Greatest And Kindest

Joyce Messier - "What world?" The fading pearls of her eyes look to the sea. "The only one, I suppose -- the world of matter and its pale antipode..."
Inland Empire - The camera of her mind glides over the surface of the water.
Joyce Messier - "Of bodies of water and forest-covered surfaces, clusters of light where the cities lie. You've seen the montage, we all have -- this world is enough," she concludes.
Conceptualization - It *must* be. This is the greatest and kindest arrangement the atoms had in them.

I saw a quote compilation which mildly irritated me, so naturally I must blog about it. The quote sampled was the line by Conceptualization, but I've included the surrounding text as it appears in game, because I think that context completely changes the meaning of it. This isn't, like, meant to make fun of people finding the points of joy in this game - I also found it to be a very hopeful game, personally! - but I think it's a little of a disservice not to think about the implications of this specific instance. It would be very hopeful to imagine that the world (Elysium or ours) is the kindest possible one, that all the good we could have had is ours to keep. Coming from Joyce, a character for whom the current state of the world is beneficial, I think it's not quite that. She's a servant of capital whos best interests involve upholding the system which grants her wealth, power, and mobility; this is the 'only one' she can imagine or believes ever will exist, and it's enough, she doesn't want anything outside of this because she wants for nothing. It's enough, but only for people who have always had enough. This world is the greatest and the kindest we could've asked for - which doesn't necessarily mean it's very great or kind at all. Why ask for another system, one less great? Capitalism subsumes all criticism of itself, the Pale subsumes all full stop, there is no possible escape from entrophy, don't be ridiculous.

Except there is, obviously. Except for the matchbox tower standing on pure belief. And the refusal to accept defeat in the doomed commercial area. And the statement that while love cannot thrive here, it might, in the next world. Except for the whole damn game. Is that world the kindest and greatest? Fucking hell, it's not. Are you shown again and again and again that there's a hundred little sparks of hope everywhere you go, that those still matter even if the Pale swallows it all tomorrow? Definitely. Could you, could communism, rearrange these atoms into something good? Yeah. Yeah, I think you really could. Bodies of water and clusters of light; the moments of beauty aren't proof that the world is kind, they're reasons to keep trying to make it a place that is.