07 outubro, 2011

A Little Though Experiment

Imagine that all of a sudden human population on Earth has been dramatically reduced as a result of whatever catastrophic event of your choice. We're down to a single small community of people which is, on top of that, struck by an epidemics of blindness.

Nobody can see anymore. Despite the major initial disruption caused by the happening, life goes on and they soon adapt to their new condition, which does not change despite some people's hope they will live to see again. Years have passed and the first baby is about to be born. They've never really understood what caused their blindness but hope is not lacking in this miserable community. Maybe the baby will be able to see. She cannot.

It's been a good number of years now. The last person who could once see just died and the very concept of vision now exists just as orally transmitted memories from the previous generation. This is how things go for an unknown amount of time. Without being able to detect light it's not so easy to keep track of time.

After long enough for the idea of seeing to change status from orally transmitted memories to legends of long before, someone grows up claiming they can see. Discuss the dynamics in this community facing this claim.