Role

Chapter 4

The conclusion of the last experiment led me to wonder how many more extremes
could I test and see the end result. Drawing conclusions from the previous
test anything subjected to only one side of a coin cannot survive. I will no
longer need a control as I know what normally treated rats do. The next
obvious test for me is the difference between order and chaos. Recreating
order would be easy, scheduled feedings, same light and darkness patterns.
Perhaps a task that is the same everyday with the same reward? A maze
perhaps.

The real problem lies in creating chaos. In making a list of random things to
expose the rats to, isn't that the opposite? Chaos can be such a jumble it
will make the head spin trying to recreate it. The best I can come up with is
subjecting them to different experiences. I will make two lists, one with
pleasurable experiences, and the other with painful or unpleasant. I will use
a coin to decide which list to use, and dice to decide which act to perform.
Once an act has been selected a coin will decide if it stays on the list, or
gets crossed out. I'll make a wheel with three arrows. Around the edges I
will mark a clock. One arrow will tell me what hour, the other the minute,
and the third how many times a day is the wheel spun. What actually is done
and when its done is left up to chance, eliminating my own personal thoughts
on what would be Chaos.

The result...
As expected neither set of rats thrived. The ones subjected to order became
listless, and only really moving when the set time came for food, or the
maze. If the world was ruled by order, then life becomes meaningless. And
while it is not really dying, its not living either.

The set of rats that I recreated chaos with, well they didn't survive long.
Using the wheel for feeding times it was sporadic if they were even fed at
all. At times I would give them extra food or some other reward. Others they
would be poked with a pin. Differing the experiences seemed to make them
almost timid. Not knowing what was coming made them reluctant to do anything.
After about 10 days when opening the box I found the rats all still,
breathing hard. Shortly thereafter I think they gave up on life, as they all
died.

Conclusion...
All order makes for a meaningless existance that brings no pleasure. Chaos
leads to the fear of anything good and an existance filled with uncertainty
which leads to giving up. Like the experiment between night and day existance
on only one side of a coin leads to no existance at all.