ACOLYTES OF NONSENSE
The following interview took place on [REDACTED] at an undisclosed location.
Dr. Smith
I’m Dr. Jane Smith, and I have a PhD in linguistics. I'm here today to speak with you, an academic researcher, about your analysis of the ancient text known as the Nonsense Tome.
My first question for you is, can you introduce yourself and tell me a little bit about the Nonsense Tome and what makes it unique compared to other ancient texts?
Struggs
Thanks for having me Dr. Smith! I'd be happy to. My name is Struggs Yonson and I represent a group of ancient text analysts. They've spent their lives searching for and trying to understand various relics. In most cases, they've succeeded in that task of understanding. That is what makes the Nonsense Tome so special. It defies understanding. It revealed itself to our team 3 years ago off the coast of Iceland. I say revealed because we were not even looking for it. It was just... there... all of a sudden. Even now, my teammates and I can't remember who saw it first or where. We were in Iceland looking for remnants of Norse mythology texts and ended up finding this document which has changed all of our lives forever.
Dr. Smith
That sounds like a very interesting discovery, Struggs. Can you tell me more about the content of the Nonsense Tome? Are there any patterns or themes that you've been able to identify in the text?
Struggs
That's a great question! Here's what we know so far:
The Nonsense Tome seems to have been constructed by some ancient or alien super-intelligence. We were able to carbon date the Tome, and based on how old we believe it to be, the pages themselves should be crumbling to dust. But they are pristine! Almost-new condition. The materials used do not match any materials known today. As far as the icons present in the document... Well we are still struggling to understand the meaning behind most of them... But we are all, down to the last person on my team, dedicated to uncovering their meaning. One theme that seems to dominate the work is a sense of separation. Lots of things being cut or otherwise split from itself or from it's surroundings. The author of the work seems to have been exploring the boundaries of visual information communication.
Dr. Smith
Wow, that sounds like an incredibly complex and mysterious text. It's impressive that you and your team have been able to identify any patterns or themes at all. Can you tell me about the methods you've used to analyze the Nonsense Tome? What challenges have you faced in trying to understand it?
Struggs
First thing let me just tell you how pleased I am to be here, Dr. Smith. Everyone we've brought this to has either dismissed us as crazy or tried to forcibly extract information from us. This conversation has been a wonderful change of pace.
To answer your question, we began by using all the common means to find meaning in the work: the Philological method, Comparative method, Linguistic reconstruction, Decipherment, and the Anthropological-historical method... but they all failed because the text is actually not what we're trying to decode. This is another special facet of the Nonsense Tome. Even though it was undeniably crafted thousands, or potentially hundreds of thousands, of years ago, it's all written in English! Not only that, but conversational modern English! It adds to the mystery of the document.
So what we're trying to decode are the images. And all of our traditional methods failed to find any meaning. Then one day, by a fluke, we discovered our ideal method: meditation.
One of my team-members simply sat in front of a page of the Tome, and began to meditate as they did every day in the morning. Suddenly, their head was filled to the brim with interpretations of the page. We all tried it, and all got similarly vivid but differing interpretations. Since then, we have used meditation and the subsequent comparison of our experiences as the main way by which we form our conclusions about what the Nonsense Tome is trying to tell us.
Dr. Smith
That's an interesting approach. It's not a method that is commonly used in text analysis, but it sounds like it has been effective for you and your team. Can you tell me more about the interpretations that you have received through meditation? Are there any common themes or patterns that have emerged? And what do you think is the main message or purpose of the Nonsense Tome?
Struggs
That's just it, Dr. Smith. The more we interact with this work, the more we come to believe that what it is trying to do is simply cultivate a mental posture of openness and receptibility. The purpose of engaging with the Nonsense Tome is to engage with the Nonsense Tome. It changes you as you sit with it. We have all had experiences that defied reason while allowing the Nonsense Tome to work on our subconscious.
We believe that the Nonsense Tome was crafted to push human consciousness to the next step in our evolution. To fundamentally change the way we perceive reality and to challenge our preconceptions about what makes "sense" about our world. To become comfortable being uncomfortable. To understand nothing and be content with that.
I used to think that the ultimate form of existence would be to have all the answers to life's big questions. The Nonsense Tome has taught me and my team that the real ultimate form of existence is to not need the answers at all.
Dr. Smith
That's a very intriguing perspective on the Nonsense Tome and its purpose. It sounds like the text has had a profound impact on you and your team, both intellectually and personally. It's certainly an unusual take on what an ancient text might be meant to do.
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with me today, Struggs. It's been a pleasure speaking with you about the Nonsense Tome.
Struggs
Same to you Dr. Smith! I have to get back to the lab, but I hope to talk with you again soon!
Dr. Smith
I would be happy to chat with you again in the future. Have a great day, Struggs!