The physical aspect of psyche seems to have become something of a theme. In other words, the physical condition of humanity that imbues strength of mind.
When conditions are harsh, mental strength is more likely to be present. For example, when Kanye West suggested going back to the land with a mule and eight acres. The self-reliance is a matter of faith.
The 28th Dumarest, Melome, pushes this quite far, and the female interest (one of them) is a trainer of big cats in a planetary circus (somewhat reminiscent of the parallel realities in Judgement Night) who almost takes our one of his eyes with her whip ('leather traveling at supersonic speed'.) Jealousy of Melome is the key. This is somewhat reminiscent of the scene in X-factor where Scott and Jean fight over Phoenix (prev.)
Fights are physical, and the physical gives rise to the psyche - in comics particularly. Another facet broached is the idea that the cyber group-mind might get bored. Cyber Avro was an angel (via the affinity twin) and..
Avro moved, feeling nothing in his amniotic tank, likening his existence to those who had gone before. The fortunate ones now sealed in their capsules, minds released from all physical irritations, free to think, speculate, extrapolate - was boredom the answer?
..Avro spun in his tank as his mind became infused with burning images. The mountains. The crystalline glitter of nests. The sheen of wings and the glow of sunlight warming pinnacle and crag. The moonlight which bathed the world in a silver, nacreous glow. The stars. The rain and cloud and gentle winds. The taste of crisp, morning air. The smell of grass. The soft impact of another living, breathing shape.
Madness! (page 114)
The theme of physical/psyche suggests that the two cannot be separated, so that a detached brain inevitably gets bored and loses the will to be ins vat. Avro is captivated by aerial experiences as an angel, and you could imagine the smells and shapes of a garden captivate in similar fashion.
The strength of a garden is often in its rough ways. Leaving nettles and other weeds allows butterflies to lay eggs. It's sleazy and fairly easy. So what is clearly missing in the Cyclan plan for domination is the ecology. Partly that's because ecology is productive and depends on sleeping around, which the cybers don't do atall.
Partly, though, it's just the sense of laissez-faire. Untidiness is a boon and mulch is a must for vibrant growth (colour, smell, sound of birds and circadias).
The physical condition is untidy. Kids prosper in their rough games. The development of kids depends on a sequence which is tied to instinctive traits (sucking the teat.) In a cybernetic system, that sequence can be stymied (the pandemic has apparently slowed tots verbally.)
The basic point is the physical condition powers the psyche. Without the physical condition the psyche can be disempowered. Now, a sequence has to be a physical thing; it depends on movement such as the spin of the Earth. These sequences all take place in invariable time. Classical Greek myth.
Living in variable (or Relative) time distorts the primal rhythms. This is the future of the head advocated by the likes of Musk. Thee is a dark psychology of sameness that ties development to computer-time (measurement.)
Contrasted to this, the physical condition is tied to physical movements. Godard, in Goodbye to Language (prev), has several scenes of a guy on a toilet seat seeming to adopt the pose of The Thinker accompanied by scatological sounds.
This is a very classical, comic scene. The lewd or scatological are prevalent in Aristophanes. Grace Slick calls it 'Chaucerian trash' in Somebody to Love?
Life is boring without that physical condition because there is no lightweight humour. One is left with number and measurement and even when it's obvious there are scatological connotations (R7) it doesn't register with the cybernetic brain. Nevertheless, there is that condition because of the thinker's pose. It's human comedy.
The physical and primitive supply ready insults, insults that the entrenched political class seem not to favour (prev.) Words should be free to use and connected to the physical reality or we enter a parallel system of sameness. Words ultimately depend on physical life which is non-verbal and proportionate (the zodiac.)
The dark psychology of modernity uses words in a crooked sense. This is apparent in Ukraine where both the Ukrainian fighters and the Russians are labelled 'Nazis' by eachother.
Words only have meaning where the physical life is strong and reflexive. In nature either one wins or loses, either one is living or dead. Tubb typically takes this to extremes. In the fight between Dumarest and ringmaster Zucco, he suddenly realized his peril..and the way out (see Bruce Lee, prev.)
A telepath. Zucco's special skill which Shakira had mentioned. A man who could read thought and act before they had been turned into movement. A fighter against whom there could be no calculated defense..
Why did Zucco want him to attack?
"Come," he said again. "It's time you made up your mind."
Time?..
Action too fast for thought, born of the reactive instinct honed by numerous combats and augmented by Dumarest's natural speed. The speed was too fast for Zucco to follow and he backed across the ring toward the tunnel where Valaban stood, Reiza at his side, Shakira a shadowy figure behind.
"No!" Zucco backed further, face distorted with terror as he read the grim, unrelenting purpose in Dumarest's mind. "No'!" (page 143,144)
(Oddly enough, the story concerns a diva who's song penetrates the past, with a Columbian cameo!)
