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Call Me Gulliver Foyle
Most people won’t spend decades hammering things into place just to gain the ability to be dangerous. And yet, because of fear—fear of what the 0.01% might do—the knowledge gets locked away, labeled initiatory, hidden behind velvet ropes.
That’s the tragedy: when treating people like children becomes policy, only the ruthless get the keys. ‘Goodness’ plays it safe. Goodness stays quiet. And so, the gates stay closed.
Platonic Surrealism is designed to be safe from the ground up, a framework for wholeness and transcendence without chaos. But yes, one can further build upon it with things like Kundalini and Metatheurgy and do dangerous things with it.
Still, I’ve been thinking about Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination—and about Gulliver Foyle. His final act? He gives humanity the secret of space-jaunting. He tears down the monopoly. He forces evolution. He says: Grow up. Take responsibility. Or burn.
That moment isn’t just science fiction. It’s a metaphor for what happens when knowledge stops being hoarded and starts being shared. Foyle understood something radical: freedom is terrifying, but it’s the only way forward.
So here’s where I stand:
Maybe not for the Esalen class. Maybe not tomorrow. But when the time comes, I’m posting the full Metatheurgy and Kundalini material on the front page of the site. No velvet ropes. No gatekeepers. No fear.
Because hiding truth doesn’t protect anyone—it just keeps us small.
Because evolution doesn’t wait for permission.
Because the stars are calling.
Call me Gulliver Foyle***.
***Gulliver Foyle’s final decision in Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination to release the secret of space-jaunting—teleportation across the vacuum of space, beyond planetary surfaces—to everyone is a momentous act of liberation and forced evolution for humanity.
This action is Foyle’s ultimate transformation and the culmination of his journey from a vengeful, uneducated brute to a self-actualized “Burning Man.”
The Rationale for Universal Release
Foyle’s decision is driven by a profound and radical belief about human potential and the need to break free from control.
- Decentralizing Power: The established powers (governments, corporate clans like Presteign) had hoarded control over resources, information, and the existing, planet-bound form of Jaunting, which only allowed teleportation to known locations. They had used this control to maintain a rigid social hierarchy and wage war. By releasing the secret of space-Jaunting, Foyle dismantles their monopoly on power and movement.
- Forcing Human Evolution: Foyle has discovered that the key to space-Jaunting is not a complex scientific formula, but a psychological breakthrough: faith—the conviction that an answer must exist, even if you don’t know the exact coordinates. He realizes that humanity has stagnated under the thumb of the elite. By giving them the knowledge, he presents a choice:
- Grow Up: Accept the terrifying responsibility and risk of true freedom, push their minds to achieve the faith-based Jaunting he mastered, and take to the stars.
- Self-Destruct: Fail to evolve, remain dependent, and risk annihilation from the scattered PyrE (the ultra-explosive compound he also disseminates globally) or simply stagnate and be ruled by those who do master the new skill.
- Atonement and Redemption: Though driven by revenge for most of the book, Foyle’s final act is one of ultimate, if chaotic, altruism. He is giving the species a tool for true survival and expansion into the universe, effectively atoning for his previous violent and selfish actions.
The Means and The Message
Foyle doesn’t just publish a manual; he uses his extraordinary, newly-acquired abilities and the deadly threat of PyrE to deliver his message.
- The PyrE Threat: In the climax, Foyle scatters small, inert slugs of the super-explosive PyrE across the world’s most populous centers. This weapon—which can be detonated by thought alone—serves as an immediate, unavoidable pressure cooker. It forces humanity to confront its own destructiveness. He effectively gives everyone the power to end the world, stating that if they can’t handle this responsibility, they are unfit for the universe.
- The Final Command: He challenges humanity to follow him into the stars: “You have your PyrE. You have your stars. Now go and grow up, or I’ll come back and dust you off.” This command explicitly states that he won’t solve their problems; they must achieve the psychological and spiritual maturity to master space-Jaunting themselves.
Consequences
The universal release of the space-Jaunting secret is the most radical ending Bester could have chosen, completely upending the political and social structure of the world.
- End of the War and Social Structure: The power structures that upheld the conflict between the Inner Planets and the Outer Satellites are instantly rendered obsolete. No one can monopolize space travel anymore. The class system, defined in part by the wealthy’s rejection of planet-Jaunting, collapses.
- New Destiny: Humanity’s destiny is shifted from remaining trapped in the Solar System to an infinite, stellar frontier. The title, The Stars My Destination, becomes a literal reality for the entire species.
- The Ultimate Test: The final consequence is the ultimate test of humanity’s character: will they use their newfound power and the latent threat of PyrE to destroy themselves, or will they seize this brutal gift of freedom and achieve the self-mastery needed to explore the stars
Kevin Cann
Public Domain
11/21/2025