I was going around the place, same as usual, same as always, minding my own business, keeping my head down, doing exactly the same things I always do, not looking for trouble or anything like that. Hoping that the bad thing wouldn’t happen. Doing the exact same things that I always do, doing the same things, always doing the same things. Because that’s the rule and the rule is a good rule. Praise be to the rule, right? Praise be to the rule and the enforcers of the rule – the regulators the managers the governors and the controllers. Honoured be their names. In heaven as it is in earth. Always doing the same things and making sure to do them in the proper way. As approved of by your organisation. As approved of by the organisation you are part of. As approved by the experts. Not looking for trouble, minding my own business, keeping my head down and my nose clean, as per regulations. Always as per regulations. Because the regulations are important – praise be to the regulations, right? The regulations will save us. The experts will save us. They will teach us how to regulate ourselves. They’ll teach us to regulate the hell out of ourselves. Doing the right things, always shouting out heartfelt praises to the Great Satan for keeping us in prison. In the way that he does. In the way that he always does. Shouting out those praises like you really mean it. In my hand I had a list of listed ingredients. You never saw such a list. I was determined to obey the rule – I was an enlisted man you see, always free to obey the law. Always free to obey orders. Going about my daily business, the same as usual, and all that. Keeping my nose clean. You know the drill. Doing my duty, as I had to. As I was obliged to. Doing my duty. Always obeying the rule. Because that’s how rules work. ‘Who will save me now?’ I wondered. ‘Who could possibly save me now?’ I knew at that moment that nobody could. I knew it in a sudden flash of awful insight. Even if I tried to escape my fate by disobeying the rule that wouldn’t help. I’d only be ‘obeying the rule of disobeying’, in that case. Disobeying is the same as obeying. There was no escape from the rule. There never is, is there? That’s the whole point right there.
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