Erych And Teddi Journey Back

PerfectWorld story (The INTERIM) Erych & Teddi chapter 1

INTRODUCTION:

I write to avert disaster:

Soon into my soliloquies it became apparent that I was in danger of losing my audience. All none of you. I mean, who wants to be pounded with theory day after day? I know it would bore ME to tears.

So I came up with a plan. What if I wrote a book?

Nah, I'm not the book-writing type-- I'm an essayist. Which is to say, I don't have the concentration needed to write a whole book.

But then I thought: What if I wrote a series of essays as CHAPTERS in a larger book? Now THAT was an a-ha moment!

But what to write about? Well, the subject matter is obvious. I'd put together an epic, multi-generational book which starts with a look at life on the planet Earth right around now (warts and all) and ends smack dab in the middle of our brand-spanking new Perfect World!

I love the optimism and spark of youth, so I'd want to write from the perspective of a young protagonist (or two). And since the book would span the better part of two centuries, I'd better create several heroes to take us all the way through.

And what better way to link our heroes than by family history?

So now I begin. Not at the beginning, mind you, but right in the middle. Join our two friends, just barely into their teens, on a visit to a now-deserted city which once hosted millions and is now a rich source of history...

BOOK TWO

Chapter One- Naughty Kids

It was late; past evening meal at least. Erych and Teddi, both thirteen, were exploring the old city without the Fathers' knowledge. "We're gonna get caught, Erych!" Teddi said resignedly, dreading yet another day in O.T."I fixed it-- they won't know a thing. Come on, Teddi! I wanna get to the old library before dark. I found a cool room last time. Don't you wanna know about the Ugly Times?" Erych pedaled his hyperbike faster down the deserted old broken asphalt streets.

"No! It's called the Ugly Times-- that tells me all I need to know. I wanna go back." Teddi's feet were dragging, slowing the hyperbike down, albeit imperceptibly.

Few people went to the old cities-- all previous knowledge could be found on the computers at home anyway, and the place was somewhat unstable, as the retrobuilders were dismantling the cities for reusables, then slowly returning the grounds to pristine.

Erych wasn't any person, though-- he was an Explorer, and Explorers were encouraged to explore. It was in his strands, and that was all the Fathers needed to know. Teddi was his best friend, but wasn't an Explorer. No, Teddi was a Cipher, and Ciphers were NOT encouraged to explore because they had a nasty habit of falling into trouble. But the young did not always do as they are told, though, and now these two seem destined to learn the secrets of the past.

"Shouldn't we leave the past alone?" Teddi complained. "It's taken years to change society over. Do we really want to let the genie back out of the bottle? And I sure as whatever don't wanna spend another weekend in the Obedience Training facility--"

"Forget the O.T.! We're here!" Erych shouted, triumphant. "Let's go!" He dismounted the floating transit toy and headed towards the front doors.

Grumbling and muttering, Teddi followed obediently. Erych always took charge, Erych was always the leader. But... why not? At the top of every subclass, Erych seemed ready to integrate with the Whole, a full two years before normal, and took every opportunity to lead.

The children climbed the stone stairway littered with overgrowth, past the noble stone lions and their thick crusting of bird castoff, and on in through the unlocked front entryway. Teddi turned to gaze at the old city, peering through the narrowing gap before the tall doors closed. Imposing and silent, there was a certain menace to the stiff old buildings, as if they were frozen giants awaiting a signal to awaken and march off to some ancient tribunal somewhere. Teddi shuddered at the thought, then turned to catch up with Erych, who had disappeared into the gloom.

"Erych! Wait up! I can't see you!" Teddi squinted and could just make out his receding form, so chased after it.

It was part of the Change to preserve a few structures from the old city, and this library was one of them... it was a grand old building, but was in a state of disrepair. The smooth marble floors were caked with dust; massive cobwebs hung from every projection, but all the decayables had been sealed where they stood-- every row of books in the library, shelves and all, had been wrapped and sucked with vaccu-foam and were quite impossible to get to-- they looked like huge misshapen marshmallows.

"How can we read anything?" Teddi asked, catching up to Erych in a rush. "We can't even get to the books! They're behind 16 inches of solid vaccu-foam." Teddi rapped on a nearby blob with a fist. "Ow! Hard as a rock!"

"We're not there yet... follow me!" Erych bounded towards a wide set of stairs and headed down. Before Teddi could complain about the darkness, Erych reached into his pack and found a floatlamp. He waved a hand over it and brilliant light issued forth, then floated up and settled in orbit a few feet above his head. It might as well have been the sun-- suddenly the library was as well lit as if the roof had been hinged up.

Erych approached the stairs with Teddi at his heels. Three, four, five flights they descended, and then Erych stopped at a door marked 'Robotic Historical Theater'. "This is it! Prepare to be amazed!" He opened the door and stepped inside, with Teddi at his back and the floatlamp above his heat.

They were in some kind of auditorium. Rows and aisles of seats filled the room. They were all pointed forward, towards a large white rectangle mounted on the front wall.

"What is this place?" Teddi asked. The words fell silent in the muffled room.

"Sit in one of the chairs-- you'll see," Erych replied playfully. Teddi reluctantly inched toward a chair at the end of an aisle. Looked harmless enough, so Teddi sat.

The rectangle in front immediately began glowing, and a form coalesced in the center... it was a man, dressed in clothing from long ago. There was something odd about him, Teddi felt, but that feeling was minor when compared with the overwhelming rush of fear. "Erych! Erych! There's a MAN over there!"

"Well, a PROJECTION of a man, yes," Erych whispered.

So THAT'S what was weird about him! Before Teddi could have another thought, the man spoke, in a loud, echoing slap. "WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME TEACH?"

"Huh?" Teddi was confused.

"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME TEACH?" the man boomed.

"Say 'the Ugly Times'!" Erych prodded quietly, sitting in the chair next to his friend.

In the smallest of voices, Teddi responded, "Ummm... the Ugly Times?"

Immediately the man vanished and was replaced with a burst of images and sounds, shrill and flashing. Cars on a busy freeway, a killer tornado, a military incursion, devastation from a seven point earthquake, crowds at an airport, a fast-food drive-thru line, a burning neighborhood, a hundred-year flood, polluted brown skies.

All images were shown staccato style alongside thumping heavy metal music, as an acrid stench wafted through the room. Erych watched with mild interest. Teddi was more strongly affected and was clenching the chair's armrests, pupils dilated, beads of sweat washing down. Erych calmly draped his arm across Teddi's quivering shoulders, who squeaked, "please make it stop..."

As if by thunderclap, the sounds and images ceased, fading quickly in the now dark and muted room. All that could be heard was the sound of Teddi's rapid breathing. Erych thought he could also make out Teddi's heart pounding and tousled the other's hair.

"What's the matter? Too much for you?" Erych grinned in the dark. "That's nothing-- that was just the beginning! Things get much worse from there!"

A long pause, and Teddi finally spoke. "W-worse? How is that p-possible? That was like w-watching my own death!"

"We live in a good time, all right. I doubt many of us today could stand living before the Change began-- people lived like animals back then. Did you know they used to KILL each other?"

That was too much for poor Teddi, who turned away from Erych and puked. Erych averted his eyes, but held Teddi's long blonde hair away from the worst of it.

Panting and unfocussed, Teddi sat silent for a long while before sighing, "Tell me again why you wanted me to see things you know I can't unwatch?"

Erych responded seriously. "It's our responsibility-- we HAVE to see it, Teddi. We can't forget our roots, or we may come full circle and become that way again. I know we're only halfway through the Change, but somebody goofed. They think we're not supposed to see these things, but they're wrong!"

"What do you mean, they're wrong? The founder spent years designing the plan, experts spent years implementing it... and you're just a kid! How do you know they're wrong?"

Erych stared at his companion. "You KNOW I know."

"Oh." Teddi knew immediately that Erych was one hundred percent right. Whenever Erych made an 'official pronouncement' like that they always proved true. Teddi had no idea how he did that. Maybe it had something to do with his incredible talent or his ridiculous luck-- it didn't really matter WHY it was true, only that it WAS-- and Teddi had long ago learned to trust him implicitly.

And now was no exception. "Hide!" Erych suddenly shouted, and the both of them dove for the floor, narrowly missing being caught by the strong white light which burst from the front door. The door bumped open, and a large humming cylinder floated in, a white metal hulk shooting bright light in all directions.

"Oh, no!" Teddi thought, and looked at Erych, who peered back, eyes wide. They both mouthed the same thing:

"THE O.T.!"

...

Well, that's it for today, folks. Look for future chapters in the coming days and weeks (as I write them... this blog IS a work in progress, after all).

An aside: I showed this post to a friend for editing purposes. His only comment? "Does Urch have superpowers?" That's right-- he pronounced it 'Urch'.

While I will admit Erych is not a normal spelling for the name, I just assumed most people would read it as 'Eric' and carry on. So, for those of you who (for whatever reason) see the name as something other than 'Eric', well, I have to give you kudos on your creativity. Knock yourself out. Call him whatever you want.

And by the way, if you want to know whether 'Urch' has superpowers or not... you'll just have to continue reading.

Copyright 2009 Bruce Ian Friedman

If I Were God...

Essay

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be god. Or more accurately, I wanted to be Superman, which to a little kid was about the same thing-- some guy who had great powers who could swoop in and save you. I would have daydreams during class where, as Supergod, I would discover evil lurking about with my super hearing or super vision, beat the crap out of it and fly it to prison.

Kids, huh!

Now a secret... I STILL have that daydream from time to time. When I hear a particularly frustrating news story about some heinous crime, I'll drop right back into wishing I had paranormal abilities. When I was woken by the news of an airplane crashing into the World Trade Center back in 2001, I dreamed furiously about flying in, sucking out the raging fire with my super breath and rescuing all those people from a miserable death. When I heard about hurricane Katrina, I envisioned flying backwards around that eye to slow the circling winds and dissipate the storm.

If only life were that simple.

Today, for better or worse, my thoughts are a little more complex, my solutions a tad more elegant. Rather than clamp down on a problem with the Hand Of God like I would have as a kid, I instead finesse and adjust and compromise, wrangling a solution from a dozen-odd poorly fitted pieces. I perform the task of benevolent bait-and-switch, becoming a celestial scammer for the good of mankind... or at least for my immediate circle of influence.

So if I were god today, things would be different. God is everywhere, knows everything and pulls all the switches that make the universe hum along, so I would find another task worthy of my limitless power.

I would have a press conference.

A Press Conference?! you gasp in astonishment. Of all the possible behaviors a newly omnipotent being might choose to display... giving a press conference hardly seems high on the list! Couldn't you cause world peace, or end human hunger, or repair the environment? What would be the purpose of this madness?

I should think it would be obvious, since you're reading an essay in a blog describing the 'Perfect World'. There can be no perfection while humanity debates which religion has the 'true god', so I would give a press conference to convince all mankind... that I don't exist.

For all of you who think that having god getting up on a stage for all the world to see and exclaiming 'I don't exist' is a poor way to prove he doesn't exist... well, I'd have to agree with you. So it's a good thing that I was being cheeky. Allow me to clarify. I would make it understood to everyone that it doesn't matter if I exist. Additionally, I would make it abundantly clear to all humanity that their current thinking on 'faith' was way off base.

This is what I mean. Right now, many humans are devout believers in god (of one religion or another) and dedicate their lives to the task of proving their faith in order to secure a place in heaven. Their entire lives, their every waking moment is one long god-a-thon. THIS MUST STOP.

Liken the relationship between God and his followers to the one a young child has with his parents and the schools. To the toddler, his parent IS God, for lack of a better term. All his tiny needs are met by them. His parents give him food and shelter, and love and affection, and on rare occasions, a punishment to keep him on the path of right. The school teaches the child to honor his parents, so the child will revere them and ask for their guidance.

Now another example. Let's say the parents are uncommunicative, expressing neither approval nor disapproval of any of the child's actions. What is the child to learn? Without feedback, the child must depend on information coming from the school that taught him, just as a follower who gets no response from god must go to his house of worship for guidance.

Now let's surmise the school is run by exclusively unmarried, childless singles. You can already see that parenting information coming from them might be erroneous or at the very least, guesswork. Well, priest and nuns give information about god to their followers without having any direct knowledge, only the word of scripture to rely on. Often they must 'interpret' the writings to fit current thinking.

That's what I would dispel at this press conference-- all the rumor and innuendo coming from the world's houses of worship who themselves can only interpret the vague wording of books transcribed from the spoken tales of illiterate slaves and shepherds, passed along and modified for thousands of years in an inaccurate game of 'telephone tag'.

Tag along with me in my mind, as I lay out the scene of god's big admission:

The Press Conference

Moderator:

Oyez, oyez! All rise! This, the momentous press conference to the world from our savior and creator of all that is and ever was and ever will be, the exalted, Lord Our God, is now come to order! (Gavel bangs) Please be seated. Your eminence, please.

(moderator shuffles backwards, head bowed, off the stage)

God:

Mister moderator, must we be so formal? It's just pageantry...

after all, I already know what every one of you is thinking!

(audience murmurs worriedly)

You know who I am. You have a thousand different names for me, but if you don't then just call me The Big G, or Daddy G... or even the G-Man! Be creative-- I love it!

(quiet chuckling)

Anyway, I'm sure you're all wondering why I called this press conference.

Well, I think it's import--

Catcaller in Audience:

(snidely) Actually, despite your outward appearance, the flowing robes and lionesque beard notwithstanding, I'm sure all of us would like to be certain you are who you say you are, Mr. God. What assurances can you give us that you are the real deal?

God:

Okay, fair question-- you deserve a demonstration. I already said I knew what you all were thinking. Truly, none of you are content with your own outward appearances. Take a moment to check out the changes I've made in each of you, based on your own, unvoiced desires.

(a shocked gasp comes from the audience as they realize the absurdity of their dreams. The zippers of most of the men have ruptured under the strain of their now behemoth and veiny throbbing phalluses. Several people are experimenting with their new wings and rollerfeet. The women are orgasmically gorgeous and the men perfect and dreamy. One woman heads to the microphone, painfully dragging two Volkswagen-sized breasts behind her)

Woman:

Well, I for one believe you. But is it possible to get my old body back?

(the concerned crowd shouts in agreement)

God:

Of course.

(in a blink, everything is as it was)

Be careful what you wish for, eh?

As I was saying, I think it's important to pass on a little information to you. You have been speculating about me for some time now, and frankly, it's interfering with your development as a sentient race. You spend an inordinate amount of time praying to me for positive outcomes. You war with each other in my name. You put my name on your currency. You swear to me in court. You swear AT me when you smash your finger with a hammer.

(the crowd chuckles; God pauses)

Frankly, it's a little embarrassing... I feel I'm not worthy. Do you know how I view my relationship with MY God?

(the crowd's eyes widen at the realization that God has a God)

Hey, your therapist has a therapist; why should it be any different with me? To me, I like to think of my God as a benevolent parent. He loves me unconditionally and wants me to do my best. He wants me to get along with others and doesn't want me to hurt anyone. He wants to see me respecting others and working with them to achieve lofty goals. He wants me to be happy, regardless of my quirks and fetishes.

He wants to see the best of me.

(God rises and walks amid the crowd. A large and imposing figure, he is taller than anyone around him and seems to have a faint glow, an electric sizzle. Some people start to kneel, but he shakes his head and helps them back to their seat)

And I ask for nothing more or less from you all. It's true I made you all, but I do not want you to stand in awe of me. Do you stand in awe of your parents, the people who truly made you? Of course not. Do your parents want you to build a place for you to worship them? No. Well... maybe a little summer home on a lake wouldn't be so bad...

(the crowd titters)

Okay, okay. Seriously. Do your parents want you to spread the word of their goodness to everyone you meet in a single-minded attempt to force your will upon others? They do not. Do they want you to hurt or kill others who don't believe as you do? Absolutely not. What do they want? It's a pretty short list.

One- they want you to be happy.

Two- they want you to be the best you you can be.

Three- Grandkids. Every parent wants a grandchild.

(laughter)

I'm no different. I see the amazing potential of the human race and I want to see more! But every time a person thinks to stifle the freedom or creativity of another because it jibes with their own line of thought, the human race hiccups a little bit. If enough people stifle others, backwards progress ensues. That's bad for civilization.

When this conference is over and you all return to your lives, you will have some serious thinking to do. There are some hard realities many will have to face. I have a few suggestions to help you over the hurdles and give your lives new meaning.

First, do not be angry at any of your spiritual leaders. Until today, nobody has known the truth... it has all been speculation. If you must be angry at someone, be mad at me.

I could have had this conference long ago.

Don't abandon your houses of worship. Instead rename them 'houses of fellowship' and open their doors to all. Spread knowledge freely inside their walls-- the knowledge of philosophers and dreamers, of pacifists and optimists-- to disperse the myths that have been taught up to this point.

Remember the scientists. Scientists speculate on a solution and work towards proving it. They may spend their entire lives trying to prove it. Then, another lab somewhere DISproves the scientist's theory. What does the scientist do? He accepts the proof and moves on to his next challenge. That's what science is-- finding the truth, whatever the cost.

Those of you with a fundamental perspective to religion may feel as though the rug has been pulled out from under you. I urge you to be the scientist. Accept the proof. Move on to your next challenge.

Remember that, in the most real sense, you are all brothers and sisters. The human race has grown from the primordial soup of early Earth. The genetic material of this entire planet is inextricably linked, so much so that people from opposite corners of the world-- whether experiencing surprise, sorrow, or joy-- make the same facial expressions!

You have made great strides over the centuries and for the first time, the whole planet of people can be fed, given shelter and health care. For the first time, you are ready to put aside the other tools which helped you get to this point in order to adopt the tools of your new enlightenment. Now is the beginning of the Family Of Man.

Abandon the 'teachings' of the bible. It can all be boiled down to a single sentence anyway. Keep the bible and read it as a fascinating account of our ascent into reason, but give up the practice of using it as a guidebook to survival in the 21st century. There are many better books available today to teach you those skills.

Oh, and that sentence the Bible can be boiled down to? You all know it and have had it quoted to you on numerous occasions. It's the Golden Rule--"Whoever has the gold, makes the rules!"

(God pauses as the crowd chuckles uncertainly)

Naaah! I'm just kidding! The golden rule, of course, is to

'Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do Unto You'

which is a fancy way of saying BE NICE.

(God saunters back to his seat at the dais and sits down.)

Well, I think I've covered all the important points. You have been a lovely audience. Thank you for coming down. Are there any questions?

(every hand in the room shoots up)

Wow! Every human on Earth just raised their hand! How cool is that? Okay, folks, just think your question.

(God closes his eyes briefly, and when he does, so does everyone else. When they open their eyes a moment later, a collective sigh passes their lips as every question or concern, every doubt or crisis of faith they've ever had receives an answer which is both complete and gratifying, and leaves them with a swelling surge of bliss and serenity. God has disappeared.)

Moderator:

Well, you heard the man! Go on, get home and make a better world!

END OF PRESS CONFERENCE

Well, that's what I would do if I were God.

If there IS a god, that is.

Copyright 2009 Bruce Ian Friedman

What the Devil is Evil?

Essay

Provocative title, huh? More on that later.

I made the mistake once of bringing up my Perfect World concept in a drinking establishment. Once. They say alcohol is the lubricant of truth, but I think it is the mortar of stubbornness. We all complain about our less-than-perfect lives, even raise a glass to our shared misery in some swill-scented gin joint, but if someone were to challenge that life we live, why is it that we should suddenly feel the need to defend it to the death? We hate it! Why are we defending it?

For every valid social problem I brought up, there was a drunk lout in the room who would praise its benefits, then deride me for rocking the boat. More voices joined in what soon became a slurring tribunal to stubborn foolishness. Lesson learned. I should find a better place to air my solutions to our problems than a roomful of people trying to forget the very problems I am reminding them of.

I settled on the blog idea pretty quickly. After all, nobody will be able to throw up on my shoes in the blogosphere, nor will a bar stool be sent on a collision course with my skull. No, I can state my case clearly and concisely, and most of all QUIETLY.

But attempting to speak my mind to a wide variety of people has, in itself, taught me a great deal. Some of the valuable lessons I have learned are:

• It is hard to get people to discuss a subject without them interjecting learned behaviors.

Example: I explain about a moneyless society, yet people can't accept the idea of working at a job for 'nothing'.

• Everyone has their own anger which blinds them to the potential of a World Family.

Example: Somewhere in your life, someone has done you wrong. Now anyone who even looks like them is suspect, forever.

• Few people can see how labeling diminishes people and shrinks them into a one-dimensional blurb. Humans are enormously complex, and no one action can possibly define an entire human existence.

Example: Paul Rubens is a gifted comedian and actor. But one indiscreet action and he is labeled a 'deviant' for his entire life.

• People are far too ready to slip into an 'us versus them' mentality, preferring to join ranks with those they know, to war against those who are strangers to them.

Example: High schoolers can become viciously competitive against their neighboring schools, often engaging in practices ending in property damage or injury.

• Everyone seems to believe that evil exists.

I'm sure you're thinking that I just slipped that last one in to see if you were paying attention. Don't worry, I was. But it's also a very important piece of information. So much so, in fact, that it's the focus of this post.

DOES EVIL EXIST?

Now before you rush in and exclaim "Of COURSE Evil exists! Hitler! Bin Laden! Cheney!" keep one eye open to the possibility that, at least to the evildoer, they had an entirely different motivation in mind. One in which the goal had little to do with evil.

Let me tell a little story. There was a country not too long ago whose citizens were doing their jobs, raising their children and living their lives-- in other words, minding their own business-- when suddenly there was a huge attack which destroyed all the political and military centers in the country, and caused quite a few collateral damages as well. The enemy killed thousands of people, including the president of the country, built huge army bases and dug in thousands of troops. They remain there to this day.

That poor country! Those poor citizens! Who would do such a heartless thing to them?

Have you guessed?

Us. That's right, the US of A. And the country? Why, Iraq, of course.

Don't shoot me as a traitor... all I'm trying to do here is to show you how perspective makes a world of difference. We all know that American citizens are good, hardworking, god-fearing, family loving people... but to the good, hardworking, god-fearing, family loving people of Iraq, Americans are EVIL.

Many such examples exist, even to the indisputably horrible Adolph Hitler. In many historical narratives Hitler is portrayed as a man with a plan to make a better world... maybe even a PERFECT WORLD... yikes! What I'm saying is simply this:

EVIL is a matter of PERSPECTIVE.

One person's evil is another person's 'grim determination to get things done, no matter the odds', and if the two people had switched jobs then the former would be thinking the latter, and vice-versa.

Here's an example. One country (let's call it, umm, Turdistan) fears the other country it shares a border with (we'll name that one Crapenia) is planning an attack, and so takes them out with a first strike. To Turdistan, they have narrowly avoided devastation, and so can breathe a collective sigh of relief. But to Crapenia (and to the rest of the world as well) Turdistan is an evil empire that attacked without provocation. It's all about

PERSPECTIVE.

Some guy robs your Tarmucks coffee shop. You needed that money, and because you lost it, you had to close your business. Then you lost your house, and your wife left you. That robber, in your eyes, was evil.

But that robber had a Tarmucks once, and a house, and a wife. He lost it all when some guy robbed him. (What IS it about coffee?)

That last scenario begs another question... what would cause someone to take an action like that, knowing full well that it could cripple the other person's business? The answer is...

FEAR!

Fear of starvation, fear of homelessness, fear of loss. So what is happening in that last scenario is not evil at all-- it's survival... survival in a society which is good to the winners and bad to the losers. The lesson from that example is:

EVIL IS FEAR.

A person spends years becoming a doctor, and practices for years without an issue. Then a disgruntled patient sues the doctor for malpractice, costing the doctor money, time, patients and credibility. Even if the doctor performed his talent at less than expectations... does the punishment fit the crime? The doctor is human, and is subject to the human imperfections that plague us all, so why is he (and really, all of us) punished for the crime of being constantly human? And the patient, who expects reasonable care, is punishing the doctor out of anger. What does this mini-parable teach?

EVIL IS ANGER.

Joe has multiple personality disorder, but due to his lousy health care it goes undiscovered and untreated. Joe is wary of his Crush personality, who comes out when Joe is frightened or angry. Crush in turn is terrified of Spike, a personality whom Joe doesn't even know about and who comes out when Crush is hungry for retribution. Spike likes knives, and has on more than one occasion taken apart-- in slow, screaming strips-- the source of Crush's ire. Joe regularly wakes up in a nearby forest, covered in blood and with no knowledge of his actions. Meanwhile, the victims-- normally a shortchanging cashier or a cranky waiter or the like-- leave a spreading trail of grief in their wake which will undoubtedly trigger the schizophrenia in some victim's friend, family member or coworker that starts the process all over again. And all it would have taken to prevent was a pill a day. A pill a day keeps the evil away.

EVIL IS ILLNESS.

An undereducated man in some rural burg, walking through the woods on a hunt for some game, comes upon a house. Peering inside, he witnesses a woman making objects float in midair. He figures the only people capable of doing such things are enchanted and evil, so kills the witch with a slug to the forehead. Weeks go by until there's an investigation into the murder of a physicist, gunned down in her remote home in the sticks, killed during an experiment in magnetic levitation. The killer is defiant, proudly exclaiming that he rid the world of unspeakable evil, incredulous at the lack of gratitude, all the way to the electric chair.

EVIL IS IGNORANCE.

Now rewrite the above story with a doctor who performs abortions as the victim and a religious fanatic as the 'righteous' murderer. A person who hands over his moral center to his house of worship will smile broadly as women and children die, so long as it's written in their Bible... and interpreted by their shepherd. What the flock is going on?

EVIL IS FAITH.

A huge company, P.I.G., wants another company, ANGEL, but the owner, G.O. Dumass, won't sell. P.I.G. spreads untrue rumors about ANGEL until stock prices plummet, then scrapes the broken ANGEL out from under the penniless Dumass. Hey, it's just business, right? Nothing personal. And competition's the American way, after all...

EVIL IS COMPETITION.

Thousands of people walk down the streets of New York City every day. Sometimes they have to do a little dance to get out of the way of some obstruction-- road repair, trash bags, hot dog vendors, sleeping homeless people, even the occasional dead body. And what do they do? In each case they do the same thing-- they step out of the way. 'Not my problem-- I got somewheres to be, y'know?'

EVIL IS INDIFFERENCE.

A happy man, well loved by his family and friends, successful by most definitions, leaves work one day and stops at Wal-Mart long enough to buy a shotgun and all the ammo the store carries, and then proceeds to cut a wide swath of mutilation and death all the way home, where he turns his loving but astonished family into hamburger, whistling cheerfully all the while.

EVIL IS EVIL... umm, wait.

I've never heard of a happy, loving, successful man just up and killing his friends and family and coworkers. You know why? That's because it doesn't happen. A happy, well adjusted person who can live well within society's guidelines has no reason, no need and no desire to commit unspeakable acts. Such things are not part of their psyche, and the only way they could possibly change would be to be on the receiving end of such punishment.

Evil for evil's sake? I'll never believe it. Take a good look at every act of 'evil' and what you will find is:

Fear or

Anger or

Illness or

Ignorance or

Faith or

Competition or

Indifference.

(I may have missed a few. This post is a work in progress.)

Okay, let's assume for a moment that I am right and there is no such thing as evil. I'm sure the question on everyone's mind is:

HOW DO WE GET RID OF ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT OCCUR?

I'm not one to keep you hanging on, so I'll end the post with the answer and let you mull over where the next logical place is to go with this information:

We re-design society to eliminate or greatly reduce the negative aspects of living within its boundaries.

And THAT'S why I'm writing this blog.

copyright 2009 Bruce Ian Friedman

Mail From The Future

PerfectWorld story (The NOW)

I have to tell you about something incredibly BIZARRE.

The other day I received a letter. Well, not received as much as discovered it on my desk. The funny thing is, I don't remember picking it up from the mail center, and my roommate swears he didn't put it there.

It opened in an unusual way, too. I couldn't find any flaps or glued edges, and the paper was too tough to tear. It kept slipping out from under the cutting edge of my scissors, too. But looking closely I could see tiny words printed at the top which read, "Glide finger along edge."

A little wary of paper cuts, I followed the instructions carefully, and no sooner did my finger finish its path than the envelope slipped out of my hands and landed on the desk-- as a sheet of paper! All signs of the envelope were gone.

Huh! Technology, eh? It started in the 70's for me with the microwave-- a box that's cool when you put food in and cool when you take food out 3 minutes later, but the food is SIZZLING! I am constantly amazed at what the human mind thinks to invent. I began to read the neatly printed page.

"Dear Bruce,

I like technology too!.."

I stopped. Did this letter just begin with a comment on my thought? How odd! I continued.

"Yes it did. And it's not odd, since you are not holding a letter per se, but a piece of very advanced technology..."

I dropped the page on my desk, startled. WHAT was going on here? It's like the letter was reading my mind! I looked at it, askew on my desktop. It seemed normal-- a piece of unlined paper, about 5x7. Who sent me this? I didn't think to find a return address on the now missing envelope, so I hadn't a clue. Without touching the page, I read the next line and my jaw dro... well you know what it did.

"Reading your mind? Not exactly. Truth be told, I don't know how it does what it does any more than you know how that microwave heats your food..."

Hmph! I know how a microwave works! The magnetron produces a vigorous wave energy that bounces around inside the metal cabinet and excites water molecules in the food. If it doesn't contain water, it doesn't get hot. I resent that implication!

"Sorry. Don't get upset... let's move on. The point is, I wanted to send a thank you letter to the guy who designed the best social system ever, and as a citizen of that time I have to say, ruddy insightful of you, Bruce!"

My mind was reeling with this information! I am a science fiction buff and reading new ideas on paper usually don't startle me. However, this interactive mail was a new take on science, a blending of new and old technology-- an email which is delivered to your desk in letter form and updates with no apparent input-- now THAT is a cool idea!

But what REALLY got me was just dawning on me now... and washed a cold chill through me to the core. Am I actually talking to the FUTURE? To a live person? If I am... how cool is that? And most importantly...

"Sorry. I can't remember back two hundred years. I don't know who won the 1980 Super Bowl. Besides, you know about paradox-- telling you anything would change the future."

Dang. A great opportunity to get rich, wasted.

Wait. TWO CENTURIES? How is this even possible? And who am I even talking to?

"Your great-great-great-great-great-great grandson. Your daughter was my great-great-great-great-great grandmother. I met her when I was very young and she was very old. Call me Broose."

BROOSE? Really? That's how my name is spelled in two hundred years?

Hang on-- why am I focussing on the inane? I need to know how it all turns out!

"It turns out very, very well. Most of your ideas have come to pass-- we are a merit-based society now, without homelessness or hunger or untreated illness. Many occupations of your time are gone now, as the milkman is to you-- salesmen, advertisers, cashiers, meter readers, security guards, politicians, ticket takers, waiters, maids, spin doctors, Generals-- the list is enormous, quite frankly. Most people only work about one day a week, unless they are involved in a project. Much of their free time is spent in creative endeavors, recreation and entertainment.

"Education is tailor-made to the talents of the individual and continues lifelong. Children are still our most precious resource, but now we take much better care of them. Parents are important but have lots of help.

"Billboards are gone, as is most signage. Pollution is gone, landfills are almost gone and urban blight has largely disappeared. Population has dropped through attrition to about a billion and is holding steady. We are much more the race of humans now-- every stranger is a family member. War hasn't existed anywhere for 40 years.

"Technology is advancing in leaps. Most jobs that are necessary and yet despised are done by mindless and obedient robotic machines. Power is plentiful and clean, coming from floating wind farms in the gulf stream. Airships have given way to maglev tubes shooting people across the globe at speeds of 8000 miles an hour. Local travel is accomplished in a vast network of peoplemover trains, many of which are subterranean. Light electric cars speed people on the few surface streets automatically by destination. Clever new self-propelled devices use a fraction of the energy old bicycles used to.

"Religion exists but is more a curiosity and a way to link to the past. Logical thinking is the new religion and encourages divergent studies. Sexual repression is gone in the wake of your drive to design society around the natural human condition, and weekly congress is encouraged for all. Antique age limitations have been replaced with awareness metering, dissolving sexual frustration. Disease and unwanted pregnancy have been wiped out.

"Politics has been abandoned as a determinant for social change. Politicians were elected to be representatives for the people, bringing their vote and their vote only to the congress. When that stopped happening we realized that, thanks to computers and the web, EVERY voice can now be heard individually, and each can join the forum of debate to drive social change, and so the job of politician disappeared. Social debate has replaced politics, and quite efficiently at that.

"Competition was determined to be the single worst driving mechanism for moving a society forward. It worked all right, and society advanced at a tremendous rate during that time, it but also caused an equal slide backwards in the area of human relations, an area determined to be one of the most necessary for any advanced people.

"Greed became unnecessary as the reasons for greed disappeared. Common sense reigns supreme now, and one-upsmanship is considered bad form. There is no longer a consumption mentality--people's needs are more direct, though most of the great toys still thrive-- apparently a greater sentience comes with a greater love of the simple pleasures.

"Just as you predicted, there are a wide variety of lifestyles, each available to anyone at any time. There is no 'normal'; whatever a person finds intriguing or titillating is accepted. Judgement in that regard is considered a character flaw.

I stopped reading the page (which by the way, had no bottom-- the words kept scrolling up as I read, with no control mechanism, as if it were keeping my place for me) and took a deep breath. I was quivering a little. Put yourself in my shoes-- can you imagine carrying on a conversation with someone in the far future? Especially one who is acknowledging your work as essential to the future? Truly, the whole situation would be similar to getting DaVinci on the phone, don't you think?

But more importantly, my concept took! The world is now patterned after my writings! Could I be more proud? I felt like the father of a newborn! But boy, did I have questions. So I thought a question, and looked at the page for answers.

Are there jails? In large letters,

"No."

Rich people?

"No."

Money?

"No."

Hookers?

"No."

Drug addicts?

"No."

Murderers?

"No."

Raves?

"Hell, yes!"

Space flight?

"YES."

Cloning?

"Rare, but yes."

Exorcisms?

"Umm... no! Duh!"

People still say 'duh'?

"Translation matrix, sorry. The word I used was 'pasticated'. A merge of 'past' and 'eradicated'."

Oh, okay. How about rape?

"No. And eww."

Agreed. Okay, one last question.

I paused. This one was a biggie. I'm clear on what our society looks like today. I also have a good picture of what the end product should look like. The one thing I can't figure out yet is how to transition between the two.

You see, the biggest stumbling block in having this Perfect World Theory come to fruition are the people who feel they would be losing out in the new world. Who exactly would be losing out? Truthfully, nobody. Since the plan is 200 years long, nobody who is here when it starts will live to see it completed, so all of those who have something to lose would actually still have their thing, right up until the day they die.

But here's the short list of the people who THINK they have something to lose in the Perfect World:

The rich.

The evil.

The powerful.

The selfish.

The far right.

The greedy.

The religious fundamentalists.

Please note that, simply because they are in the same list, individuals in one group may very well have nothing to do with those in another-- they simply have different reasons for not wanting this change to occur. So my last question is...

How did the transition occur?

"Simple. You just... all you did was... do you hear that? Can you hear that noise?"

What noise? Tell me... I just WHAT? All I did was WHAT?

"That noise! Damn technology, that buzzing is driving me crazy! Make it stop!"

What buzzing? HOW DID I MAKE THE TRANSITION? I HAVE to know!

"You can't hear it? I can't think! It's going BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ"

BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZ--

Goddamn alarm clock.

It was just a dream.

copyright 2009 Bruce Ian Friedman

Not Where I Wanna Be

Introductory Essay

I AM ANNOYED WITH US!

Blame it on whomever you want, but things ain't like it was back in the Garden of E.

We're a suspicious, fearful, helpless society who has put people in charge who care the least about us. We lie, cheat, steal, kill and seduce. We're selfish and greedy, lazy and anal, foolish and stupid... and WE CAN DO BETTER.

We HAVE to do better... our very survival depends on it. But how? Isn't our current society the ultimate? Haven't we cast away all other sociopolitical systems in favor of this, the current and best?
Apparently not.

I have thought for years about how to devise a better world to live in. To that end, I'm writing this blog to clarify my idea, called (for now) Perfect World Theory. More about that later. First let me explain why I think it's a necessary next step in our social evolution.

And before that, introductions.

Who Am I?

I am Bruce. I'm not a philosopher, a politician, a city planner, or a preacher... although at times I simulate ALL of those.

What I am, is an observer. I watch, and I calculate. I'm like a watchmaker for social reform. I analyze the machinery of society. I look at all the little gears... I find the ones which are gumming up the works... and I design smooth new replacements.

Most importantly, I'm a non-fictional, non-partisan, non-superstitious guy with a fantastic idea.

One of my friends heard about this blog I began. He started, "Wait a minute... you're a carpenter."

I responded, perhaps a little defensively, "What about it? A carpenter can't write?"

"And you're a longhair!"

"For now... and it doesn't get in the way of writing... or carpentry!" I protested.

"Not my point. And you're Jewish!"

"Lapsed-- I'd have to call myself a non-theist. What is your point?"

"Now you have a design for world peace?"

I smiled. "That is the plan, yes."

He stared at me and said, in a reverential whisper, "Dude... don't you realize you're JESUS?"

THAT surprised me. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"A longhaired Jewish carpenter preaching peace, love and joy? All you need is the toga and the twelve disciples, pal!"

I thought about that. Then I said, "Tunic."

"What?"

"Tunic. The Greeks wore togas. I'm pretty sure that Jesus and his disciples wore tunics. Besides, I get into my share of trouble, being a 'work to live' kind of a guy."

"Hey, Jesus was no saint." Then he laughed. "Okay, he was... but I mean he got into his share of trouble... look what the Romans did to him."

I shuddered. "Not for me, thanks! Besides' I'm different-- I do not preach. I'm just a writer... read it only if you want. That's my congregation... the congregation of 'whatever'."

My friend remained unconvinced. "I think you're the real deal. I saw you walk on water."

What? I thought. "WHAT?" I said.

"At the lake last winter."

I had to laugh. "It was frozen!"

He continued undeterred. "I saw you change water into wine."

I spoke slowly. "I poured water into a jerry can with grain alcohol and grape Kool-Aid! Get off it already... I ain't Jesus!"

"Well, I think you are. From now on, I'm your right hand man... your 'Pas De Deux'... your Judas Iscariot."

I laughed. "I doubt you want to betray me, or ballet dance."

He said, "Whatever."

I said, "Now THAT'S the kind of congregation I can lead!"

What Is This All About?

It's about designing a new society. Social organization has changed throughout time. Right now in the United States and elsewhere, we are grouped under the heading of Democracy. A noble idea, and one which at its core is optimistic and hopeful. Democracy is defined as a system of government run by the whole population, typically through elected representatives.

Coupled with democracy here in America, however, is another structure that, in its practice, actually destroys the democratic principle. That structure is called Capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.

Also an idea which is noble in principle, capitalism unfortunately tends to run at odds with the needs of people as biological entities. Capitalism favors those who excel at capitalism (usually only a small percentage of the whole) and puts the majority at risk.

When looking closely at the definitions of capitalism and democracy we can see the problem clearly. BOTH are in use. Running side by side, it's clear that they both have many conflicting parts. We as a nation need to run on only ONE system in order to eliminate the conflict.

Why Do We Need It?

Because our dual system is unsustainable. We know this to be true because we are watching the conflicts in both systems fight each other during our major economic meltdown, which is occurring right here and right now. So, moving on to the focus of this blog--

PERFECT WORLD THEORY

How did I come up with this plan? I just echoed everybody's desire for a world free of fear and pain. I don't think that we are all living an idyllic existence, even though we live in the 'best' conditions on Earth. There's pain and suffering, and hunger. People keep secrets from one another, and restrict each other's freedom of movement. People jail each other. They are willing to kill each other for absurdly unimportant reasons.

I know this today, and I suspected this years ago when I was a boy and watching the original Star Trek series. I was in my tweens, the Vietnam war was on everybody's mind, protesters marched the streets of every major city and each episode of Star Trek had James T. Kirk as a sort of mobile Jesus, bringing 24th century civility to worlds with societies that resembled not-so-noble parts of human history.

I remember an episode where the Enterprise visited a Roman empire which never fell, and was now a modern 20th century society... but with criminals being fed to the lions as entertainment!

Another was a world structured like the Chicago mob era, where drive-by shootings were commonplace.

There was a planet with so much overpopulation there wasn't room to lie down.

Yet another was a world in which the Nazis had won and ruled with terror and intimidation.

All of these passionate stories tugged at our decency and nudged our desire to right unspeakable wrongs.

Even as a kid, I knew what Kirk and the Enterprise trying to achieve. I lived in a small apartment in a crowded neighborhood with my parents, and my father was always grumbling about lousy conditions, selfish neighbors, our drunk landlord. At school, social studies focussed on misery by detailing war, oppression and slavery. On television the news jarred us with every horrific event on the planet.

Okay, it wasn't all bad. Sure, there were ways to get happy, and we took advantage of every opportunity to become that way. We'd have parties and picnics, go to movies and shoot off fireworks, play at the beach and engage in deep long petting sessions. Still, lurking around every corner was the next terrible condition, or one more inconsolable loss, or another opportunity for man to disappoint his brethren.

It's the human condition... isn't it? Without bad, can there be any good?

I say forget bad and good... let's concentrate on HUMAN.

Have you noticed that there are way too many laws on the books? Antique laws, ignored laws, ill-conceived laws and politically motivated laws litter the courts and turn us into a nation of criminals. Already we have more people in jail, percentage wise, than any other nation. Well, look at that... we're finally number one at something again.

These laws, many of which badly conflict, are at their best, flawed. Many times they are written down to the lowest common denominator, which is why we have to stop at every stop sign every time, whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle nearby. Having to wait for no reason, like at a red light on a desolate road at 3 am, produces frustration and a desire to violate the law-- a law which seems, at the time, like a stupid one.

I'm going to introduce big-picture (or global) thinking right now; it's my number-one tool for designing Perfect World elements. It's a pretty simple concept: Start with a single question, and like a small child, keep asking 'why' until you arrive at an indisputable truth:

Why are there guns?

To keep us safe from bad people.

Why are there bad people?

Because they want money and stuff.

Why do they want money and stuff?

Because they don't have it themselves.

Why don't they have it?

Because they didn't have opportunities like some did.

Why didn't they have opportunities?

The might have grown up poor, or had no family, or never learned how to make money.

Why did that occur?

and here's the kicker...

Because society doesn't help all of its members equally and has little ability to extricate individuals from their backwards spiral.

Really deep thinking about the root cause of problems in the world today yields the same answer over and over... current society doesn't have all the answers and so applies fixes, or patches, on the problems. Patches like guns, or cops, or jails, or the electric chair.

Would a well-designed society need such patches? Of course not, and is yet another reason to apply Perfect World Theory worldwide.

Why do we need stop signs?

So we don't kill each other at an intersection.

Why are there intersections?

To increase the number of potential paths to any given destination.

Why do we need more paths?

To accommodate lots of different people going different places at different times.

Why are so many people moving about so much?

This is an important question and deserves a larger 'Perfect World' answer. We move about so much because in our capitalistic society everyone has to work, or starve. That means there needs to be a job (and an income) for each working head-of-household. Organizational abilities have not reached the point where everyone can live next to their jobs, nor would we want to center our lives around our work... and so people move around a lot.

Lots of people means lots of jobs, which have to come from somewhere. First the obvious jobs: The primary ones, like producing food, shelter and clothing to ensure survival. There are secondary jobs, as in transportation and communication, and third level jobs, like producing entertainment. Soon all of the jobs are taken up, but there are a lot of people left-- where do they work?

We get creative with jobs, that's how. We invent needs through advertising and create industries to service those needs. We definitely need clothing, but do we need dickies and tassles and penny loafers? No. Those come with the advent of style. Most people only need a few different pairs of shoes: Work, recreation, events. But STYLE causes some people to buy HUNDREDS of pairs of shoes, throwing away those which are still practically new, but are no longer in style! There are a lot of redundant jobs created that way; craftsman making shoes that basically go right into the landfills. That's where unnecessary or redundant jobs come from.

So why are so many people moving about so much?

Because they must work, or starve.

Why must they work, or starve?

Good question! And the answer is the same as in the previous volley:

Because society doesn't help all of its members equally and has little ability to extricate individuals from their backwards spiral.

And in answering that big-picture question, we begin to think of more:

Why are we creating so many redundant jobs?

Why are we throwing away new stuff?

Why don't we care about the huge trash pile we are creating?

Why do we think we need all this stuff in the first place anyway?

And those questions lead us right back to Capitalism-- everybody working, and producing, and using, and wasting-- all in the name of acquisition.

PERFECT WORLD THEORY

At its simplest, Perfect World Theory is a social system designed to best match the world's resources to natural human desires.

Though it seems simple, it's actually pretty complicated. While the world's resources are a static, unchanging thing, human desire varies widely between nations, between cultures, between individuals. The list of individual desires, cumulatively, is vast. But a much shorter list would be the desires that all humans share, so we start with that.

Global Human Desires

Health

Safety

Shelter

Freedom

Happiness

Fulfillment

Companionship

We've done a pretty fair job providing these needs to our people. So why am I proposing a new way of running society when the current way has provisions by which every desire can be met?

My answer: The system I have envisioned is like a mag-lev bullet train floating above the tracks and hurtling smoothly towards its destination at 300 mph, whereas the system we are currently slaving under more resembles an old wooden roller coaster, chunking its way slowly to the top, only to dash to the bottom in a wildly swaying, freefall ride.
More simply stated-- smooth versus bumpy.

Our current system (here in the United States) lays down a network of laws for us to follow, in order to keep the system smooth. Get caught breaking one of those laws, and you are in for a prescribed series of punishments. While many punishments involve the trading back of property (usually money), the more severe punishments take our freedom from us for a flexibly set amount of time.

As I've mentioned before, one of our global human desires is freedom-- the freedom to be where you want, when you want. Take it away as punishment and society dies a little. Anybody who has spent a significant amount of time imprisoned knows that it is a soul-killing experience.

Misery loves company-- at the very least, this one truism is a good enough reason to abandon Capitalism for Perfect World Theory. Let's spread the love for a change.

In Conclusion

Take a look at a very brief list of improvements that Perfect World Theory will make to our current lives:

Complete health care for everyone, without paperwork.

Clean, comfortable living accommodations for everyone.

Today's vast scripture of laws are scrapped, to be replaced with a concise list of expectations.

Everyone gets a complete education, tailored to their specific natural strengths and desires.

The employment rat race ends. Most people work 10-20 hours a week, close to home.

There will be no reasonable desire that will not be received.

Punishment will disappear, to be replaced with counseling and education.

There will be no cause for crime, so it will end.

Respect is gratefully shown between all people.

War becomes a distant memory.

People each love their jobs, and will be talented at it.

Puritanism will be deflowered. Censorship is forced to watch.

Politicians and power brokers pass into oblivion.

Pollution blows away.

Competition is replaced with cooperation in all aspects of life, including sports.

Esteem issues vanish.

Divorce ends, also marriage. Now common sense dictates relationships.

Weapons are turned into tools and instruments.

No more junk products, foolish products, dangerous products, wasteful products.

Billboards go away. Advertisements become single-line notices proclaiming existence.

Religion becomes dull and uninteresting to EVERYONE.

Travel will be fast, efficient and free.

Persecution of every kind will cease.

Advancement speeds up on all fronts once unencumbered by zealous doubt.

Trust spreads widely. So does love.

Seem impossible? It sure seemed so to me, at first. But by following the guidelines presented in the coming posts, you'll come to see that it is not only possible, but sensible. Logical.

The next step in human evolution.

Fingers crossed, people!

copyright 2009 Bruce Ian Friedman