Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom, so wonderful that the whole world marveled at it. Its achievements in the arts, sciences, medicine and in caring for the welfare of its own citizens — no matter how rich or poor — as well as its ability to defend itself and its ability to help nations and peoples beyond its shores was second to none. The government that made all this possible was elected by the people, and it was thought that, because of its beneficence, it would always remain a shining example.
But then, something happened. Some of the people who had enjoyed the benefits of this government became so successful that they began to feel that they were better than the less successful and, therefore, deserved a bigger slice of the pie. They looked upon themselves as “makers” and the others as “takers.” The so-called makers schemed and lied so cleverly that their candidate was voted into power.
The successful candidate saw himself not as a champion of the people but only of those who thought themselves better than the rest. In fact, if the truth be told, he really only championed himself, since the very fact of winning put him, in his mind, above the rest. Those who refused to swear fealty to him he targeted for revenge. They included lawyers, scientists, medical researchers, caregivers and everyone who refused to kiss the ring.
As one would expect, this attitude led to the economy crashing and the end of all the good things that the beautiful kingdom had been known for. The man in charge, caring only about himself, hardly noticed until even his courtiers were gone. Life had quickly become “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Thomas Hobbes).
Frederick Longacre
Hockessin
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
