Malfunction Terminal

You are on a long distance train, the Snowball Express, making your way to your home town of Prosperity, in Redemption Valley. You have to change to a local train at Malfunction City.

The Snowball Express is a fast smooth modern train, with electric doors, automated announcement system, comfortable seating, and a restaurant car with bar. The train is full, and most of your fellow passengers are asleep, or inebriated, or both. You are awake and watching out of the window - your watch indicates you should be at Malfunction already, so you know the Snowball Express is running late. Your connection with the local train is going to be tight. You decide to get your luggage and head for the door, so as to be first off the train. The Snowball Express slows down to a crawl as it pulls into Malfunction Terminal - you can see the Redemption Local across the platform - there is still time to make the connection. The train stops. The door remains closed. You press the override switch to open the door. There is no response. You pick up your baggage and head through to the next carriage - that door opens. Now there is a barrier in your way, with many electronic turnstiles in which you have to insert your ticket. You fumble feverishly in your pockets and find your ticket. You can see the guard of the Redemption Local closing the carriage doors - it is an old style train with manual doors.... You find your ticket and insert it in a turnstile - the turnstile spits it out. You notice there is a red "no entry" indicator on the gate. You search along the row of gates for one with a green indicator, and there is one, which takes your ticket and lets you through.... you run to the train and clamber on, just as the guard is raising his whistle to blow it...

Several of your fellow passengers on the Snowball Express intended to catch this same train to Redemption. Few made the connection. There is a later train to Delusionville, and another to Miracle City, but that was the last train to Redemption Valley. Some of these people are still asleep on the Snowball Express. Some did not even realise they had to change trains at Malfunction. Others are awake and looking out of the windows - they realised the train had stopped and they were wondering if it was time to get off the train. But there was no announcement, so they cannot have arrived yet... and, hey, as they look out of the window now, they see that the train is moving forward again. No problem - they can go back to sleep... Actually, the announcement system is broken, and they are seeing an optical illusion - it is the other train that is moving, in the opposite direction!

A few people did realise they had reached Malfunction, and headed for the doors. Some waited patiently for the doors to open, and missed the connection. Others had doors that worked, but they had too much baggage, and struggled with the turnstiles, and missed the connection. Others were so frustrated and angry at the lack of announcements, the broken doors, and the broken turnstiles, that they lost their focus and failed to find their way through in time.

The lucky few, who made it onto the last train to Redemption Valley, now find themselves on a rattly old train, with hard seats and no air-conditioning. But the journey is not far - this is a local train. A friendly guard comes along, checking that everyone is OK. He promises to let you know when your stop is approaching. Just as you are feeling tired and hungry, a cheerful lady appears with a trolley offering coffee, tea, and snacks. It is a bit warm, so you open a window, letting in sweet fresh country air.... you are almost home, and you can relax now, as the rest of the journey will be easy.

This little tale is a metaphor, for the transition from the old paradigm to the new paradigm. Our train is already stopped at Malfunction City. Most of us are fast asleep. Others sense the hiatus, but feel sure that the train will continue on its way shortly. Only a few realise that they have to change train, and only some of these actually manage to make it past the obstacles they encounter at Malfunction Terminal.

This is a time to be free of unnecessary baggage, to travel light. This is a time to be alert, with a clear intellect. This is a time to be flexible and ready to change direction at moment's notice.

Those who sincerely wish to reach Redemption Valley, and who make appropriate efforts, will get there. The new paradigm is very easy, once you are in it. The difficulties are created by the old paradigm. We have all been born and raised in the old paradigm ways, and we have to make determined and consistent efforts to change our patterns of thought and behaviour. Most of us are surrounded by people who are thinking, talking, and behaving in these old ways, and their influence will pull us back into our old habits, unless we are constantly vigilant. It is too easy to take assurance from those around us, forgetting that they are sleepwalking. They trust the old paradigm systems even as these systems are in terminal breakdown, and they trust the old paradigm figures of authority even as they are clearly revealed as crooks and shysters. Do not fall into such a trap.

There is only a short window of opportunity to make the transition from the old paradigm to the new paradigm. This window is closing. Many tried to change too soon, and become dispirited at the obstacles in their way. The automatic doors of the Snowball Express would not let them off early, on the grounds that they might injure themselves. But now that train is stationary and some of the doors are open - don't become dispirited when faced with the broken turnstiles, and don't try to take too much baggage with you. With intelligence and determination it is possible to change to the new paradigm now. Soon it will be too late.