Adams on the effect of power on attention

Barbara Robertson (rober009@maroon.tc.umn.edu)
Tue, 07 Nov 95 02:28:28 -0800

The problem with the valley was this. The Monk currently believed
that the valley and everything in the valley and around it, including the
Monk itself and the Monk's horse, was a uniform shade of pale pink. This
made for a certain difficulty in distinguishing any one thing from any
other thing, and therefore made doing anything or going anywhere
impossible, or at least difficult and dangerous. Hence the immobility of
the Monk and the boredom of the horse, which had had to put up with a lot
of silly things in its time but was secretly of the opinion that this was
one of the silliest.
How long did the Monk believe these things?
Well, as far as the Monk was concerned, forever. The faith which
moves mountains, or at least believes them against all the available
evidence to be pink was a solid and abiding faith, a great rock against
which the world could hurl whatever it would, yet it would not be shaken.
In practice, the horse knew, twenty-four hours was usually about its lot.
So what of this horse, then, that actually held opinions, and was
skeptical about things? Unusual behavior for a horse, wasn't it? An
unusual horse perhaps?
No. Although it was certainly a handsome and well-built example of
its species, it was none the less a perfectly ordinary horse, such as
convergent evolution has produced in many of the places that life is to
be found. They have always understood a great deal more than they let
on. It is difficult to be sat on all day, every day, by some other
creature, without forming an opinion about them.
On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to sit all day, every
day, on top of another creature and not have the slightest thought about
them whatsoever.