Social Conundrums, Part X
By Renee Hughes
Dave's eyes, however, continued glancing expectantly at me. He wasn't the only one nearly everybody in the room quieted down eager to hear the committee chairperson's decision.
"If both sides create arguments that influence the public to vote down the recommendation, then what happens next?" I asked everyone. Silence greeting my question.
"That is the problem with this course of action. We will end up right back here," I said pounding the table for emphasis. "I am not a fan of this Third Way but maybe it really is the best way forward," I said. "Perhaps Mediator Kim is right that getting a little of what we want is better than having none of it."
Shaking my head I stood. "I need some air," I said suddenly weary of it all. A burning desire to shed this form for something else coursing in my veins. I then quickly stood calling for a recess leaving the room before anyone could engage me further in conversation.
Outside the room, the sun's rays lit up the vibrant green landscape. The committee room, a testimony to our 21st century ancestors stood out starkly in this place. My body yearned to shed this form and join the other energy signatures abounding here. Little Dragons were everywhere in the grass, trees, water, animals and even sunlight. Slowly I reached up to feel the warm rays allowing my physical form to melt away until I became a simple sunbeam. A peaceful tranquil state. No one required anything of it other than to exist that is what I needed right now.
I felt the power of light filling up every orifice of my being as I delivered it to the plants and animals. All creatures eager to soak up gratefully what I offered. I thought of Little Dragons who didn't do this for a season or even a decade but spent centuries as an element of nature. That never appealed to me instead I had chosen historical anthropology, experiencing joy studying the period when our ancestors were on the verge of greatness. I found an unparalleled thrill in reliving through our ancestors those first few moments when everything was new untested so unlike today when we know how it all turned out.
Ironically, the whole planet project allowed me the opportunity to go beyond just studying the fears of our 21st century ancestors. For the first time I not only understood, but I was experiencing a little bit of what they felt. No one knew if the social code would make any difference to these new inhabitants at all. We could all be wasting our time. This part of our lives hadn't yet been written.
I found myself wondering what would they have done? My imagination temporarily placing me on the planet as an ancestor. An image of some of the greatest people of the 21st century sprung to mind. I saw them in my mind's eye standing around me in a circle, and I was at the center. The one thing they had in common is that they wanted a better world than the one they were born into. They wanted my world, which is why they fought so hard, and we are basking in their fruits.
Now I was fighting for others to give them not only what my 21st century ancestors gave me I suddenly realized but all our human ancestors from every century, even the enlightened ones. The question I had to answer and there was no way around it was, did the Third Way honor what they have done for us.
Mediator Kim's recommendation attempted to blend the unique ideas of a varied people. It could be argued that it was similar to how our ancestors fought so all the ideas of every human would be honored. My idea alone represented just me but Kim's recommendation took into account everyone. The new inhabitants would also have to struggle against allowing only one idea to take over instead of respecting the ideas of everyone.
I reclaimed my human form my decision made. It was time to tell the others that I would be wholeheartedly backing Mediator Kim's Third Way.
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