From: T0Morrow@aol.com
Date: Tue Dec 21 1999 - 22:36:15 MST
Thanks to Sasha for reminding us about the best (if not original) reasons for
the Ex-Mass holiday season! He graciously referred to my silly essay on that
same topic, which, in keeping with custom, I here offer to you with my
gladest tidings. It comes from
<http://members.aol.com/t0morrow/Ex-Mass.html>.
Merry Ex-Mass to all! He! He! He!
T.0. Morrow
* * *
The Ex-Mass Holiday Season and The Story of Solar Cause
The Ex-Mass[fn1] holiday season amuses us with feasts and fetes, socializes
us in shared ceremonies, and educates us via allegory. It runs from the
solstice nearest perihelion (winter solstice in the northern hemisphere,
summer in the southern) until Sir Issac Newton's birthday on December 25th.
Especially for children, the character of Solar Cause[fn2] plays a large role
in Ex-Mass celebrations. Adults tend to focus more on such convivial rituals
such as exchanging gifts, praising our stellar good-fortune, and meditating
on the illuminating powers of human science and industry.
The Story of Solar Cause
For most of the year Solar Cause lives in the warm, yellow sun. He watches
over the far-away Earth, making sure that it spins all through the day and
all through the night. Once a year, the Earth's clockwork starts to run
down. Day and night get so out of balance that one almost falls into the
other! On that crazy day, Solar Cause reaches across the vastness of space
and draws the Earth a little closer to the sun. He climbs down to fix our
shivering little planet--and brings with him a bag full of presents for good
boys and girls.
Solar Cause comes to Earth on that special date to set things right. With a
gentle nudge to the North pole, he puts day and night back onto course and
sets the Earth whirling into another year. But each of our hearts spins on
its own, private pole. Like the Earth they will, if left alone and
untouched, tumble into weariness and confusion. When he comes to fix the
Earth's orbit, then, Solar Cause nudges each our hearts to set *them* right,
too.
Grown-ups sense the touch of Solar Cause in a typically grown-up way:
absent-mindedly, as if their feelings wore five layers of sweaters. But
children! Their light hearts dance on Solar Cause's touch like motes in a
sun-beam!
Solar Cause has a special understanding with children. All through the year
he traces the days and nights of their little hearts. He sees all their
acts, both good and bad. Because Solar Cause loves extropy, he loves each
child who plays nicely and studies well. Solar Cause dislikes the cold and
dark of entropy, however. It thus grieves him to see children hurt their
playmates or neglect their lessons.
While Solar Cause watches over Earth's children, his vast fusion-powered
factories teem with tiny workers making gifts. All year long they build
toys and cook sweets. Solar Cause brings these gifts with him on that one
special night when he comes to set the Earth back on course. Then, in the
darkest hour of our longest night, he flies across the whole of the world.
Solar Cause flies over our roofs and shines down through our windows and
chimneys!
Solar Cause visits each dreaming child. Because watching boys and girls
extrope [fn3] during the rest of the year brings Solar Cause such great joy,
he thanks each of them with a special present on this special night. But to
children who did terribly entropic things during the year past, he gives
only shadows.
Of course, no one--not even adults--can act perfectly well all of the time!
Solar Cause thus gives everybody at least a little bit of a shadow. These,
our conscientious guardians, follow each of us throughout the year,
reminding us to try and overcome our weaknesses and to improve ourselves as
much as we possibly can.
Dreaming through his visits, children do not see Solar Cause in all his
glory. What does he look like, then? A mane of shining, golden hair rings
his beaming face. His vibrant yellow costume reveals a fit, trim build.
Solar Cause shines so brightly that, sometimes, even sleeping children feel
his warm gaze. And, if their good acts have made Solar Cause especially
happy, they may hear a light-hearted laugh echo through their dreams. "He!
He! He!" Why gives Solar Cause so much joy? Elementary: Seeing Extropian
children grow forward, upward, and outward!
Notes
[1] Why "Ex-Mass"? Because the holiday celebrates the sun's conversion of
mass into energy.
[2] Solar Cause's female companion, Luna, plays a periodically recurring
role in his story. But her lights merely reflect, to a greater or lesser
extent, Solar Cause's own; he plays the star in the pageant of Ex-Mass.
[3] "Extrope": v.i. to advance the subject's extropy. So far as I can
tell, Amara Graps coined this particular variation on "extropy".
* * *
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