| "Wise men have regarded the earth as a tragedy, a farce, even an illusionist's trick; but all, if they are truly wise and not merely intellectual rapists, recognize that is is certainly some kind of stage in which we all play roles, most of us being very poorly coached and totally unrehearsed before the curtain rises. Is it too much, if I ask, tentatively, that we agree to look upon it as a circus, a touring carnival wandering about the sun for a record seasons of four billion years and producing new monsters and miracles, hoaxes and bloody mishaps, wonders and blunders, but never quite entertaining the customers well enough to prevent them from leaving, one by one, and returning to their homes for a long and bored winter's sleep under the dust? Then, say, for a while at least, that I have found an identity as ringmaster; but that crown sits uneasily upon my head (if i have a head) and I must warn you that the troupe is very small for a universe this size, and many of us have to double or triple our stints, so you can expect me back in many other guises. Indeed do many things come to pass."
-Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson
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