The madgen

A new generation

Chapter 12   The Madgen

“Result is not important, work is important,” Dr. Wang said in translation of an old Chinese saying.

“There's still enough here that is credible for commercial applications,” said Bob.

They were responding to Dr. Wang's anxieties on the issue of proof.

In the final draft of the report that they presented to Dr. Wang, Charles, as the supervisor on the dissertation, had endorsed the findings on the language issue, personal responses on the survey, the focus interviews and the confirmation of human development tendencies that diminished past exalted experiences in favor of new ones. His comments had stated that there was sufficient content in the study to favor the perception, that the hypothesis is a sound indication of the early experiences of the Algonquin.

However, Charles had also indicated the limitation on the study as, lacking in solid facts. There were no objects or artifacts in their collection that is proof positive of such a link. The turtle and other modern symbols cultivated by Algonquin tribes may have been the influence of subsequent growth in understanding, human values that have come to correspond with like minded attitudes, that is in keeping with the times, and found elsewhere in the world.

The Cheyenne team concurred with the findings, producing an outcome that was similar. However, in the section that compares the differences between the two groups, Dr. Wang had suggested that they rework the entire part of the report. He said that he was not convinced on the issues.

They left the meeting and returned to Charles office.

Susan seemed apologetic about her attitudes for not bringing a greater support, but Charles brushed it off. He realized that her own condition had evolved along with Bob and in the 18 months that they spent together, she had grown to highlight her own needs along with Bob.

“ All I'm saying,” she was speaking to Bob, as they walked back from the dean's office, “ is that some solid evidence would have made a difference.” Charles was thinking about the responses of the sponsoring institutions in the findings of the research.

“There's enough stuff in there for a solid social program,” Charles affirmed.

Susan received it well, but her manner implied that it was merely recommendations. Someone convinced of the report's credibility, would have to apply considerable work and cultivation to make these issues popular and to bring them into common acceptance in the form of programs.

“I agree,” Susan replied, in a curious and subtle sense of contradiction that she had grown into in the past few months.

Bob continued to eyeball the opportunities in the governmental sector but was concerned whether the usual politics in Washington and the budget issues necessary for its promotion, would be forthcoming.

“My father was going on about land deals in native territory, mining and so forth, which he thought would be useful areas for the application of the research. Negotiations, contracts and deals made would require a keen understanding and relations on the issues.” He spoke in a tone of finality, as if the whole thing was already settled.

“Are we meeting up for the tribe comparison issues?” Susan inquired.

“ I'll have to speak to Karen first on the measures for the human definition model, we are using,” he responded. “The motivation and decision making models, we used is okay but if Dr. Wang says its inconclusive, then that's that.” He was referring to the supervising assistant professor on the Cheyenne team.

Charles returned to his room in the three-storey staff building of the department. Some students were in the corridor searching for names on the doors. It was a new semester and Charles was starting to feel the nature of the cyclical motions of life. He stood at the window and lighted up a cigarette. He took a long view of the lawn beside the building and the students sitting in the sunlight.

He recalled how the picture of the lawn and students was one of the reasons he had decided to enroll for his own P hD program. Life in the ivory tower wasn't all that it was made out to be. The money was all right but he felt he had to sink his teeth into something.

To leave the place after the completion of this dissertation was a thought that he had played with for some time. He was starting to dream about India and the kind of stuff that continues to lay buried there.

At 47 years of age, he figured he had to put the apex on the pyramid that he had been building and it was important for him to take to the next stage. He wondered about his own family attitudes and his daughter who had finished her undergraduate studies and was moving into the workplace. He wasn't there for them at this time but he kept up the pressure of avoidance of the issues.

A wind had picked up in that late May season. The chatter among the students outside, drew on his own social attitudes and a picture of the continuity of life came into view. He held that in place and realized that he may have passed the social standards in terms of his general societal responsibilities but he took the separation from the wife as a matter of personal failure. The effect depreciated him and made him restless for achievement.

He remembered a conversation he had with Bob, on the issue of what they termed as the Madgen. It referred to the experiences of mad geniuses in society and it was apparently taking over from the X generation.

“We cannot know everything,” Bob was saying, “its the way we combine a multitude of factors in arriving at a path of least resistance. But the way we come to know things is a lark in most cases. It comes and it goes.”

Charles concurred. “ It combines passion with reason and we seem to be finding a way to refine the experience better and better.”

“The early Egyptians made the remark that someday they will come back to life and it seems to me in some way, that such a return is mixed with the concept of the world experience.” Bob mused.

Charles had laughed.

Freud had said that sanity is defined as knowing the difference between reality and illusion, but he didn't define which is which, leaving it to the individual to do so.

He recalled the comment by a pastor he had got into discussions with, in his teen years.

“God permits man to exercise freewill for the discovery of the good and bad of things. As long as we maintain the covenant with him, no matter how screwed up we ever get, we ought to find our way back.”

Amen, muttered Charles under his breath, as he called Karen on the phone to set up their meet.

Reviews

[patricia]

I liked the chapter that describes Susan identifying her own needs alongside Bobs, as I read on I realised I had read this before, but it seems I didnt leave a review for it, which surprises me. Thanks.