There are two worlds that exist in the academe: a world where the tenure system remains strong and a world dominated by the absence of tenure. In this article, the author cites the differences between these two worlds. In a world where tenure remains strong, academic departments benefit from a stable, dedicated workforce composed of tenured and tenure-track faculty. In a world without tenure, transient "colleagues" cross paths unnoticed, like ships blind to each other's passage beneath the noonday sun. While the worlds with and without tenure seem sharply divided, the author observes that they are becoming steadily more similar. He also describes a scary future for faculty members if tenure no longer exists. As such, he suggests that faculty cooperation with administrators should be balanced by frank public discourse and, when necessary, by organized resistance in order to preserve tenure.