Things to keep in mind:
The secret of running gags.
One is climbing a dark flight of steps with no notion of where one is going and no idea of where one has been. Taking the first step, one smells the odor of jasmine. This catches one’s attention; jasmine, or rather the scent of jasmine, forms for a moment one’s entire universe.
On the second step, one smells nothing, and yet the scent of jasmine lingers. From this, we derive memory: the memory of the sensation lasts beyond its stimulus.
On the third step, one smells the odor of roses. From this, we derive difference, comparison, contemplation.
On the fourth step, the odor of jasmine. From this, we derive recollection and recognition.
On the fifth step, the odor of carnation. From this, we derive reflection. How is this act of comparison different from the previous?
On the sixth step, the odor of excrement. From this, we derive judgment. One is clearly worse than the others.
On the seventh step, the odor of jasmine. From this, we derive understanding. How is one different from the moment one first experienced this sensation?
—the Yellow Book of Lem
—posted 5920 days ago
