Social Conundrums, Part III

 By Renee Hughes

"But is that result worth it?" Gershom stressed. "A mediator, a third party, will in actuality create this new code not our committee."

H​e was exaggerating a little. "The ideas the mediator uses will come from us. He, she or they won't be doing individual research on their own," I reasoned.

G​ershom gave an angry shake of his dragon head. "No, but the end result will be in the mediator's hands not our committees." I didn't argue with him but I also didn't relent.

"​Well, I can see that you have no problem with this course of action," he said. "I will leave you so you can discuss the situation with Ezekiel." I watched as he stretched out his wings and flew away leaving the garden.

H​is curt dismissal stung but it didn't change my mind. I flew off in the opposite direction leaving the golden filaments and the soothing songs. I emerged in the depths of space. Ezekiel's current resting place existed in the heavens. My eyes scanned the darkness for energy patterns. Every Little Dragon had a distinct one because we can become anyone or anything so it is important to have some way of identifying each other. Ezekiel's wave pattern consisted of strong constant fluctuations. I also knew for the last century he tended to enjoy being a small celestial body such as a star.

I found him amid a group of Little Dragons, who were also resting as burning balls of plasma. I sensed his awareness of me as I flew towards him. Our ancestors of old used to write poems that spoke of the divinity of these celestial bodies. There is something amazing about being able to generate an internal light source inside of yourself. A unique way to understand your being because the light of a star hides nothing.

I hovered near him. The burning ball morphed into a glittering dragon form no larger than my own. Our golden eyes could stare right into each other. "Hello Anne," he said. I gave his greeting a nod of acknowledgment. "How are you doing?" he asked and I saw concern in his liquid eyes. It made me hesitate. He already knew the social code committee lagged behind all the others. Asking for a mediator meant I had failed as committee leader. It hurt more than a little to admit my short comings but getting the job done had to be more important than my pride.

"​My committee is having trouble and without mediation I fear we won't be able to submit a social code for the planet project," I admitted.

​Ezekiel nodded his head. "I feared you were having trouble. It is unfortunate that Gershom has managed to get enough supporters so that you are essentially split down the middle on your decisions."

A wave of humiliation dimmed my scales. "Yes, I guess it is," I managed to say knowing that the imbalance was primarily my fault. I respected Gershom because he truly is an expert in his field, so I allowed him to select several committee members. I believed that although we would argue and have different opinions that all of us could still come to some form of consensus. A naive conclusion on my part.

"​I will have a mediator there at your next meeting," he promised. I thanked him and flew away hoping that this step would bring the progress we needed.

That ends Social Conundrums, Part III. Next month is Social Conundrums, Part IV. Learn more about the Little Dragons by reading the earlier blog post series titled Humanity's Evolution.

If you have enjoyed it so far, please consider giving a donation of time or money to your favorite charity. A few worthwhile local organizations are Safe Futures, Inc., Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut and Thames Valley Council for Community Action. Together we can make a difference!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Humanity's Evolution, Part I

The grass felt smooth and wet beneath my bare toes. The sunlight's warmth tingled on my face. I even sat down in the wet grass to enjoy the sensation of dew soaking into my clothes. A contented sigh escaped my lips. I sat in my favorite park a perfect place for my lecture. It held a wide expanse of grassy land dotted with tall towering trees. A small bird with beautiful crimson feathers alighted next to me. It's beaded eyes looked directly into my own. I smiled at it. The bird melted away and was replaced by a tall man stretched out languorously on the grass. "Hello Michael," I said. "You could have stayed a bird." He didn't answer until he wiggled his body on the grass savoring the wetness like me. Then he turned towards me and gave a firm negative shake of his head."  Crimson-backed  tanagers don't talk. Remember, I am a purist," he said. I nodded my head.  It was  an old argument. Michael believed that when he transformed into a physical
Read more

Humanity's Evolution, Part II

By Renee Hughes The wind picked up and the sunlight increased. I felt the swirling changeable nature of energy, the Little Dragons had arrived. I turned to Michael. "How will you watch my lecture?" I asked him eyebrows raised. "I am a purist remember," He said. "I will stay in this form." I nodded pleased with his decision. We both stood staring as a moving vortex of vivid colors woven together with rays of pure light grew in the sky. I waited for our brethren to descend from the heavens. I had modified my spiritualistic nature for this lecture. As long as the Little Dragons assumed some type of human form, I would be satisfied. Only a few hundred complied. That was disappointing. Most of them remained in the sky. "Please," I called out to the vortex. "The Planet Project could be a monumental achievement for our race or the biggest mistake of our existence. I need you to join me here!" The air shifted and a very tall man appeared
Read more

Social Conundrums, Part XIV

B​y Renee Hughes G​ ershom Hannah didn't live up to her word. S​even days were gone and other than our earlier conversation nothing more was said about Res publica . I still saw Hannah almost on a daily basis along with the rest of my supporters. Our protests against Mediator Kim's Third Way were garnering attention from the Little Dragon community at large. More than once I tried to catch a moment alone with her, but she was deliberately avoiding me. I was beginning to wonder if she had promised me too much seven days ago. I​f that were true, then the whole enterprise would fail. It didn't matter how many arguments we presented because Anne and her entourage were refuting them all. We might as well be back in the committee room arguing the same old points only this time we had a bigger audience. I didn't get any impression that the Little Dragons really cared enough to do anything more than just listen. A large public outcry is what we sought, and we weren'
Read more