| There exists an
administrative work upon which all else rests. This work did not come
into being today or yesterday - its vector stretches back to an origin
in the depths of time. Until this day it
has been realised through existing orders and directives. But it also
reaches forwards into the future, where its realization is still only
presaged... As a road cannot turn off at will to the right or left,
but must follow the optical axis of your theodolite, so every new directive
must function as a continuous extension of all that have gone before it...
Never a day without a Directive, then everything will be all right...
But you'd better understand this: the day before yesterday there
was no directive, yesterday there
was no directive... What do you think, how long can the Administration
endure without directives? This morning there's already a muddle: some
people are running around all over changing burnt-out lightbulbs, can
you imagine?"
Arkady and Boris Strugatskie (198..): Ulitka na sklone (my translation) |