God Emperor of Dune – Entry #8

Meanwhile, back in the desert, more deep conversation between Leto and Siona is taking place.  Siona had weakened tremendously and she knew she would have to come to agreement with Leto or die.  Leto offered an interesting perspective on “agreement”:

     “The three legs of the agreement-tripod are desire, data and doubt.  Accuracy and honesty have little to do with it.”

     …

     “Desire brings the participants together.  Data sets the limits of their dialogue.  Doubt frames the questions.”

(God Emperor of Dune, p. 344)

Wow.  This puts a whole new light on agreements I make.  Considering I am a stickler for accuracy and a painfully honest person, I now see why reaching an agreement with me can sometimes be quite difficult!

Then another pearl of wisdom from Leto:

     “What do such machines really do?  They increase the number of things we can do without thinking.  Things we do without thinking – there's the real danger.  Look at how long you walked across the desert without thinking about your face mask.”

(God Emperor of Dune, p. 346)

Yes!  The machines themselves are not dangerous!  The danger is in using them without giving it a second thought, without considering any consequences.