Page 73 - SurprisingTruthFinal

Nicholas Boothman
without constantly attacking each other’s flaws. Social
life was not built on truth; it was built on empathy, and
empathy required omission.
He returned to the community center, his
exhaustion now compounded by profound guilt.
"We have to stop The Gaze," Henry said
immediately, dropping into a chair. "It's destroying
people. It's too powerful."
Lina stopped soldering a server part. "Stop it?
Henry, it's the only honest thing we have! You want to
go back to Slumberol and the lying banks?"
"I want people to survive!" Henry roared, the sound
echoing in the empty hall. "You saw the audit! The
world stops when the truth is absolute! But it's worse
now. We've outlawed the emotional lubricant that
makes family possible. We traded institutional rot for
social entropy!"
"The truth is the truth," Lina maintained stubbornly.
"If their partnerships or their lives couldn't handle the
truth, they were built on a lie to begin with."
"Yes!" Henry shouted, slamming his fist on the table.
"They were! And that lie was necessary for function!
We have broken the machine, and we have no
materials left to fix it."
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