategy #Vandal Hearts

[1introvertedsage]

Steps of Gold

*Only Main fear - should be remaining here*

Please be with me on this day And moving forward Month of May. Guide me. Show me. Walk beside when I'm lowly. You have my fated vow. Allegiance that's unwavering Deserving of a bow. For my heart beats to your command. Granted wishes Simple demands. As we walk together hand in hand. Surveying our great land. Golden path not hard to find. Just take a step back into your mind.

~I.S.~

#Steps of Gold #poetry #writing #poetic #new poem #new poetry #Golden Path #lha #1introvertedsage #mind #free #guidance #fear #intsa original #see

[mianimasenpoeticus]

#Steps of Gold #poetry #new poetry #lha #spirituality #spiritual poetry #Prayer series #guidance #intsa original #new poem #original poetry #1introvertedsage #i.s.a. #poems daily #Golden path #Intsa original #mianimasenpoeticus #mind #meditation #poem

[howtohavesexwithaghost]

The meeting of the God Emperor of DUNE, by Klausmasterflex

#dune #leto atreides #golden path #me

[nandyrueman]

Replaying farcy 4 cause it’s my favorite in the series and you know what, sabal is a manipulative piece of shit but at least he doesn’t conscript child soldiers, use child labor on opium farms and, though it’s not explicitly shown, it is implied, kill a child(Bhadra).

In essence, fuck Amita. Fuck Sabal. Honestly the golden path in general is kinda fucked.

#far cry 4 #Amita #Sabal #Golden Path

[krazieka2]

me scrawling through my twitter, trying to decide what doodles are worth the effort of putting on here: yes this must be shown to everyone

#I have a strong golden deer bias and I am not ashamed #I LIKE THE SILLY GUYS #fe3h #if you like the sad anime boys this is fine #I'm putting a hand on your shoulder #it's fine and I support you #but you will never know my joy #and I will never know yours #we are different ppl and we walk different paths #it just so happens I walk the better path heyo #blue lions #golden deer #2022 art #carrying over my posts from twitter choo chooooo

[nobeerreviews]

October had tremendous possibility. The summer's oppressive heat was a distant memory, and the golden leaves promised a world full of beautiful adventures. They made me believe in miracles.

-- Sarah Guillory

#october #miracle #golden leaves #sarah guillory #nature photography #switzerland #autumn #fall #hope #road #path #quote

[mondaymelon]

me n who ?!?!?!? ME N WHO GUYS ...

picrews: 1 2 3 4

mking silly girlfailure picrews are the only thing saving my sanity which took quite a number of blows today ( its hanging on by the measliest thread but i think its better to consider it go n e )

anyways i wanna make a silly tag game so we are going to make a silly tag game because in the wise words of martin luther king i think wait it was probably gandhi "be the change you wish to see in the world" arent i so cool guys im taking like the first step forward and :stareyes: ahahah

(no pressure) tags !! 🏷️ : @cienxpidity, @ilyuu, @anonbinaryweirdo, @suntoru, @tuesdayberries, @lume-nosity, @mrcrazyvillainvillainn, @ceneid, @amalythea, @xianyoon, @aeon-yao, @ryuryuryuyurboat, @auroratumbles, @snobwaffles, @the-white-void + everyone i probably forgot to tag (SPS IM SORRY) n anyone else whod like to join !!

#💬 ⌗ 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭'𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 . . . ✧ #i was in a very silly mood ( mental breakdown ish ) i cried like 16 times in the past hour and that's probably not a good thing but HEY #its fine #im so fine #im so #im so... #*perishes* #begone negativity #its time for me and my delusions #speaking of delusions i actually had the WILDEST Dream last night #and its so crazy because its like the first dream I've had in the past year that's not about a fictional character #yes im pathtetic #carrying on #and i was like escaping from t h e. m a. n i n t he. h a l l w a y #and i was like runnning away yk and then shrek comes over and helps me out by defenestrating me and so i land in some bushes and then start #like putting candy into a bag??? and im like HURRY UP SHREK HES GONNA COME AFTER US #and then i got to this like cult area #where it splits into two paths and i remember it so vividly because there was this gate security and i had to type in my student id to get #and so it opens up to this room and there's two pathways #the one to the right has this giant ass shrine golden statue surrounded by a bunch of children #and the one i go to has little cube spaces caved into the walls for like little decorations and a stair for like a lower other half of the #room #and theres a bunch of children and my irls #and so we break outta there yk #we escape #we get out #and we run into like osme shopping place #and my friend is planning to abandon me with her other friend and they're running away to china #but they refuse to take me with them (ultimate betrayal) #HELP edit but the tags didnt show up cause there were too many...