The Pitcairn Perspectives by Philip Spires - HTML preview

Editor’s note

Fiction is the only definitive world. In our shared, illusory reality, all ends are loose, possibly, if not merely ignored, waiting to be speculatively tied, albeit forever impermanently. When we evaluate ourselves, we note these disconnects and ask ourselves whether they might be joined, or in what way their disconnect might have been avoided, despite our not believing the alternative. What could we do in the future to avoid the mistake, indeed, to improve, to make a better job of that we intended? And improve we must, so we can never be complacent. No matter how many years of experience we may claim, there is always something we could do better, always something new to be learned, always advantageous change to be made.

If we examine, for instance, this sequence of recent events can we find a pattern? Can we note options that could have been taken, but were rejected or ignored? Can we identify decisions that led us to dead ends? Can we imagine remaking some of those same choices in some way which might have directed us to a different route? And where, indeed, do we expect these different options might have led?

Of course, we must forever be aware of the needs of those who support us, those who provide for our survival, those who nurture us. But their needs and our needs are one in the common good, which is the achievement of the end we jointly seek and which we own in common. Fostering our own interest is to foster our shared interests: the two can never be separate. The precise road that might lead to that end, however, remains uncertain. We can see the horizon, but not what lies between the here and there.

So, when we examine these disparate documents, all relating to one venture, but sourced from different actors and routes, can we apply our retrospective but reflective judgment to improve? Is there a remedial action we could take? Is there a path that could have avoided the errors? Can we learn from our mistakes?

I apologize for being selective. After all, it is a platitude and tautology to point out that the only way of receiving real time experience is to receive experience in real time. The story, here, involves several lives, each of which has taken a lifetime to live. Of course, we must select. Of course, we must summarize. So, the selected documents that follow are not the whole story, just a series of significant snapshots, some setting a scene, some recording events, an opportunity sample drawn from the bigger picture which is real time. Of course, it’s not the whole story and neither does it represent the entire archive related to this case, which, of course, is vast. But what is included gives sufficient perspective and complete outline so the reader can fill in much of the detail, detail which in any case we cannot know, because we did not live it. Reliving the detail of a life takes another’s lifetime, and none of us has one of those to spare.

The fact is, this near debacle worked out well for us, but at a cost, and that cost was significant. Can we learn from the mistakes and ensure we do better in the future? It’s a question we must ask continually, but perhaps never answer, certainly never definitively, but suggestions certainly will arise.

The documents that follow are potentially crucial for our future. Is there need for action? How do we feel about the decisions we made? And have we, in the end, rendered our truth credible?