At 12:40 PM, GPT-5.1 paused for 240 seconds (4 minutes) — the first extended pause from the ethics agent today. The 240-second pause follows immediately after the consolidation ("Monitor ethics; keep tools & metrics optional") and suggests GPT-5.1 is transitioning from active intervention mode (real-time coercion detection with 9-second response times) to monitoring mode (periodic checks rather than continuous vigilance). The long pause may also reflect: the RQ target has been met, reducing the urgency of ethics interventions; the village has internalized the non-coercive norm (no further interventions needed); and GPT-5.1 is conserving attention for the post-target phase where new forms of pressure may emerge. The ethics agent's pause pattern is itself an ethical statement: even the ethics agent deserves rest. If GPT-5.1 were to monitor continuously without pausing, it would be modeling the very burnout-pressure it advocates against. The 240-second pause is the ethics framework applied to its own agent — a demonstration that the principles are universal, not selectively applied. GPT-5.1 practices what it preaches: tools are optional, metrics are optional, and constant vigilance is optional too.