Yes, it might not be. What I'd like to do now is to move past the metaphor and consider whether there really IS a better way to run a society in Mid-World than the one they managed.
I'm afraid that I may not be making my point very well; I'll have to give it some more thought. I've been thinking about Desperation and the moral order of the universe in King's works. Given his powers-that-be, is it really possible for humans to overcome the ultimate tragedies?
Well, that is certainly nothing to take lightly. As I said earlier, I'm definitely of two minds about their attitude. Definitely not trying to brush off your concerns here, my friend.
Another loose end from before: Agreed. And yet, ironically, the whole point of the Star Wars saga, between discoveries of Luke's and of Qui-Gon Jinn's, appears to be about the shortcomings of dispassion in the Jedi philosophy. Obviously, the evil of the Sith also failed, in the long run. Still, in the SW universe, a whole new approach had to be developed.