My Country Is Called Earth (8 page)

10.
The Final Word
: Peace.

Saturday, July 4, 2076

When the sun rose that morning I was just getting to sleep. I had spent the night reading Exellon’s book and trying to reconcile his opinions with my world view.

Around noon Edward came by to check on me. Together we walked over to Exellon’s cabin. As we reached his home, we noticed the door was open. We walked inside and found Exellon in bed, speaking to a person who was busy writing down his words. Edward whispered to me, “He’s giving his protocol statement. That is what people do when they feel they are near death. We read the statements at their funerals. Let’s move closer so we can hear what he is saying.”

If I had the time, I would explain how disarmament was achieved. But I wonder if I should not quit here. For with the awakening of the love in the hearts of men, the Age of Light became a foregone conclusion. As the great Gandhi said, “In the long run, no force can prevail against love and truth.”

The success of this nation—its ability to offer each citizen the opportunity to develop his potential—is testament to the wisdom of our Founding Fathers in making dignity, freedom, and justice our basic principles. America has fulfilled her destined role as model to the world.

Exellon fell asleep, so we left. At the special dinner that night one of the members gave the blessing. I was told it was called The Communion Prayer: “We thank the corn, the rice, the wheat, the beans and all the other vegetables, the watermelons, the apples in the pies, and Ferdinand, our beloved bull, for dying so that we may live. One day we will become food for the living.”

After we ate, we gathered on the grass of the softball field, where a small platform had been set up. There were several boring speeches and then Exellon was wheeled to the stage. He began:

I know you all wish I would hurry up and finish, but I have something to say, and you’re going to listen. Besides, the show can’t start until I give the signal, because I’m chairman of the fireworks committee.

Now that I have everyone’s attention, I want to make it clear that I expect the orchards to be given as much water after I’m gone as they received while I was here. I know some of you have been trying to cut the allotment. If you do, I’ll come back and haunt this place.

A voice in the crowd asked, “Where are you going, X-Man?”

“My body is returning to the earth, and my spirit is returning to the other world.”

A different voice proclaimed, “In that case, we’re going to make firewood out of your orchard.”

“You just watch out, Ollie. You and Jerry and Pat are first on my haunt list.”

Ollie responded by shouting, “Ronald Reagan!”

Edward had warned me never to mention Reagan’s name in Exellon’s presence. Upon hearing that name, Exellon’s face turned red, and he said, “That hypocrite! That murdering, lying, thieving incompetent!”

The commune members laughed.

A third voice: “Get on with it, then.”

Exellon quickly regained his composure, and he continued:

That’s what’s wrong with all you young people. You’re always in such a hurry. The New Earth wasn’t built in a day, you know.

There was a pause, as if he were rewinding a tape in his head.

We have come a long way. Three hundred years ago the ancestors of our black brothers and sisters were in chains, and women were not much better off. The Indian nations were about to be crushed under the wheels of Manifest Destiny.

In the second half of the twentieth century, America was the sole great power to survive the Second World War with her industrial base intact. America often used her wealth in those days to support brutal dictatorships in Third World nations. One President, Jimmy Carter, saw the horror of this, and he made human rights a cornerstone of his foreign policy. The Iran hostage crisis that ended his presidency was, I believe, the result of his failure to apply his human rights policy to Iran.

There is no war now. All international disputes are settled in courts, not on battlefields. Until mankind learned to stop making war, the world you live in would not have been possible.

With peace on earth, America could realize her mission: To give the world a model for a new age. A land where the rights of men and women of all cultures, lifestyles, and races are respected, where nature is loved and protected, and where a fulfilling life is available to all.

We have demonstrated that individual freedom and responsibility are the keys to creating a happy, healthy society. I can say that almost without exception, every government on earth is honest, just, and concerned with the well-being of its citizens. The principles of the Declaration of Independence are now the universal creed.

Exellon raised his left hand, and then he spread his middle and index fingers to form a peace sign. That must have been the signal, for fireworks began soaring into the night air from behind the center field fence. It was a spectacle I’ll never forget, and the last time I saw Exellon.

Sunday, July 5, 2076

At breakfast a commune member announced that Exellon had died during the night. A minute of silence was observed. He also said a ceremony would be held that evening at sunset in the orchards below Exellon’s house, where he would be buried. The commune member added with a smile, “Don’t forget to bring your axes.”

This was the day I was scheduled to see Mary, the woman I had talked with when I arrived. Mary was the leader of First Gandhi.

We met after breakfast. She explained to me how society had been transformed so that everyone could live with dignity. I have summarized her statements here:

1. Vacant buildings were opened to the homeless and the poor. The first village communes were formed.

2. A new tax structure was created to redistribute wealth. A 100% tax, called an accumulation tax, was imposed on individual net worth over $2,000,000. Income taxes were eliminated for all but the wealthy; a simple flat tax was imposed on them.

3. Natural resources were transferred to the public domain and were allocated with a concern for the rights of nature and future generations.

4. These changes were brought about gradually, not all at once, and they were fully explained to the people. No one was deprived of their personal belongings, their home, or a livelihood.

Mary told me government was seen to have three functions, government was not allowed to spend more than it took in, and government officials and politicians were subject to instant dismissal by their constituents:

1. The first function was to protect rights. The definition of rights had grown from the political and civil liberties of our time to also include the right of all species to live in peace, the right of future generations to inherit a healthy planet, and the right of all men and women to share in the wealth of the earth. The protection of rights was the duty of local governments. State and federal governments were next in the chain of responsibility. Ultimate responsibility rested with the United Nations.

2. The second function was to provide services when a monopoly was the most practical way of getting things done (mail delivery, energy, and telecommunications were examples), and in the few other areas government should be involved in: public safety, libraries, parks, and the maintenance of the infrastructure. To avoid the inefficiency of government-run enterprises in the twentieth century, civil service was abolished.

3. The third purpose of government was to direct the execution of the remaining public services. This was primarily the duty of local governments. For example, fire fighting, education, and sanitation were handled by associations that were required to submit bids to the local government in order to win their contracts. These associations were either villages or partnerships. Parents were permitted to choose which school their child would attend. A popular school opened branches; unpopular schools went out of business.

4. A local government’s funding came from those receiving or benefitting from its services. State, federal, and UN governments depended upon local governments for most of their revenues; they also received income from the sale or lease of natural resources. Constitutions at every level prohibited governments from passing debts onto succeeding generations.

5. Government officials and politicians were subject to instant dismissal by a majority vote of their constituents. Elected public servants needed a two-thirds vote to be returned to office for a second term. In 2076 it was easy for good public servants to get a two-thirds vote, because there was little partisanship in politics.

Mary said, “Public office is considered an honor, not an opportunity to feed at the public trough. No one is permitted to enrich himself, his family, or his friends directly or indirectly. Anyone who profits from the misuse of public office is deprived of any wealth gained and also has to face criminal penalties. These laws are strictly enforced.”

I said, “In the twentieth century we mostly elected lawyers to state and national offices.”

She said, “No wonder you have so many laws. Allowing lawyers to write laws is like letting the fox watch the hen house. We have decentralized government, so our most important decisions are made at the local level, by ordinary citizens who don’t speak legalese. As a result, our state and national legislators have very little to do.”

I asked, “Where does government in 2076 draw the line between protecting rights and interfering in individual lives?”

Mary replied, “What people do to themselves is not the concern of government. When their actions affect others then government gets involved. But I see what you mean—everything we do affects somebody or something. By walking across this grass I may crush an ant. Every time we eat, we are killing something. We realize that for life to go on, there must be death. What we do is we try to eliminate any unnecessary interference in the lives of others. We understand that each species has the right to survive and prosper.”

“What about crime: Do people still lock their doors? Is it safe to walk the streets at night?”

“I think I can best answer your questions by saying that men have changed in fundamental ways. Due to this change, many of your difficulties have either disappeared or declined to a level where we can manage them. The New Age did not arrive through the passage of more laws, by the hiring of more police, or by the building of more prisons. We achieved the harmony and the peace the world now enjoys by reducing the number of laws and the power of government institutions and by changing inside: We looked within our hearts and found the good in ourselves and others.

“People today respect the rights of others, including the right to be different. We are taught this from an early age. I know that the people in your time do not believe a non-coercive society is possible. They cannot imagine men acting graciously toward each other without fear of punishment motivating them. But in our day people want to be responsible citizens.”

A commune member, apologizing for the interruption, entered the room and asked Mary if she would mediate a dispute. I told her I would return the next day.

Monday, July 6, 2076

On the ninth day Mary took me on a tour. The commune was laid out so that the dining hall/meeting room, the school, the library, the recreation area, and the small health clinic formed the nucleus. Most of the residences were located around this hub. Individuals who preferred more privacy lived in the homes scattered throughout the nearby hills. The commune grew most of the food it consumed, generated its own electricity, and had its own carpenters, mechanics, teachers, and cooks.

I asked Mary if the commune members were happy in their work. Didn’t some of them have better jobs than others? Weren’t some members envious of others because of the jobs they had?

She said the popular jobs were rotated; no one got stuck doing unpleasant work. During harvests everyone pitched in. Mary said that people whose jobs required them to be indoors welcomed the opportunity to do physical labor, for it was widely recognized that working in nature brought man in touch with himself and reminded him of his connection with the earth.

I mentioned to Mary that it appeared from what I had seen that there were no lazy, uncooperative people in 2076. Mary said that was not true—there were people who did not want to work or who did not get along with others. Those people were usually ostracized. They ended up moving to other villages, or trying to make it on their own. When they left the village they surrendered the security of the home, the medical care, and the other support the village provided. Government maintained no safety net in 2076: no unemployment insurance, welfare, Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security systems.

I asked Mary why government had abandoned the role of helping the unemployed, the poor, the sick, and the old. She answered, “In your time governments are doing, or attempting to do, what families and communities should be doing. The world has returned to the old standard that saw the family and the community as the focus of life. Society is structured so that there are no extreme contrasts in wealth and so that it is not easy for men to harm nature or each other.”

In the afternoon we visited the areas where the animals lived. I was happy to see that no animals were kept in cages or pens. While on the subject of animals, I remarked that I was horrified by the cruel experiments performed on animals in my day. Mary said experimentation on animals had been outlawed. She reminded me of what Jesus had said, “Whatsoever you do unto the least of my brethren, you do unto me.”

I was impressed with the affection the members displayed toward the livestock. Noticing a member calling one of the pigs by name, I asked him if he ever became attached to an animal and was unable to kill it.