May, 2037
Days were getting longer and Summer was rapidly approaching. This would be the last school day before break. Starting tomorrow his students would be helping with various projects, from farms to construction, to various scientific endeavors.
Recovery had been slow for the first few years after the Great Darkness ended, Now, the town was buzzing with activity. While there were many small projects in the works, the townspeople had gotten together and agreed on a couple of large scale initiatives which would be beneficial for all. One of them involved repurposing old internal combustion engines and putting them together with electric motors to generate electricity. Not for the town just yet. New infrastructure was needed. Teacher’s knowledge of mechanics and engineering helped. He was working with a team of men with the goal of distilling alcohol to use as fuel. There were no gas stations anymore. All the refineries had been destroyed, along with much of the highway network. But that was being remedied bit by bit, and one day these things would be rebuilt. A couple of enterprising men had found a ham radio set and restored it to working condition. Once a month they would fire it up and exchange news with other operators. If the reports were true big things were on the horizon.
Teacher was on the edge of that change, believing that education of the town’s young would give them a head start when directing the course of this new world. His students would soon be leaders, and he was pleased with their progress. But there was one final lesson to deliver.
October 16, 2012 Past
It was three weeks before the election and polls were still too close to call. Charles was ahead in the majority of states of his own party, and more or less even in those held by the other one. Over the last few weeks of the campaign his message had been taking hold among voters and he had made genuine gains in the most contested states. States necessary for him to get the electoral votes needed to win.
He was in Birmingham, Alabama enjoying the accolades of an overflow crowd. After speaking on his tax plan, he opened up for questions. The first came from a known operative of the other party.
“A number of economists have criticized your tax plan, saying it will result in a net loss of income for the government, and increase the current deficits. What do you say?”
Charles had a ready reply: “Really? They don’t think that if people take home more money they’re not going to be better off? Your sources are wrong. First of all, the plan I propose has already been demonstrated to be viable. About $20 million has been spent researching it and its positive effect on the economy. Not to mention that this legislation, if passed, would be the greatest transfer of power from government to the people in history. Second, remember that last year was record breaking in terms of government revenue. Yet we still have huge deficits! The issue at hand is not revenue! It’s spending! Any tax plan, no matter how effective will be of no use if the largesse of federal programs are not curtailed. That’s why mine involves both elements and both must be put in play to engender true change.”
Many of those present said Charles was at his best on that day. Not all, however.
On this day a man, who has never been identified, slipped past security and quietly retrieved a weapon that had been hidden just for him. Throughout the question and answer period he had been working his way closer to the front. When Charles had answered the last question and returned to the stage, he saw his chance. He made a silent prayer to his god, pulled out the gun and started shooting.
May, 2037
With that the teacher stopped and tears came into his eyes. He couldn’t breathe. His heart felt like it would explode in his chest. For a few moments he was speechless, and the class was quiet.
Finally one stirred, “What happened after that?” She asked quietly.
Just then the bell sounded. School was out for the summer, but no one moved.
“If you will allow me one final lesson before I tell you the end of the story, and let you free. You will not need this information until far into the future, but I know you have long memories, and at the appropriate time, you will make good use of it.
“First, a question. What is evil?”
His charges looked at each other. Maybe this was a trick question. Then they turned as a student in the back stood. His name was Ethan and he was the youngest in the class. He had already read every book in town. He never forgot anything.
“Evil:” he said, “Adverb. Morally reprehensible, sinful, wicked. An evil impulse. Arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct.”
“Thank you, Ethan,” said Teacher. “That is the dictionary definition, but I am going to give you another, a practical definition. In order to do so, I must present another question. Which is stronger? Good, or evil? Or are they the same?” The class remained silent. Teacher did not wait long.
“This is primarily a rhetorical question, and therefore I didn’t expect a ready answer. Good is much stronger than evil. How do I know this? Because evil people always have to force their will on others physically. It is not just evil individuals who will do this, an entity can do the same thing. I will expand that to say, any entity that attempts to force their will on you physically is evil, or ultimately comes to evil.
“And what does that have to do with government? It’s the fact that governments are formed by agreements between groups of people, or by force. But the cold hard reality is that governments do not and cannot pay for themselves. That’s why they only survive by taxing the general populace. Over time governmental officials develop a worldview based on some idea of self importance. They must do this to justify their own continued existence. You should know that in the history of the world no government has ever been able to resist the urge to magnify its own importance and cause harm to the very class that authorized its power in the first place.
This is why every government, no matter how good and praiseworthy its original adherents were, tends to evil, and all have demonstrably failed. The future day will come when you will have to decide the type of government to have for you and your children.
It is always wise to put safeguards in place that guarantee your protection from government. Not to mention other protections to ensure government accountability and transparency. May this quote come to mind when that day comes: “The constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”
“Please, remember this always.”
And then Teacher, bowed his head. “You want to know the end result of that awful day? Charles was hit three times, his campaign manager was wounded in the shoulder and hip. A security guard, who jumped between the gunman and Charles, was killed. The gunman himself was shot by security. Charles didn’t make it. The first shot severed his aorta, and he bled out in seconds.”
“What happened with the election?”
“The President declared a state of emergency and cancelled the election. A few weeks later he declared himself to be the winner and told the country he would rule for another four years. This didn’t set well with the populace and they organized a protest. Some 5 million people descended on Washington. Things went bad and for the first time since the Civil War, American forces were ordered to fire on their fellow citizens. Insurrection broke out. Martial law was declared. Three weeks later that which we are forbidden to discuss began. And now you know a little of the last days of our history. It appears that a kind of madness overtook those of a certain party. They were incapable of rational thought, and evil, for the moment, triumphed.”
Curious, one of his other students asked. “How is it that you know so much about these events?”
Teacher stared at her for a few moments, tears still in his eyes. “Because I… I was his campaign manager.”
With that his students rose, gathered around him to show their sympathy and support. After a long moment his students filed out, shouting their thanks and goodbyes as they went.
Teacher was now alone. He cleaned off the blackboard, gathered his few things and exited, limping slowly up the hill to his home.
