From: "David Lebling" <dlebling@ucentric.com>
Subject: (urth) _Engine Summer_
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 09:04:34 

The Angels are "downloading" the Rush recording for purposes of
psychotherapy, in fact social psychotherapy. They state this explicitly. The
globes have been used to "teach" the angels. (The lesson from Dr. Boots is
"forget," and the other lessons are mentioned as well -- I don't have the
book handy). There is the strong implication that the purpose is to teach
the angels to _not_ be angels (i.e., to stop being people like us, 21st
century Americans). The reason for having someone monitor Rush's story is
the same as for having the psychotherapist present in a therapy session; to
guide it and monitor the patient's well-being.

This is not to say the monitor is necessarily a therapist in our sense of
the word, but she (perhaps he, I don't recall) listens to and comments on
the story as it is told. I was particularly struck by the passage in which
Rush asks if the story is different each time, and the monitor tells him
there's more this time about his love for [the girl who joins Dr. Boot's
List]. This is clearly because the patient influences the story. (Rush may
even be an unreliable narrator.) The monitors are watching the patients, who
have received a "letter from Rush-That-Speaks," to see how much it has
changed them, how badly it has hurt them, how much it has helped them, and
to subtly guide the progress of integrating Rush into the patient. The
sessions would naturally be recorded so that future monitors can learn the
symptoms of trouble or success.

Of course, the message of the title is that this societal therapy is going
to fail.

    Dave Lebling
    aka vizcacha



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