FATIGUE OF THE SYNAPSES
23
that at a certain point, by sheer accident of persons and circumstances
things began to go wrong. Well, if you believe that, you are not a
difficult case. All you need is to be made to see that everything that
happened happened not by accident but by necessity; and that con–
sequently if our premises were right, the outcome must be the will of
History which,
ex hypothesi,
is always right. It's perfectly simple,
isn't it?"
"Perfectly."
"Only you don't believe a word of it. It will be my job to per–
suade you."
"How? With syringes and pills?"
"Mostly by arguments. The arguments will be a little repetitive
and may involve a certain amount of bullying- that's part of the
reconditioning therapy. The bullying is designed to abolish the main
source of resistance-your notions of self-respect and so on. The
chemical paraphernalia serve merely the purpose of making you more
receptive to the arguments by opening certain channels and blocking
others. After a few weeks at the utmost, the whole layout of your
brain
will
be altered as thoroughly as the map of Europe after the
last war. You will believe everything you write, and you will write
with conviction and gusto as befits a Hero of Culture.. .. "
There was a pause. Leontiev said :
"You are right: it is perfectly simple. And perfectly disgusting."
"Of course. Nothing more disgusting than to watch a film actress
having her beauty treatment- the slapping of the grease-covered face,
the lifting of the bosom, the curling of the locks in the electric ma–
chine. But the result is a dazzling sight, and the procedure only seems
disgusting to those who entertain naive illusions about the body. My
proposal is disgusting to you because you have equally naive illusions
about the working of the mind."
"Maybe. But I won't do it."
"I thought so. Bad luck for me, worse for you. I miss an experi–
ment, you miss a unique chance to become the first synthetic writer
in history. But I never had any luck in persuading patients to submit
to voluntary treatment-not even members of the 'Fearless Sufferers.'
Maybe I shall have to have you locked up for our mutual benefit,
and that of the reading public."
"I would not be surprised if you did," said Leontiev.
