Of the office and the open door
Page 101C. S. Lewis — Prophet of the Uncomfortable Mirror. The Society’s honorific recognizes his influence without claiming his agreement. The thirteen parables, seven Observances, certificate, and reading companion are retained; a new afterword considers remembered songs.
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QUIET CAPTURES / PREFACE
Of the office and the open door
1 And I shit you not, the Office of Excellent Intentions prepared a report concerning the liberation of the individual.
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2 The report was exceedingly handsome, and the binders were arranged by color.
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3 But a visitor asked what had become easier to choose after the report was published.
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4 The Office appointed a committee to examine the question’s tone.
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5 These stories begin at such a moment: when the appearance of care becomes easier to manage than care itself.
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6 The Office is fictional. Its paperwork may nevertheless feel familiar.
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7 Let the reader use the resemblance as an invitation to examine conduct, not as evidence of an invisible agency directing a neighbor.
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8 Let the reader also remember that good intentions can be sincere and still require correction.
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9 A person need not be secretly wicked before a practical request can go unanswered.
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10 Neither must a person condemn their existence before learning to answer it.
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11 This book therefore offers questions, stories, and observances, together with a certificate whose finest clause permits its own examination.
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12 The door remaineth open. Thou mayest enter, continue, disagree, or go and enjoy thy evening.
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The paperwork is comic. Consent, access, and practical promises are not jokes.