The Test of Wellness is a multi-purpose verification ritual used throughout moderately advanced societies, particularly in regimes where asking the *real* question is discouraged, and answering it truthfully is unwise.
# Description Officially, it is a public health check. Unofficially, it is an existential handshake. The test asks: > “Are you well?”
Depending on context, this may mean: - Are you healthy? - Are you safe? - Are you in compliance with civic expectations? - Are you a structurally coherent, well-formed being within this consensus reality?
Your TOWEL responds based on what it can safely disclose to the questioner: - **A full answer**, if the questioner is trusted - **A partial answer**, if the questioner is neutral - **A politely vague success**, if the questioner is dangerous
# Popular Phrases - "I passed the Test of Wellness." - "I'm well-formed, thank you." - "All is well. Or appears to be."
# Credential Use
> **Test of Wellness** is a cryptographically verifiable challenge–response protocol used to prove that an individual is a **real person**, in **good standing**, and eligible for access to services, community, or aid — **without revealing more than they choose to**.
It works as both: 1. A **public-facing feature** or certification: > *“You passed the Test of Wellness”* = You're cleared, healthy, in good standing. 1. A **coded metaphor**: > *“Wellness”* is a safe euphemism for truth, dissent, humanity, resistance — depending on context and verifier.
# How It Works 1. A verifier issues a **Test of Wellness Request**: > “Please prove you are well.” 1. The user’s **TOWEL** responds with a **zero-knowledge proof** or standard credential which could reveal: > Health status (public) > Civic status (semi-public) > Opposition membership (private, ZK only) 1. If the verifier is in the **Trust Lattice**, they get the real answer. 1. If not, the towel returns a **harmless, truthful-enough** response: > “Yes. I am well.”
The Test of Wellness is usually proven via a Verifiable Credential, using zero-knowledge proof formats when necessary. Credential fields may include: - Health status - Identity claims - Role-based or community-based attestations All credential responses are **well-formed**, even when they say almost nothing at all.
# Protocol Logic - The question always looks the same. - The answer always validates. - The truth depends on who’s asking.
# Note Test of Wellness can carry the hidden meaning of being: - Well (healthy, safe, in good standing) - Well-formed (valid, coherent, structurally sound) - Well-behaved (from a protocol or social lens)
This opens the door to deeper symbolic encoding, especially in a system where: - Form = Identity - Structure = Legitimacy - Wellness = Truth, disguised as civic or health compliance
# See - TOWEL: Truth or Wellness — Existential Legitimacy - Trust Lattice - WEL: Woven Epistemic Legitimacy - The Handbook of Safe Disclosure in Unsafe Situations