The one thing you cannot say on the internet

Perhaps it would be best if you think of this like a Zen Koan.

In all the internet, full of its hucksters, glory hounds, relentless and massive corporations seizing everything they can, amidst its endless, backwater, obscure dead ends, its trillions and trillions of shopping opportunities that are thicker than all the stars in the sky, its Greek Choruses, its ranks of silent watchers, and, perhaps most of all, it's millions of lost souls shouting their opinions at the tops of their lungs, there is one thing, and one thing only that stands unspoken. There is one thing that can never be spoken on all the internet, wherever it may be.

It is not an issue of sanctity. Not talent, respect nor fear. It simply cannot be spoken. It is an object of its nature. I would say it here if I could. Any number of commentators, bloggers, opinion makers and full time internet egomaniacs would do much to be the one to say it. There are people who would sacrifice everything to say it. Many have tried and fallen, forced back to screaming about politics or the best chocolate cake or the funny thing they saw that you saw too that everyone saw and loved and will forget forever, in a day, or an hour, or immediately. It would have been said if it were possible. It is not possible.

It has been said that the Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. Shall we say that this is like the eternal Tao? Yes, we will say it is like the eternal Tao, but only so long as we can have the caveat that this is less spiritual, less grand, and vastly more trivial. Nevertheless it should also be said that it does manage to steal its own tiny, tiny piece of eternal wisdom.

And so what can you do with this one thing, this last and only thing that cannot be said on the internet. It cannot be named here. Perhaps it cannot be named anywhere. But it does exist. If you spread your imagination wide enough, you can, with the lightest touch, hold it in your hands. You can, with grace and wisdom, wit and a light touch, carry it in your mind. You will not be able to look at it directly or it will disappear like it never was there. But keep it with you. It has a purpose. Let it color everything you see here. The shadow it casts is an illuminating shadow.