The Mind Spider and Other Stories Read Online Free PDF

going to awaken that half for their own good. We’re going to give some expression, for a change, to the natural love of adventure, risk, melodrama, and sheer wickedness that’s part of every man!” "Dave, you’re giving an unfair picture of your own program!” Diskrow was on his feet and almost bellowing at Cruxon. “I don’t know why—maybe out of some twisted sense of self-criticism or some desire for martyrdom—but you are! Gentlemen, IU is not suggesting in its new program that people become real monsters in any way—”
    "Oh, aren’t we?”
    “Dave, shut up and sit down! You’ve said too much already. “I’ll-”
    "Gentlemen!” Wisant lifted a hand. “Let me remind you that this is a democratic conference. We can all speak freely. Any other course would be highly suspicious. So simmer down, gentlemen, simmer down.” He turned toward Dave with a bland warm smile. “What Mr. Cruxon has to say interests me very much.’
    “I’m sure it does!” Diskrow fumed bitterly.
    Dave said smoothly, “What I’m trying to get over is that people can’t be pampered and soothed and wrapped away from the ugly side of reality and stay sane in the long run. Half truths kills the mirtd just as surely as lies. People live by the shock of reality—especially the reality of the submerged sections of their own minds. It’s only when a man knows the worst about himself and other men and the world that he can really take hold of the facts—brace himself against his atoms, you might say—and achieve true tranquility. People generally don’t like tragedy and horror—not with the Sunday-School side of their minds, they don’t—but deep down they have to have it. They have to break down the PoHyanna Partition and find what’s really on the other side. An allsugar diet is deadly. Life can be sweet, yes, but only when the contrast of horror brings out the taste. Especially the horror in a man’s heart!”
    "Very interesting indeed,” Dr. Snowden put in quietly, even musingly, "and most lavishly expressed, if I may say so. What Mr. Cruxon has to tell us about the dark side of the human mind—the Id, the Shadow, the Death Wish, the Sick Negative, there have been many names—is of course an elementary truth. However . . .” He paused. Diskrow, still on his feet, looked at him with suspicious incredulity, as if to say, “Whose side are you pretending to be on?”
    The smile faded from Snowden’s face. “However,” he continued, “it is an equally elementary truth that it is dangerous to unlock the dark side of the mind. Not every psychotherapist—not even every analyst—” (Here his gaze flickered toward Dr. Gline) “—is really competent to handle that ticklish operation. The untrained person who attempts it can easily find himself in the position of the sorcerer’s apprentice. Nevertheless ...”
    “It’s like the general question of human freedom,” Wisant interrupted smoothly. “Most men are simply not qualified to use all the freedoms theoretically available to them.” He looked at the IU people with a questioning smile. “For example, I imagine you all know something about the antigravity harness used by a few of our special military units?—at least you know that such an item exists?"
    Most of the people across the table nodded. Diskrow said, "Of course we do. We even had a demonstration model in our vaults until a few days ago.” Seeing Wisant’s eyebrows lift he added impressively, “IU is often asked to help introduce new devices and materials to the public. As soon as the harness was released, we were planning to have Inferior Supe use it on The Useless Five show. But then the directive came through restricting the item—largely on the grounds that it turned out to be extremely dangerous and difficult to operate—and we shipped back our model.”
    Wisant nodded. “Since you know that much, I can make my point about human freedom more easily. Actually (but I’ll deny this if you