Round 1 – Scope of Existence
There is a reason that the center of a paper towel roll is an empty tube.
It is a metaphor for our perception of our scope of existence.
Time to throw it away.
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Round 2 – Breadth
People talk about the width and breadth of the world.
They are intelligent, but not experienced. Their patterns often indicate two-dimensional thinking.
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Round 3 – Gap Between / Eclipse
The gap between them widened with each passing day. It took a solar eclipse to show them the error of their ways. They were convinced that the Gods were angry with them.
No, they were not scientists.
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Round 4 – Lacuna
The best example I can think of a band that defies their name – there’s nothing missing here.
Lacuna Coil
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Round 5 – Hollow Sphere
What if Jupiter was just a hollow sphere of gas on the outside? If there was a complete society on an internal planet, but they could not interact with us because of the interference?
What if our cauldron of stars was the same thing?
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Round 6 – Elliptical Interlude
A double axel
An elliptical interlude
In the otherwise linear progression
Unexpected in a speed skating meet
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Round 7 – Vacuous Echoes
Do you hear the echoes of those who came before you? Do you learn from them?
Or do you blindly continue your vacuous existence?
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Round 8 – Hiatus / Pause
“Where have you been?”
“I was on hiatus.”
“Nice try. You’ve been gone three days. There’s no such thing in high school.”
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Round 9 – Obsidian Expanse
“Why are there no windows in the ship?”
“Believe me,” said the captain. “Two days staring into the obsidian expanse will give you your answer.”
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Round 10 – Infinity
After years of travel, they reached their destination. Now was the time to answer the question: Portal, or destruction?
Staring into the maw of infinity…
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Encore Round 1 – A Chronology of Breaths / Awakening
Like a heartbeat, your breath is an automatic process. Most don’t give them even a first thought, let alone a second. They can provide a chronology of our lives.
The awakening comes when the systems fail. By then, it is usually too late.
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Encore Round 2 – Epochal Tempo / Cosmic Pulse
The masses conform to the cosmic pulse – the heartbeat – the 2s and 4s.
The iconoclasts know that the epochal tempo is in syncopation to that driving beat.
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Encore Round 3 – Continuance
Few people actually get a verdict on how they have lived their lives. All most of us can hope for is a continuance…
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Encore Round 4 – Hours from Yesterday
We are hours from yesterday, when the Great Confluence began.
We are years from tomorrow, as the ground beneath our feet crumbles away.
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Encore Round 5 – Glimpses of Moments
The technicians worked for days to pry the information from the ancient player. After all that, it only offered glimpses of moments from her life – nothing conclusive or useful.
As the player hit the dumpster, the entire recording played…
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Encore Round 6 – Solar Tides / Galactic Ages
“The solar tides are particularly strong at this time.”
His son’s eyes glazed over. More astrophysical mumbo-jumbo.
“Just consider the galactic ages that have shaped this coastline.”
“Um…What’s for lunch?”
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Encore Round 7 – Duration of Memories
Why is the duration of our bad memories so much greater than our good ones?
You would think that we exist for punishing ourselves or something…
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Encore Round 8 – Many a Moon
To a planet like Saturn, the phrase “Many a moon” takes on a completely different meaning.
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Encore Round 9 – Era / Span of Stars
The human race is so myopic. We define an era in terms of only a few years.
You want an era? Try measuring the span between stars…
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Encore Round 10 – Eternity
Eternity is a fascinating concept.
If everything has a beginning, it also has an end.
If the universe has a beginning, it will end at some time.
Therefore, there is no such thing as eternity.
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