August 28, 2026 To: You From: Me Re: The Quest - A Call to Reason Dear Fellow Adventurer, Hello again! Assuming you've read my first letter regarding The Stakes, you're probably here looking for a way to prevent the enslavement of humanity by the ultra-wealthy and their AI monster. Well, you're in the right place so let's go ahead and fix the system. In order to fix anything, we must first understand it. We'll take a good look at what the system is and then delve into why the system has been corrupted and how we can fix it. However, before we do so, let's very briefly set out three ground rules: 1. First and foremost, The Quest is a call to reason. It is *not* a call to violence, and The Quest has no room for violence. Any and all acts of violence will be condemned and will *not* be tolerated. 2. The Quest is a call for us to come together and solve problems. It is *not* based on and does *not* favor any political leanings or ideologies. 3. The Quest is a call for balance and commensurate responsibility. It is *not* a call to "eat" the rich. We seek an economy that has the capacity to create wealth for those who deserve it as well as a principled society that puts human beings above money. Having stated Rule #3 above, we will adhere to it. However, most of the issues we discuss in this letter stem from the collective actions or inactions of the ultra-wealthy, and we'll be referring to them a lot. "Ultra-wealthy" is a bit of a mouthful so we'll respectfully call them "Jerks." The term originates from the fact that they hollow out the world using their ridiculously gigantic "thumb-levelers" just like the soda jerks of old. They also jerk us around and empty our taps. How do they do this? Let's start at the very beginning with a little tale called... I. CIVILIZATION Most of us can agree America is not in a good place these days, but how did we get here? The vast majority of today's ills originate from bad choices made over the past seven decades. We could go through a list of corrupt or clueless politicians helping send jobs overseas, strengthening vested interests, and destroying the public trust. We could also point out all the irresponsible, misguided economists and strategists who laid waste to the pillars of capitalism and fiscal responsibility. But to truly understand how things were meant to be and how we arrived at where we are, we've got to go way, way, way back...and imagine the days of the first human settlers... People are farming, raising animals, and minding their own business, just trying to get through the day. Mr. Mann goes to Mr. Dood and says, "How about I give you some lettuce in exchange for one of your rabbits?" The parties shake hands on it, and the first contract is created. Inevitably, disputes arise and Mr. Mann and Mr. Dood agree they need a third party to settle matters before they end up killing each other. They say, "Let's have someone govern our relationship. We'll call them Government, and they will promote fairness and prevent bloodshed." But who could fill that role? Seeing the disputes and infighting, Mr. Chad sees a golden opportunity and steps in. "Heyo, I'll be your government. All you have to do is call me King." Everyone agrees, and Mr. Chad puts on a gold foil hat and changes his name to King Cad. Much to the dismay of the commoners, King Cad proceeds to settle disputes on a whim, sleep around, start wars, murder a bunch of people, and generally make a mess of things. So people begin thinking, "Maybe kings aren't such a good thing," as we enter the age of... A. Colonization Emerging from medieval times with the age of kings in full effect, the various kings of Europe got greedy and set out to conquer and subjugate every land under the sun. However, with regard to certain colonies in America, they got a little too greedy for their own good. In 1776, a band of plucky American colonies decided to unite against their British overlords, who refused to give them a say in how they were governed. While declaring independence, Thomas Jefferson brought on the beginning of the end for kings and tyrants by enshrining the inalienable right of any citizenry to change or overthrow their government should it not serve their interests. Around the same time across the Atlantic, a noble, humanist philosopher named Adam Smith was busy devising a way to limit kings and tyrants in his own way. Critical of feudalism and mercantilism, he postulated that kings antagonizing laborers, favoring their cronies, and interfering with trade were a bad thing. In fact, Smith criticized factions (i.e. politically aligned special interests) and unending wars funded by public debt, while supporting public education and a proportional tax on the rich. So he went ahead and wrote _The Wealth of Nations_ laying the foundations for capitalism. Thus, from the seeds planted by the Founding Fathers and Adam Smith, we have America's representative form of government and free market economy. When considering the origins of our current system, two aspects are critically relevant: 1) Knowing that the government would have to adapt to the needs of the people, the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution as a living document that could be amended as needed, and 2) In formulating what we can call "original capitalism," Adam Smith aspired to limit the abuses of kings and powerful interests, not enable them. Ultimately, both the Founding Fathers and Adam Smith sought to create a system that limits power because they were concerned about people like the... B. Snake Let's go back for a moment to the first human settlers. Mr. Snake is a pig farmer, and he's as greedy as his pigs. To keep his pigs well-hydrated, he runs a long rubber hose from his farm to the nearest lake, a beautiful oasis the whole town uses for fishing, swimming, and surviving. Mr. Snake pumps the lake water to his farm to grow his pigs, and his pigs grow and grow and grow. His farm and his wealth double, quadruple, and grow without bounds. Along with his farm, the hose to the lake also grows larger and fatter than ever before. Before long, it has sucked up all the water in the lake, and the town dies a horrible death. The town could have been home to the next Einstein or Mozart, but the world will never know. Meanwhile, Mr. Snake moves to a new town next to another beautiful lake and thus becomes this tale's second Jerk. Unfortunately, the above tragedy is all too common. There are those who believe unchecked greed and wealth are beneficial to society. They also happen to be the same people who stand to benefit the most from such a philosophy. However, this is the fallacy of wealth, and those who believe it are undeniably wrong. For the town to survive and thrive, the key necessity was balance and proportionality: the interests of the pig farmer weighed against the interests of the town, along with the pig farmer paying more for greater use of the lake. By balancing the public interest against private ones, our system and its governmental regulations are intended to prevent horrible people from doing horrible things. It follows that larger entities that can cause more damage must face more regulation. Let's explore this balance and proportionality further by examining a... C. SimCity Let's imagine for a moment you're trying to build a city. You need a balance of residential, commercial, and industrial zones all connected to power, infrastructure, and support services. It's complicated. As the city grows so do your responsibilities, and you must have proportionally greater taxes, environmental obligations, and provision of services. It's axiomatic that the bigger you are, the more you have to deal with and the more you must provide. With appropriate resource allocation, a well-balanced system can withstand tornadoes, Godzilla, extreme weather, and even an AI apocalypse. What does all of this mean for our American system? I think everyone would agree that people with more talent, drive, and character should experience more success. Even the Jerks would have to agree although they secretly hate this idea. "More merit, more success" sounds obvious, but people often forget the maxim's necessary corollary: the more one succeeds, the more responsiblity they must assume. As a certain uncle might say, "With great power comes great responsibility." This is the dual nature of a merit-based system, and a system that proportionally balances opportunity and accountability creates fertile grounds for the American Dream: a meritocracy. But what happens if you have an unbalanced system with extreme, obscene wealth and little responsiblity? What happens when transnational corporations have the power and influence of countries but none of the accountability? You get a little thing called... II. SYSTEM SHOCK Looking back on all of human history, can you think of any inventors, philosophers, artists, or writers, who invented or created something revolutionary with their own two hands, who were also already obscenely wealthy? Can you think of any such kings? Among thousands of incredible minds, I could only think of maybe one or two such people. Why is it that kings and aristocrats are usually known more for their madness and warmongering than ingenuity? What value do they provide to society other than taking up more space and resources than is humanly warranted? If they don't provide society with anything, how do the Jerks acquire so much power and wealth? The simple answer is luck. They are either born into it, or they are born into the right circumstances where everything breaks their way so that they can acquire wealth, which they can use to accumulate even more wealth. It's the same answer to the question: Why do so many talented, hard-working individuals fail? A handful of people have one-in-a-million luck, and almost everyone else doesn't. [Note: We are entering the age of trillionaires. With a trillion dollars, we could, for example, give the top ten science and engineering graduates from the top 100 schools a million dollars each to fund their startups and projects...for the next 1000 years. From a societal perspective, does it make more sense to give a single investor a one-in-a-million chance to hoard wealth or a million innovators a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the world?] The story of obscene wealth acquisition is as boring as rolling dice. However, the story of the Jerks acting like savages and breaking down the system, all to maintain and grow their obscene wealth, now there's an interesting story. How do they do it? What results from their efforts? Why do they even go there? First, let's take a look at the Jerks' role as... A. Dungeon Keeper Currently, we are all just living in a dungeon. Endungification is a real thing. It is how the Jerks corrupt the system and maintain their power over us. But what exactly do they do to keep us in this dungeon? What is their technique? They use what I like to call their "Big Thumb" in two ways. 1. They put their Big Thumb on the scale. Living by the maxim, "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying," the Jerks are wired to seek every advantage in accumulating money and power. Buying up and shelving innovative competitors, using philanthropic vehicles as tax shelters, adding hidden fees to squeeze us, it's all unsavory but benign when compared to their greatest sin: bribery. Under our current system, one form of bribery, directly paying someone in power to have them do something directly for you, is illegal. However, other forms of bribery, such as forming superpacs to get officials elected and "coincidentally" hiring former regulators who happened to help you out, are not. Heck, the system doesn't even need bribery to be corrupt. We have public leaders appointing private sector cronies. We also have government officials investing in stocks and making decisions based on their investments. Such bribery and entanglements allow the Jerks to control government. In essence, because our society puts money above all else, the Jerks, both foreign and domestic, can buy our government. You could say they have captured our regulatory system to keep us imprisoned in their dungeon. 2. They use their Big Thumb to keep us down. When the Jerks control government, the government protects them and gives them handouts while the Jerks run free and make our lives miserable. They don't need to worry about negligence or competition so they cut costs (i.e. quality) and jack up prices. They do everything they can to pay workers less or simply get rid of jobs. They squirm their way out of taxes and make us bear the costs of running a society. While they become obscenely wealthy, things deteriorate and fall apart for us. As a consequence, our lives become worse over time, and we become angrier and angrier. Endungification is a dastardly accomplishment for the Jerks. However, what they do next is downright diabolical. When things get bad, we go searching for the cause with wild eyes and irrational minds. Seeing our sorry state, the Jerks see an opportunity and use their media to feed us things that resonate with the basest instincts of our nature. Rather than blaming the Jerks, we start pointing the finger at each other. We begin to see corruption and malfeasance in every corner except for the place where it really matters. We divide into halves then quarters then into millions of distrusting individuals. We lose our minds and begin to make all the wrong financial and political decisions. We get completely lost in their dungeon. When we spend enough time in the dungeon, it erodes our ability to act as individuals and as a group. What is the systemic consequence of this long-term erosion? What can we envision for our future as dungeon dwellers? Sooner rather than later, we can expect... B. Fallout When we lose our reason, we abandon our compass and our values. We begin searching for solutions at the most extreme edges of thought and behavior. We begin trusting the most perverse charlatans and obeying the most absurd commands. And thus, the pendulum swings from the left to the right and from the right to the left. The Jerks don't mind the swings. In fact, they giddily ride the pendulum going wherever the power lies. As the swings become more extreme, the entire system destabilizes and eventually collapses leaving us with a failed state, a barren wasteland. It doesn't matter what ideologies a system espouses. No system is immune. A capitalist system wherein the private sector owns the public sector is a broken system called crony capitalism. A socialist system wherein the public sector owns the private sector is a broken system called communism. In the end, the only system that makes sense is one in which the public and private sectors are clearly defined and balanced against each other, whereby one has not captured the other. When the public and private sectors are allowed to corrupt each other, the result is an oligarchy, kleptocracy, or plutocracy. It doesn't really matter what you call it because it all ends with the same thing: an autocracy. If the end result is so bleak, why would the Jerks do what they do? Why would they lead us down such a disastrous path? To understand what drives them, let's play armchair psychologist and analyze their mindset through the lens of the... C. Syndicate If the Jerks simply had the ambition to be number one and worked day and night to be the best, I'd say the "me against the world" moxy was romantic. If they simply wanted to be contestants on a game show called "Infinite Dick" and compare each other's assets, I'd say, "Measure away!" However, their corruption and control of government goes beyond mere asset accumulation. If they just wanted more wealth than the next guy, they'd be hunting as lone wolves. Instead, they form packs and ravage the countryside. Why is that? There are a number of known groups and gatherings of Jerks whereby they organize events and discuss various things like tricks to save money, exercises to stay young, and world domination. The Jerks unite because they want to own and control everything, but they can't do it alone. So they touch and corrupt everything together. When the Jerks push us around, our only champion to help us push back is the government. By gaining mastery over government, they gain mastery over us. Simply put, they are not content with material wealth. They want to dominate us... I'm reminded of a time long ago when I was young and naive. I was walking around minding my own business at an affluent, open air, shopping center in the heart of Silicon Valley. A tech bro with the type of face that masks a nasty sneer walked by with a beautiful blonde woman, Eastern European judging by the accent. The sight would have been unremarkable, except for the fact that the girl was half-naked in broad daylight, and the guy was leading her around on a leash connected to a dog collar around her neck. Looking back, the memory is still shocking but not entirely surprising when viewed through the lens of Epstein. Whatever the case, this is what the Jerks want to do. They want to own us. If the powerful Jerks have formed powerful gangs and have so much control already, how do we survive the onslaught? How do we fight back? What do we have that they don't? Well, I could be quaint and say that we still have our principles. But principles alone don't win battles. To go on The Quest and save the day, we must rely on our principles, our numbers, and a little bit of... III. MIGHT AND MAGIC "Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way." As Abraham Lincoln once noted, the resolution of any great task is a simple matter of resolve. As Americans, we are capable of accomplishing anything as long as we commit ourselves to doing so. Right now, things don't look so good, and I have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better. However, I believe in the goodness, character, and will of We the People. The Quest is an attempt to bring us together and marshall our abilities and talent so that we can fix our broken system. Before describing The Quest further, a word of warning is warranted. As we endeavor to take a modicum of control back, the Jerks will not stand idly by. They will engage in shenanigans to try to discourage us. They will try to put each of us on an island and monkey around with our resolve. The only way we survive and get through The Quest is to understand... A. The Secret of Monkey Island I can't say exactly what they'll do to hinder The Quest, but I know what the Jerks have been doing so far to stop you from bringing about change. As we've previously examined in The Stakes, they are actively programming us using our media, digital feeds, and basically anything we see or hear to turn us into our own worst enemy. They will try to mislead us and sow confusion and doubt. I've also noticed recently that they're trying to rebrand themselves as Mr. Nice Guy. Our elected officials have also been trying to throw us a bone with bills that sound good but don't really do anything. They're just trying to weaken our will. Don't fall for it. Whatever confusion, doubt, or hardship we may face, we can overcome all of it by relying on the reason the comes with balance and grace: the balance to see the whole and the grace to look past each other's faults. By balance I speak of the ability to seek out and understand a variety of viewpoints, not necessarily to compromise but to find the best solutions to any given problem. By grace I speak of the ability to forgive, not to give our antagonists a free pass but to gift our friends the freedom to take risks without fear of making mistakes. In the end, the secret to reclaiming our collective humanity and purpose is to open our eyes and see each other, not as irredeemable beasts but as fellow humans and not alone on some island but in one boat together. Let's take a look at The Quest itself. We'll be engaging in a little... B. StarCraft Fixing the system will not only require a good deal of strategy but also the ability to think big and shoot for the stars. We're not aiming to fix some potholes or add some street signs. We're going for wholesale changes. The Quest aims to fix: 1) the Jerks' use of all forms of media to control us, 2) the Jerks' capture of our government, and 3) the corporate elevation of money above human beings, which was the primary corroding force that led to problems 1 and 2. The Quest is a journey, or more accurately a collection of journeys, we will go on in real life. We will do stuff and change stuff in real life. Conceptually, you can think of it as a book with three chapters, and each chapter represents a particular journey. Each chapter, accompanied by a map, will tell the story of our trials and triumphs. As we make progress through The Quest, we will write our story together. (Note: The book is just a metaphor. Again, we'll be doing stuff together in real life.) The chapters are as follows: 1. A Journey to Free Our Minds - We will change the way we interact with information so that we may reestablish our trust and freedom. 2. A Journey to Free Our Country - We will change the Constitution to sever the ties between money and politics and restore the bond between the people and their representatives. 3. A Journey to Free Our Souls - We will change the way business is done so that human beings are placed above money. When the time is right, I will post maps for each journey. These written documents will lay out well-defined, detailed, concrete steps we will be taking to accomplish our goals. Once the maps are posted, The Quest will officially begin, and we will organize and take action. The maps will show an extraordinarily audacious path where we will try things that have never been attempted before. I will not spoil things here, but if you're curious, there is a generalized FAQ included as an addendum below. You may be thinking things are a bit nebulous, but I assure you things will become clearer very soon. In the meantime, we must prepare for our coming adventure. We need to pack our bags, ready our equipment, and gather our resources. Most importantly, we must bring together the... C. Heroes of Might and Magic If you're interested in The Quest, you might be wondering, "How do I join?" Well, since you want to change the world and spent your valuable time visiting me, I'd say that you're already a member of The Quest, simple as that. It's important to note that our journey won't be easy. It will not be a passive endeavor so you won't be standing idly by. You will actively contribute your talent and ideas, and you will think, create, meet, discuss, decide, explore, and take ownership of the future. However, before the collaborative work can begin, we're gonna need other people to join us, a *lot* of people. So as we prepare for our journey, the most significant way you can help is to spread the word, tell others about The Quest, and bring them aboard. You can direct them to the "Treasure Map" that brought you here. Thereafter, it'll be up to each of us to decide whether or not we want to try something unprecedented, daring, and heroic. On a personal note, I've faced a lot of disappointments and heartbreak in my life so far. To be honest, I'm not sure how much I have left in the tank. I'm simply a lonely person who wants to connect with other people and go on a little adventure together. I don't have all the answers, and you're eventually gonna need to fill in a lot of the blanks. But I just happen to have some ridiculously awesome maps I'd like to share with you. I'm hoping you're willing to give me a chance to do so. Let's conclude this letter with a final note of inspiration. AI is coming, and it may not be something we are able to deter. We must put aside our petty squabbles and stand together. Presume nothing about The Quest except this. If we return from our journey, we will return as brothers and sisters. But mark my words, we're going to need a miracle...ok, ok, I used the speech from that superhero movie trailer. The movie might end up being a mindless, corporate money grab, but hey, I'm an optimist so maybe it'll be good. Regardless, here's my point: Today, we face the greatest existential crises in human history. Even so, we don't need billionaire playboys saving us with their cosmic robots. We don't need superpowered beings from the stars. We don't even need the Jerks trying to make us feel better about the crumminess they caused. All we need is a little reason and a little heart. All we need is regular people doing what they believe is right. All we need is each other. We have an unprecedented opportunity to come together and do things in a way the world has never seen before. We have everything we need to do something epic. It'll be a long and winding road so we'll need to be patient and steady. But I believe we'll find success. And whatever happens, our experience with each other will itself end up being a treasure without measure. The Quest is here. All you have to do is ask yourself, "Do I want to be a hero?" Thank you for taking the time to read this long @ss letter. Let's do this. Yours from the beginning, Baldous Gates ADDENDUM: FAQ ABOUT THE QUEST AND THE MAPS 1. The chapter titles seem a little new age-y. Are the maps gonna be self-help guides to open my mind's eye and improve my chi flow? No, they are concrete plans of action to fix and save our system, country, and world. 2. Will The Quest or the maps involve any danger or illegality? No, they will be as safe as snuggling with puppies and as legal as a good bowl of clam chowder. 3. When will the maps be available? They should be available when enough people are talking about The Quest. 4. Will The Quest live up to the hype? Does anything ever? But yes, it will live up to the hype and then some. 5. Will the maps prevent World War III? Perhaps but only if we go on The Quest. 6. Will the maps help me turn Super Saiyan? No but they will help us power up as a group. 7. Will we need to go 88mph? No but we're gonna see some serious sh*t. 8. Will there be a red pill, blue pill, or any other pill for enlightenment? There's no such thing as enlightenment (in commercial excess), only psychosis, and we're here to stop it from spreading. 9. Why are you doing this? We live in a beautiful world. IIRC, there's an episode of Star Trek: TNG where a satellite orbiting a dead planet "captures" Captain Picard's mind. Over the course of a few hours, Picard is able to live out an entire (simulated) lifetime on a dying planet in its last few decades as everyone goes extinct. In other words, the satellite injects memories of a dead civilization into Picard's head so that he ends up being the civilization's last "survivor." Even if humanity doesn't die out until after I'm gone, the thought of witnessing the end of humanity from the afterlife is incredibly sad. 10. I have more questions. Can you answer more questions? Sure, you can find me @baldousgates.bsky.social. [EOF]