The Cosmopump: When Absurdity Becomes Process

In the world of the Shadoks, the “cosmopump” is used to extract “cosmogol 999” to power a rocket that, in truth, will never reach Earth. Still, they keep pumping. Relentlessly. Cheerfully. Never once do they question the usefulness of their actions. And that’s the genius of the Shadoks: their absurd logic is executed with a bureaucratic precision that borders on brilliance. And honestly, their universe isn’t so far removed from ours.

 

This satirical cartoon, created over fifty years ago, remains surprisingly relevant. The absurdity it mocks hasn’t vanished—it has simply evolved. Today, it hides behind senseless processes, meetings with no purpose, and KPIs tracked just for the sake of it. We act because acting is expected. We produce, we tick boxes, we repeat, without ever asking whether it actually means anything. Gestures become rituals. Decisions become relics. Habits become untouchable dogma.

 

This is exactly where one soft skill becomes essential: critical thinking. Without it, anything can turn into a cosmopump—an activity as useful as a hairdryer in the desert, dressed up in procedures, noble intentions, and slick jargon. Critical thinking is what helps challenge what has become unquestioned. It separates meaningful work from well-disguised inertia. And it underpins every other human skill. Without it, there’s no way to sort out what needs to evolve, what still serves a purpose, and what belongs in the dustbin.

 

One iconic Shadok phrase captures this perfectly: “It’s better to pump even if nothing happens than to risk something worse happening by not pumping.” Behind this nugget of nonsense lies a very familiar logic. Keep going—not because it’s working, but because stopping would require justification. Hold onto a role, a mission, a project—even if it’s hollow—because doing otherwise would mean thinking differently. Taking a risk. Stepping outside the comfort zone.

 

In some organizations, this mindset is practically a religion. Activity is worshipped over impact. Busyness is mistaken for effectiveness. Conformity is favored over clarity. And when people pump like machines long enough, motion starts to look like progress.

 

But thinking is not a waste of time. On the contrary, it’s how energy is redirected, how scattered efforts are realigned, and how meaning is restored where routine has worn it thin. Far from being a roadblock, critical thinking is a safeguard. It prevents blind repetition. It helps spot false certainties. It’s what keeps the herd from running headfirst into the wall.

 

The Shadoks, by refusing to think but carefully organizing absurdity, show just how easily collective intelligence can lose its way when disconnected from purpose. And just how powerful one person can be, simply by asking the right question at the right time.

 

So the real question is this: what’s your everyday cosmopump? That mindless task, that unquestioned habit, that process kept alive by sheer reflex? And more importantly, how do you spot it—before it quietly becomes the whole system, complete with org chart, budget line, and steering committee?