Zax Appeal

[dvandom]

At a talk today, someone used Seuss's "The Zax" as a way to help explain special relativity and scalar invariance under coordinate transformation. While I found the explanation a bit iffy, it did get me thinking about the Zax and the world they exist in.

Story summary: A northbound Zax and a southbound Zax run into one another in the Prairie of Prax. Neither will step aside, and they argue priority and try to convince the other to move, but to no avail. Years pass, and a highway overpass is built over them while they continue to argue.

Now, this short story is really just meant as a warning against taking too stubborn a stand, I doubt Dr. Seuss worried too much about the sociology or biology of the Zax. Similarly, I expect others have worried about both before me, but I never let that sort of thing stop me.


Let's assume that Zax is the name of the sapient species that resides on the Prairies of Prax. I will call Zax who walk in only one direction "walkers" to distinguish them from Zax who may be willing to change direction. Based on the minimal elements of the story, I can conclude three things:

1. Not all Zax are walkers.
2. Either Zax in general or walkers in specific are able to live for years without eating, drinking or sleeping.
3. There are serious social restrictions regarding interaction with walkers.

Point 1 is supported by the fact that a highway is built over the focus characters. If all Zax are walkers, then a highway would not only be difficult to build, it would be pretty pointless for a number of reasons. Leaving the highway aside, you could posit that Zax reproduce by air-carried pollenation or something. This would let you say that all Zax are walkers and that the highway-builders are a non-Zax species that shares the Prairies of Prax with them. Still, parsimony suggests that walkers are a limited subset of Zax...other Zax may prefer a single direction, but are willing and able to change direction when the situation calls for it.

Given that the focal Zax survive for years while a highway is built around them, just standing there arguing, is sufficient proof that at least walkers can get by without food, water or rest. It's possible that all Zax are largely photosynthetic and absorb nutrients from the ground or air, only eating and drinking when rapid growth is called for (reproduction, maturation, healing from serious wounds). Alternately, walkers may undergo a physiological change that amps up their racial photosynthetic aspect and makes them independent of food. Regular Zax would still eat to supplement their plantlike intake. Keep in mind, even in unblocked operation, walkers can't expect to regularly walk within arm's reach of food sources, so they must be able to go without.

Finally, no one bothers to move the arguing Zax out of the way. After all, picking one up and moving him a few feet to the side would solve the problem, yes? So would one of the pair just shoving the other. There must be powerful taboos regarding impeding or moving a walker. Maybe there's also an obligation to remove obstacles from their path (should they walk into a city or something), but when the obstacle is another walker...well, too bad, they're stuck. Better a sin of omission than commission.

All that said, I expect that becoming a walker is like pursuing the Qabbalah (before it got trendy). It's something a Zax feels called to, but will not do until they have raised a family and fulfilled obligations to society. But once they give into the call, that's it. It's an unshakable holy quest for enlightmenment via unidirectional locomotion. A walker will not deviate, cannot deviate. And it's a grave sin to alter the path of a walker...best to just build around a stuck one if you can't find a way to unstick them.

And I think I've now written about ten times as many words on the topic than were in the original story. :)

Comments

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it was very interesting and most diverting!

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

Reminds me on some level of the 'plant men' in "Starmaker" (an old novel by Stapledon, it's public domain if you want to download it). He mentions a world where atmosphere and such have long been lost but the local plants, many of which are mobile and one species of which is sentient, sustain the water under biological membranes.

This works fine for centuries till due to some social shifts, the 'human' plant species begins to act more in line with its plant nature than its animal nature for pseudo-religious reasons. As such, when the membranes that seal the reservoirs break down, no one does anything to stop it, and the entire species eventually dessicated to extinction.

Other than that it was a happy story.

[sweh.livejournal.com]

Why are you assuming that there's only one sapient species on the Prax? Or that the bypass was created by the Prax and not by the Vogons building another bypass?

In the animated version (no idea how cannon that is; Zeuss wasn't part of my childhood) the Southbound Zax mentions he went to South going school
(approx 1:50 into this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfI9e4BX0lU )
So it could just be that each of the protagonists were simply so stubborn that they refused any help; neither would willingly allow themselves be moved so much as a step to the east or the west.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

Well, I assume a single species out of the aforementioned parsimony. :) And yeah, there's family histories in their claims of priority, hence the supposition that even those able to go other directions may have a preferred one.

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

Given that the focal Zax survive for years while a highway is built around them, just standing there arguing, is sufficient proof that at least walkers can get by without food, water or rest.

... or, alternately, arrangements were made for either take-out or a hot-dog stand or something like.

(Remember, the plains were completely, totally empty except for the two Zax at first. Something must have brought enough traffic to their spot to justify the Zax By-Pass- possibly their great debate became famous enough to draw onlookers, which triggered commerce, etc. And anyplace you have street theater or the equivalent, someone is going to be selling sausage inna bun dubious food from a wheeled conveyance.)