“We have the means. The old people didn’t. Every man, woman, and child in this country can see Cave for themselves, and at the same moment. I don’t suppose ten thousand people saw Christ in action ... it took a generation for news of him to travel from one country to the next.”
“Parallels break down,” I agreed. “It’s the reason I wonder so continually about Cave and ourselves and what we are doing in the world.”
“We’re doing good. The people are losing their fear of death. Last month there were twelve hundred suicides in this country directly attributable to Cavesword. And these people didn’t kill themselves just because they were unhappy, they killed themselves because he had made it easy, even desirable. Now you know there’s never been anybody like that before in history, anywhere.”
“I’ll say not.” I was startled by the figure he had quoted. In our Journal we were always reporting various prominent suicides and, though I had given orders to minimize these voluntary deaths, I had been forced every now and then to record the details of one or another of them. But I’d had no idea there had been so many. I asked Paul if he was quite sure of the number.
“Oh yes.” He was blithe. “At least that many we know of.”
“I wonder if it’s wise.”
“Wise? What’s that got to do with it? It’s logical. It’s the proof of Cavesword. Death is fine so why not die?”
“Why not live?”
“It’s the same thing.”
“I would say not.”