diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'essays/mock_risk_games.tex')
| -rw-r--r-- | essays/mock_risk_games.tex | 218 |
1 files changed, 218 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/essays/mock_risk_games.tex b/essays/mock_risk_games.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8d8d325 --- /dev/null +++ b/essays/mock_risk_games.tex @@ -0,0 +1,218 @@ +\chapter{Mock Risk Games} + + +Suppose you stand in front of a swinging door with a nail sticking out of it +pointing at your face; and suppose you are prepared to jump back if the +door suddenly opens in your face. You are deliberately taking a risk on the +assumption that you can protect yourself. Let us call such a situation a "risk +game." Then a mock risk game is a risk game such that the misfortune which +you risk is contrary to the course of nature, a freak misfortune; and thus +your preparation to evade it is correspondingly superficial. + +If the direction of gravity reverses and you fall on the ceiling, that is a +freak misfortune. If you don't want to risk this misfortune, then you will +anchor yourself to the floor in some way. But if you stand free so that you +can fall, and yet try to prepare so that if you do fall, you will fall in such a +way that you won't be hurt, then that is a mock risk game. if technicians +could actually effect or simulate gravity reversal in the room, then the risk +game would be a real one. But I am not concerned with real risk games. I am +interested in dealing with gravity reversal in an everyday environment, where +everything tells you it can't possibly happen. Your 'preparation' for the fall +is thus superficial, because you still have the involuntary conviction that it +can't possibly happen. + +Mock risk games constitute a new area of human behavior, because they +aren't something people have done before, you don't know what they will be +like until you try them, and it took a very special effort to devise them. +They have a tremendous advantage over other activities of comparable +significance, because they can be produced in the privacy of your own room +without special equipment. Let us explore this new psychological effect; and +let us not ask what use it has until we are more familiar with it. + +Instructions for a variety of mock risk games follow. (I have played +each game many times in developing it, to ensure that the experience of +playing it will be compelling.) For each game, there is a physical action to be +performed in a physical setting. Then there is a list of freak misfortunes +which you risk by performing the action, and which you must be prepared +to evade. The point is not to hallucinate the misfortunes, or even to fear +them, but rather to be prepared to evade them. First you work with each +misfortune separately. For example, you walk across a room, prepared to +react self-protectingly if you are suddenly upside down, resting on the top of +your head on the floor. In preparing for this risk, you should clear the path +of objects that might hurt you if you fell on them; you should wear clothes +suitable for falling; and you should try standing on your head, taking your +hands off the floor and falling, to get a feeling for how to fail without +getting hurt. After you have mastered the preparation for each misfortune +separately, you perform the action prepared to evade the first misfortune +and the second (but not both at once). You must prepare to determine +instantly which of the two misfortunes befalls you, and to react +appropriately. After you have mastered pairs of misfortunes, you go on to +triples of misfortunes, and so forth. + +The principal games are for a large room with no animals or distracting +sounds present. + +\textbf{A.}Walk across the lighted room from one corner to the diagonally +opposite one, breathing normally, with your eyes open. +\begin{enumerate} +\item You are suddenly upside down, resting on the top of your head on the +floor. You must get down without breaking your neck. + +\item Although the floor looks unbroken and solid, beyond a certain point +nothing is there. If you step onto that area, you will take a fatal fall. Thus, as +you walk, you must not shift your weight to your forward foot until you are +sure it will hold. Put the ball of the forward foot down before the heel. + +\item Something happens to the cohesive forces in your neck so that if your +head tips in any direction, it will come right off your body, killing you +immediately. Otherwise everything remains normal. Thus, as you walk, you +must "balance" your head on your neck. When you reach the other side of +the room, your neck will be restored to normal. (Prepare beforehand by +walking with a book balanced on your head.) + +\item Invisible conical weights fall around you with their points down, each +whistling as it falls. You must evade them by ear in order not to be stabbed. +Walk softly and fast. + +\item The room is suddenly filled with water. You have to control your lungs +and swim to the top. Wear clothes suitable for swimming. +\end{enumerate} + +\textbf{A'.} Play game A while on a long walk on an uncrowded street. The floor +is replaced by the sidewalk. The fifth misfortune becomes for space suddenly +to be filled with water to a height of fifteen feet above the street. + +\textbf{B.} Lie on your back on a pallet in the dimly lit room, hands at your +sides, with a pillow on your face so that it is slightly difficult to breathe, for +thirty seconds at a time. +\begin{enumerate} +\item The pillow suddenly hardens and becomes hundreds of pounds heavier. It +remains suspended on your face for a split second and then "falls," bears +down with full weight. You must jerk your head out from under it in that +split second. + +\item The pillow adheres to your skin with a force greater than your skin's +cohesion, and begins to rise. You must rise with it in such a way that your +skin is not torn. +\end{enumerate} + +\textbf{C.} Lie on your back on the pallet in the dimly lit room. + +\begin{enumerate} +\item Gravity suddenly disappears completely, so that nothing is held down by +it; and the ceiling becomes red-hot. You must avoid drifting up against the +ceiling. + +\item The surface you are lying on becomes a vast lighted open plane. From the +distance, giant steel spheres come rolling in your direction. You must evade +them. + +\item Your body is split in half just above the waist by an indefinitely long, +rather high, foot-thick wall. Your legs and lower torso are on one side, and +your upper torso, arms, and head are on the other side. Matter normally +exchanged between the two halves of your body continues to be exchanged +through the. wall by telekinesis. It is as if you are a foot longer above the +waist. In order to reunite your body, you must first roll over and get up, +bent way forward. There are depressions in the wall on the same side as your +feet. You have to climb the wall, putting your feet in the depressions and +balancing yourself. You will be reunited when you reach the top and your +waist passes above the wall. +\end{enumerate} + +\textbf{D.} Sit in a plain, small, straight chair, on the edge of the seat, hands +hanging at the sides of the seat, feet together in front of the chair, in the +lighted room, for about thirty seconds at a time. + +\begin{enumerate} +\item The chair is suddenly out from under you and sitting on you with Its legs +straddling your lap and legs. You have to get your weight over your feet so +you won't take a hard fall. + +\item The direction of gravity reverses and the chair remains anchored to the +floor. You have to grab the seat and hold on in order not to fall on the +ceiling. + +\item You are suddenly in a contra-terrene universe, in which the atmosphere is +unbreathable and prolonged contact with either the atmosphere or the +ground will disintegrate you. The seat and back of the chair become a +penetrable hyperspatial sheet between the alien universe and your own. As +soon as you feel the alien atmosphere, you must jerk your feet off the +ground and deliberately sink or plunge through the seat and back of the chair +in the best way that you can. You will end up on the floor under the chair in +your universe. + +\item You are suddenly in dark empty space in a three-dimensional lattice of +gleaming wires. Segments of the lattice alternately burst into flame and cool +off. You adhere to the chair as if it were part of you. With your hands +holding onto the seat, you can move yourself and the chair forward by + +\end{enumerate} + +\plainbreak{2} + +\textbf{[NOTE: TWO PAGES MISSING HERE IN SCAN]} + +\plainbreak{2} + +from blundering into a radiation beam, you have to communicate +pre-verbally to the other mind by every means from vocal cries to +pantomine, and get your-body/his-mind out of range of the radiation. When +the body is out, you will both be restored to normal. (The first thing to +anticipate is the basic shift in viewpoint by which you will be looking at +your own body from the other's position. There is no point in tensing your +muscles in preparatiton for the misfortune, because if it occurs, you will be +working with a strange set of muscles anyway. The next thing to prepare to +do is to spot the radiation beams; and then to yell, gesture, or +whatever--anything to get the "other" to avoid the radiation. Note finally +that neither player prepares for the possibility that he will be surrounded by +radiation. Each player prepares for the same role in an asymmetrical pas de +deux.) + +\emph{Asymmetry:} The two of you play a given duo game, but each prepares +to evade a different misfortune. + +\textbf{AB.} Stay awake with eyes closed for an agreed upon time between one +and fifteen minutes. Use a timer with an alarm. + +\begin{enumerate} +\item Each suddenly has the other's entire present consciousness in addition to +his own, from perceptions to memories, ideologies, ambitions, and +everything else---threatening both with psychological shock. + +The couple must take up positions such that their sensory perceptions +are as nearly identical as possible. Beforehand, each must discuss with the +other the aspects of the other's attitude to the world which each must fears +having impused on his consciousness. During the game, each must think +about these aspects and try to prepare for them. + +\item Each suddenly relives the other's most intense past feelings of depression +and suicidal impulses. In other words, if five years ago the other attempted +suicide because he failed out of college, you suddenly have the consciousness +that "you" have just failed out of college, are totally worthless, and should +destroy yourself. Presumably the other has since learned to live with his past +disasters, but you do not have the defenses he has built up. You are +overwhelmed with a despair which the other felt in the past, and which is +incongruous with the rest of your consciousness. In summary, both of you +risk shock and suicidal impulses. Beforehand, of course, each must tell the +other of his worst past suicidal or depressed episode; and discuss anything +else that may minimize the risk of shock. +\end{enumerate} + +\section*{Intrusions in Duo Games} + +As before, distractions and modulations can be openly studied by +consent of the players. As for bogies, it is possible in duo games for one +player to create a bogy without warning, in effect acting as a saboteur. As +soon as a game is sabotaged, though, confidence is lost, and each player just +watches out for the other's bogies. Here are some sample intrusions. + +\begin{tabular}{ r c c c } + \textsc{Game} & \textsc{Distraction} & \textsc{Bogy} & \textsc{Modulation} \\ + AA 1. & cough & shout in other's face & each take a different drug \\ + 2. & talk and laugh \linebreak get out of step & $\rightarrow$ \linebreak (stomp hard) & \\ + 3. & spin around & $\rightarrow$ & \\ + AB 1. & cough \linebreak talk and laugh & gasp \linebreak silently pass palm back \& forth in front of other's face & \\ + 2. & & & \\ +\end{tabular} + + |