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(Warning: Someone described this weblog as being about "technology, Internet, politics, and Internet politics"; this post, however, is different.)
In the game of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), the most interesting form of magic is the illusion. A good illusionist can convince people that what they see (or hear or smell) is not really there, or that things that are not there really are, etc. The beauty of this kind of magic is that by tricking people's perception of reality, the illusionist can cause effects that are not possible without enormous physical effort.
Characters in the game (be they player characters or others, played by the Dungeon Master) are not entirely powerless against an illusionist. They may elect to "disbelieve" the reality their senses tell them. A character disbelieves reality by asserting that the reality the character sees is not real, by confronting reality while being totally convinced that no harm could come of it.
For example, let's say Drixil the Dark Elf walks on a mountain trail when suddenly huge boulders are thrown at him. Drixil, who is aware that an illusionist halfling lives nearby, thinks that the illusionist plays him for a fool. He says: "I disbelieve these boulders are real". Planting his feet in the ground, lifting his hands into the air, he waits for a (fake, in his mind) boulder to hit. Now if the boulders are actually real (a giant is standing out of view, looking for his next meal), Drixil presents the perfect target, and his action could prove fatal. If, on the other hand, the boulders are part of an illusion, Drixil would not be hurt at all, and soon the illusion will be gone.
Today is New Year (Rosh Hashana, literally "head of the year" in Hebrew) in the Jewish calendar. This is a good time to look back at the year that just ended, and reflect on events that shaped our lives.
This has not been an easy year for me. During these passing twelve months, there are so many things I would undo, if only I could. Wouldn't it be great if, like in our fantasy game, we could disbelive reality, to find out that the bad things were only virtual, a perfect illusion cast by an evil wizard?
I want to disbelieve...
I want to disbelieve that a couple I know and love suddenly got divorced a few months ago.
I want to disbelieve that a person I knew and trusted stubbed me in the back, for no apparent reason. I want to disbelieve that two of my best friends -- who were quite inseparable -- got into a fight one day, and have not exchanged a single word since.
And most of all, I want to disbelieve that I emoitionally hurt a woman, simply because I was too deep in my own troubles to spare her a little bit of kindness.
Until disbeliving becomes a reality, we must face the consequences of our actions and live with them.
Shana Tova (have a great year) to you all!
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