Do you remember the moment (if you have experienced such a moment) when you stopped believing in Santa Claus? Was it a gradual realization? Or a sudden event, when your worldview shifted irrevocably?
Was there a time when you suspected Santa to be a figment…and yet you could still be convinced of the veracity of his existence by a cousin with enough conviction?
Through my extensive research (consisting of baseless assumption) I’ve discovered there to be two kinds of people in this world: those who consider the zombie apocalypse a foregone conclusion avoidable only in the case that the Singularity occurs first, and those who are firmly convicted that such things as zombies don’t exist and never will.
Okay, the above statement is not entirely true. There is a third group of people. A very small minority of individuals, of which I find myself a part, choose to take the stance of the improbable. This camp embraces slogans like, “Just because I’ve never seen a unicorn doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
In truth, I tell my children exactly this on a regular basis. I’ve never seen Sasquatch, but that doesn’t mean Sasquatch isn’t real. Just because there has been no scientifically acknowledged case of true zombism up till now doesn’t mean there won’t be tomorrow. And I can’t rule out the possibility that an enclave of CHUDS are moping about beneath the streets of New York City as I type.
While the reality of these things might be quite improbable, who am I to espouse them as impossible? Past, present and future? To the detriment of society, I’ve found the numbers of people clinging to the improbable to be in steep decline. At one point in history, there were dragons beyond every horizon. A few weeks ago, my youngest son and I were playing the most recent version of Sid Meier’s Civilization. At one point, he looked up with disappointment in his eyes and engaged me in a conversation that went something like this:
“I thought there was going to be something cool out there.”
I frown, “What do you mean?”
He points at an undiscovered portion of the map on my screen. I shake my head, not understanding his point. “The dragon,” he says. “I thought it meant something cool.”
Ah, I nod my head. My son is referring to the ornate dragon decorating an unexplored portion of my map. “That represents the unknown, the possibility of wonder.”
“So there still could be something cool?”
“Exactly.”
And that is a perfect example of the stance of the improbable. Will we find a dragon on our next camping trip into the Idaho wilderness? Not likely. A sasquatch? While a bit more likely still highly improbable. But it’s the very idea that such a thing is possible that keeps us open to the raw power and wonder of discovery. You can bet your bippy that this possibility is what powers all the great explorers past and present. But this potential for shifting worldview, the possibility of the completely unexpected, is also what allows us to engage society with flexibility. A compassionate Republican? A responsible Democrat? Balderdash! Flim flam! Such a thing is impossible!
I say, “Just because you don’t know one, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
At the Desk This Week
As I type this, I’m sitting in the local Les Schwab tire and brake shop. I’ve been in here all morning. I was here all yesterday morning as well. Sometimes things just roll that way. My creative time has been scented with rubber. That’s fine. At least my desk can travel to the tire shop along with me. I suppose this is what I get for falsely claiming the excuse last week that I had “four flat tires!”
If You Wish to Start Reading The Green Ones…
[Click here to start at the beginning.]
Thanks so much for taking the time to read these scenes of Boundaries, Season 2 of The Green Ones. I’ll be publishing FREE daily scenes from The Green Ones until…I die…or something terrible happens. Seriously, I’ve got over 100 scenes written so far, and I’ll be writing more until the story reaches its natural ending. You are totally welcome to read the entire story for FREE! If at any point you decide you would rather finish the story in ebook or print format, just click the buttons below and you can do that as well. If you enjoy reading the serial releases, BUT you would also like to support me as a writer (my kids need wine!) please subscribe to my premium content for bonus scenes, exclusives, and insider access to my process. And of course, I’d be grateful if you would share this post with any of your reader friends who you think would enjoy The Green Ones. Happy reading!