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Next: What are You to Up: The World Solution for Previous: Story One

Story Two

Mr. Adeevee, very much at ease, strolled along the path around the cubicle that bulged only slightly in the landscape. Nowadays, the building as jolly game, or as experiment with materials, was no longer admitted. No ... ! Buildings had to be earthquake- and hurricane- proof, had to have the minimum of energy waste with the maximum of (usable) volume, had to be no burden on the environment, no high obstacles for the climate, but co-operative with climate and environment (91). Long since, therefore, the type of half-sphere had been decided upon, although a full sphere was still to be found here and there. Naturally, nature was encouraged to 'grow' on top of the buildings that were, logically, very large. The surface-to- volume ratio becoming more efficient with size. The cubicle for world-government then, was the smallest to be found, yet linked up to the rest of the university buildings by tunnels, and, for nice days, by outdoor footpaths. Mr. Adeevee, therefore could see the huge mounts of the buildings further on, beset with low bushes and grassy parks, where birds lived and occasionally a rabbit, squirrel or ferret. Adeevee was called among his friends, laughingly, as 'Andive', people liked to take their names from their world-citizen number, (birth registration was not by names but by number, to which the parents numbers were added when necessary) and it was sport to make jokes with them. His number was A1D V2E E3B so that a clever calculator could guess what date in the future it was (taking into account that the switch-over to a decent and easy 16 digit system of counting and calculating was already long past). Adee, or Adeevee, or Andive, had time enough, and therefore, when he encountered a growth inspector for buildings, he stopped to make a chat. It was usual that at least once in the three or four years, the growth on the buildings were inspected and all little saplings that promised to become trees, were then carefully dug out, and replanted elsewhere. They then, could not endanger themselves and the building by rooting in too shallow a layer of soil. Planting was almost everybody's pass time nowadays, i.e. for people that had not many other leisure- time hobbies. The inspector therefore was doing it for fun, he had naturally done his citizen's duty of three months work. Yea, the inspector agreed, this 'really' was life worth living. He studied and bred frogs in the evenings or on the rainy days. Besides, he was interested in the classical historians. He even had traveled on foot (no sense in traveling fast, when one could do his obligatory work period anywhere, and had his right for one square meal a day as every world-citizen had) to where these historians themselves had traveled, only, as he mentioned, he had found a lush green country as Mediterranean, whereas the historians like Herodotus and Xenophon had only known semi-deserts. "Aren't you forgetting this one?" said Adeevee, pointing to a woody looking sapling. "That, sir, is a wild rose. It can easily survive here and does no harm. Besides, we are rather short of space for new plantings at the moment." "Of course, your are right. But do you know that that small tree over there was dead last spring? That would provide a new place." "It is all in the notes sir. You know that dead trees have to be left alone for at least three years, and only then, is it allowed to dig them out and put them somewhere in the undergrowth. Are you very busy in governing at the moment sir? I could use a hand with that funny little beech there. It needs quite a lump of soil being taken with it." "Certainly I will help you. The next 'session' is after dark, tonight, and I have prepared for that already, just you wait a second for my putting on an old suit." When he returned and after they had been happily at work for some time, he asked: "What is it you do when not inspecting growth?" "Oh, inspecting is only one of the many hobbies. I also am a member of a little group of enthusiasts, investigating the life of frogs, but my main occupation is always history." "Any specializations?" "Well,you know how it is. You study a lot of Thucydides and Herodotus and then you start wondering, ... wondering about the ideational control, in resistance against the most serious infections like the plague. But you know, it is a specialization in ideation theory, in Nousology in fact, and so much has been found out since ... We learn perfect strategies and practices for staying healthy and happy in primary school nowadays. It is only too true, that nobody be allowed near children, who has not extensive knowledge of Idealogy. But, I actually was in Olympia, where they hold the world-games every four years. These absurd people, the old people, ... holding Olympian games all over the world, Tokio, Rome, even a place called Amsterdam. How silly! I was there, and I soon fell in with a group of perhaps, 300 people who were building a new Acropolis. Almost professional stone masons they were, and exempt from the duty work by governmental decree. Ah, you would know about that, it is all in your computer. They were making an admirable piece of work, the stone and marble no longer being corroded by a hostile atmosphere though. I was even able to explain to them the symbolism of the Swastica, as a 10,000 year old symbol of the heliolithic culture. These Nazis only borrowed it for the time being. In general, I became more and more involved in history from the point of view of wars, strategy, so-called statesmanship, power and the like." "Then you must be very well read in our father of mondial organization?" "Oh yes. Wells cannot be missed even when only his 'History' is taken into account. But I have contrasted his writings (novels) of say, 1914 with those of 1918 and then 1931. One can easily see a development in his idea content and structure." "Oh, we have learned about him of course on our steam preparation for governorship." "Funny, is it not, in those dark ages of wars and wars, when there was secrecy about everything, governing in particular. Now, we can discuss precisely what we like, you being governor not withstanding. We can tune in and follow all that happens in governing. What was the subject again? Was it not that island in which they wanted to kill all rabbits?" "Yes, that's what it is all about. I am not in favour of any killing at all. Things will turn out admirably when you leave nature alone, we all learn this as kids in the school." "And right you are sir. Nature knows far more about keeping balances than we can dream of. My god, the old people must have been quite a lot of genuine bastards. Com- pletely devoid of human dignity. All this needless killing of animals for the pleasure of shooting, the dumping of living animals in boiling water, the exploitation of their own kiddies. Happiness stands or falls with absolute dignity. And dignity is: giving all due rights, except for the natural need of the belly. What do the boffins say about the subject?" "Most of them come to the same conclusion. There is very little harm if we do nothing, and very much when we do. These patches of heather that will be extinguished appear to be not even so special qua genus. There have been found plenty more places on Earth were it flourishes abundantly. The proposal was apparently from some crank, suffering from local blindness." In the evening, at the appointed hour, Adeevee, entered his cubicle and set down behind the desk. A red light flashed on and off, indicating that he had forgotten to shut his door. This was always necessary because, in the rare cases of a decision to vote, all the locks, on all the thousand cubicles over the globe, would be locked electronically, not to be opened until the complete decision was made. The computer therefore counted you as present when your door was shut. Adeevee, shut his door and the counter just over the time display, should now jump one number further, but, seeing the time was so near, there were plenty of others coming in so that the display could not be read. It stopped for a split second at 873 and then went wild again. There you are, 995 was the stop now, still five short therefore. Still three minutes to go. It seldom happened that one of the thousand governors did not attend in time. Absence by illness was not known, and accidents very few in that new world (92). In his surroundings then, on absence, a tremendous noise of sirens would set off, a sound hardly ever to be heard at all normally, in this rational, relaxed, happy world. Yes, one minute to go, and the number is complete ... thousand. Adeevee, settled at ease in his chair, while the notice board announced: 'choose your number please'. Adeevee, reached over to the keyboard and typed in 4. That was the number of saplings the inspector had to remove to safer soil that day. The counting display almost seemed to buzz with the efforts to keep up the thousand different numbers typed in all over the globe. Adeevee, knew that the computer would subtract all 1000's from the total so that a number remained that was a governor, the chairman of this session. Out came the result and it was 68, Adeevee's own government number, the number of his station too, etc. Adeevee, acknowledged with the button, and hastily tried to adjust himself to the idea that he now, was responsible for the organization of the session. Yes, he even was the only one able to decide to a voting. He pressed the button 'speech' (on the outcome of the chair number, that particular cubicle was switched on to speech to all other centers) and said: "We all know by now what is the matter in hand. I suppose there will be not many of us to decide in favour of 'change'. I suggest that one who is, will take the word." Another counting display showed 4. There were four people who wanted entrance into the speaking system. Number 391 flickered, and he was heard over the speaker. "I say, I was in favour last session, but too hasty, apparently. I changed my mind, there is clearly no occasion to go and destroy these animals at all. I was advised that nothing serious can happen if we do nothing. For my part, we can vote now, and be done with." His flickering went out and number 45 started. In the same moment, the number on 'waiting' was reduced by one. "Thank you number 391, go on number 45." said Adeevee. "Look, I was advised by a psychologist of some sort that we, governors rapidly acquire a tendency to decide always in a 'no change' manner, it is far easier that way. But what are we supposed to decide anyway if we always decide in letting things as they are? We are governors aren't we, we are supposed to control, not to leave things alone!" At that moment, the counter for speech, started racing like mad, and ended up on 807. "Now," said Adeevee?"this clearly is a protest against you, 45. We cannot possible hope to give this number of you lot speaking time. It seems far more logical to vote at once, let's simply see how the cards are on the table. We might end this business soon that way. Is there anyone among you 807 speakers who wants to make use of the number 10 priority?" (93) The screen remained empty except for a 45. "Right then," said Adeevee?"we will vote 'now'," while pressing a button marked 'no', his voting knob. Immediately he could hear the automatic lock on his door click. On his screen appeared the notation: 'for' and 'against'. It was clear that the against was active, it counted 896, while the for's were only 3. "You see?" said Adeevee?"amply enough for not taking any action." (For taking action, a change in the natural order of things, unanimity was needed, i.e. 999 votes. For not taking action, 750 votes were enough). At the same time, he could hear his door being unlocked, a decision was made. "You, dissenters, are free to think things over again, search for advice, and when it should turn out to be serious, we could always bring the question in again. Next on the agenda as I see it is the question about this line from Moskow to Peking. The works have been stopped in waiting for a decision about whether to tunnel that lake, or to make a dam across it (94). It is quite recent though, and most of us will have had no time to investigate. There is no time pressure, (as usual), so let's postpone it for the time being." It was then that the speaking counter jumped to 2, and then back to 1, while the governing number 18 flashed up. "Go ahead number 18." "I am in favour of such a dam, with a tunnel on top naturally, since we always have these transport-lines in tunnels, would it not be best to do the same here? We could make the dam wide enough for the planting of ample vegetation. But should we not provide concrete tubes in it for the natural fish trekking and the evening-out of the water level? The eastern part of the lake, as I am told, is favoured by the fish for breeding. We don't want to make two lakes out of one surely?" "Right number 18, let's take a week off. In the mean time, the nearest of us might go and take a look. Who is nearest anyway, number 60 or 830?" Number 830 came in and said?"we have some specialized boffins in this sort of technology over here, I can take them along." "Right, I hereby set the next session for 10 days from now, but not at this ungodly hour for me, let's make it noon in this place, i.e. 8. 6. 6. world time (95)."
next up previous
Next: What are You to Up: The World Solution for Previous: Story One
Ven 2007-09-11