The Lack of Effort Involved

There was once a planet of robots, but of very unusual construction: they could operate at their normal, mechanical level, plus they had a switch that could be thrown that would make them believe that they were not robotic, plus they had a hidden one that could sometimes be triggered which would allow them to be aware of their complete situation, dreams and all.

There was once a race of creatures who could live in the daytime, or at night.  Living in the day seemed to require effort, while living at night did not. No one knew for sure whether this was true or not, but when you lived in the daytime it sure seemed so.

There was once a planet of wild horses, but no one knew they were there.  Then a foreigner arrived who could observe them, and they disappeared.  A boy once asked his father, "Is a machine still just a machine if it becomes aware of its mechanicalness?" “What a damn fool question," he replied.

"Without any doubt," said the mayor to the people, "the greatest aspect of not making any effort is the complete lack of effort involved." ...And their rousing cheers evidenced his inevitable reelection...again and again.

J.