God Emperor of Dune – Entry #9

Now we come to the end of God Emperor of Dune.  Siona and Duncan conspire to kill Leto.  This is what Siona has been bred for but Duncan is in it to get Hwi back.  Duncan’s hate for Leto is deep and Duncan is able to separate the Worm from his Atreides roots.

As they develop their plan, Siona asks Duncan what the Fremen were like in his day.  He responds with an old Fremen saying: “You should never be in the company of anyone with whom you would not want to die” (God Emperor of Dune, p. 387).

During Leto’s approach to the trap which he does not directly sense, he has a bittersweet conversation with Hwi.  At one point, tears even come to his eyes even though water is painful to him.  I thought this commentary from him is often the prevailing perspective of humans, a perspective that stifles progress and progressive thinkers:

     “Most believe that a satisfactory future requires a return to an idealized past, a past which never in fact existed.”

(God Emperor of Dune, p. 390)

So often I hear people complain about the innovations of the day espousing the position that things were better before these innovations.  For example, I hear people complain that the younger generation somehow doesn’t know how to communicate with each other because communication is now predominantly done through electronic means.  But these innovations helped mobilize whole populations to effectively revolt against authority in a way that would have been impossible without these electronic means.  I think they are communicating just fine.

Shortly after this conversation with Hwi, Leto offers this lovely statement to Moneo:

     “There’s no reassuring ceiling over you, Moneo.  Only an open sky full of changes.  Welcome it.  Every sense you possess is an instrument for reacting to change.  Does that tell you nothing?”

(God Emperor of Dune, p. 405)

Yes!  It tells me that we (humans) are designed to adapt to change, we should welcome change!  I LOVE CHANGE!!!

In the end, I had such sympathy for Leto.  He was so tender and loving.  I did not see him as a tyrant … or at least no more of a tyrant than any parent must sometimes be to be a good parent although I must admit that punishments could be well beyond extreme.  I was mad at Siona’s callousness even while Leto was dying.  Leto, who was experiencing terrible pain and knew that Moneo and Hwi had both died in the attack, still did not spew anger at Siona.  And this is why:

     “He created a new kind of mimesis,” she [Siona] said, “a new biological imitation. He knew he had succeeded.  He could not see me in his futures.”

(God Emperor of Dune, p. 420)