Collateral Damage

I woke up to an announcement on my display this morning. Let me tell you about my apartment first though. I have three rooms, a bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen. In my living room there is my beautiful 40” display which is where I get caught up on the latest happenings in the country or listen to music on AirMusic, which the Ministry decided to begin providing to everyone last year. Like all apartments there are hidden speakers throughout so that we can listen to music in any of our rooms. Our display is also how we access the intranet, which may take some explaining.

The intranet is the service that the Committee of Public Learning set up so that we have a public space within our country’s borders online. There is a connection to the rest of the world, but it is a service that a person needs to purchase with their extra credits. The Intranet is generally sufficient though and only the exporters and importers in our economy will actually pay for access to the outside, which is actually a fairly dangerous place. Those on the outside don’t have the Societal Norms that we practice and it can inspire violence and aggression, which brings me back to the announcement I received this morning.

A group of terrorists only known as the Masked Consortium somehow built bombs and destroyed one of our water treatment plants. The story goes that they filled a small truck with these explosives and drove into the water heating tower, which provides hot water to the citizens of the town that it is in, and the bomb went off. It completely collapsed the tower and destroyed parts of the No. 6 treatment plant nearby. Thankfully only the men in the vehicle were killed, although it is suspected that they never intended to let the bomb kill them and it is a terrible thing that people have died today, but that is why the Ministry doesn’t condone the use of explosives.

The collateral damage caused by this act of hatred is one that strikes fear in the heart of the North’s society. Also, the announcement mentioned that water would need to be pumped from the other neighboring cities to the citizens of Heig, the city affected, until the tower could be reconstructed and the water lines repaired. The timeline mentioned was of course only a week or so, but it must be terrible to be in that city at this time.

As a public educator I am expected to show support, and of course I did, only the most sociopathic citizens would need to feign sympathy for our fellow citizenry. What makes the North strong is our collective support for one another. When one person in society is hurt all of his comrades, out of natural concern and care, rush to help him or her. These are things the Masked Consortium wouldn’t understand.

After a quick breakfast I left my apartment so that I could head to my first lecture of the day. It has been days since my last lecture because most of my lectures from previous years have been recorded and students can access these from their home displays. That doesn’t mean I am not kept busy because I still have to look at their papers and answer questions, which translates into more actual hours of work, but time spent well nonetheless. Today, however, I scheduled an in-person lecture so that we could take time out of our day to discuss the events of the morning. When I made my way to the office I found an email from the Committee reading :

Jack Liedmann,

We know it was a shock to wake up to the events of this morning, but we would like to use every avenue to show the public that the Ministry is working to bring swift justice to those perpetrating rebellion against what we all have agreed to as societal normality. Therefore, if you wouldn’t mind using a small portion of your lecture for this morning as a reassurance, the Committee believes it will help to strengthen the solidarity in our response to the terrorists.

In addition, there will be a “Call to Unity” tonight at Unity Auditorium tonight at 1900. If you wouldn’t mind preparing a short speech, we at the Committee would appreciate it.

Andria Terrace

Committee Chairwoman

It was a nice note and a good reminder that the Committee is essential to the strength of our societal fabric. In fact, it reminds me of the old days when there were the dissenters, those who opposed the unification and creation of a singular nation. Of course we still hold the old boundaries of Minnesota, and much of the culture, but through the efforts of the Committee and the leadership of the Ministry, we have formed what the former United States claimed to form, “a more perfect union”. We are a completely unified people in thought and action. I am not embarrassed to admit that I wake up refreshed and alive because of the security of being a part of such a great experiment such as that which we have formed in the North.

My lecture hall was full. I scheduled a lecture in the Socrates Hall, which was named for its Greek-style design. The hall is, like the rest of the school, made from stone, but it is all unadorned stone, very simple. The stone seating has one exception to the undressed nature of the room, they all have fairly stiff cushions so that the students won’t be uncomfortable. It is also the only lecture hall without a smart projector, which means the students have to take notes for themselves. Today, of course, I didn’t have them take any notes.

When I walked in, there was a low murmur, I remember it well because the room was a mix of 20-somethings all in hushed tones talking about the bombing. I remember forcing a smile too, something I don’t often need to do, but they all looked so fear-stricken. It is a reaction that I didn’t expect. I mean, sure, it was a rather fearful event, maybe even terrifying for a moment or two, but to think that it could really do any serious damage to our nation? Even now, after some thought, I wonder if the youth of today aren’t a little too attached to the things that they possess, insubstantial objects. They seem so focused on the objects and not life itself, which is one of the end-goals of our great social experiment, to help us realize that the goods and services are not things to be in want of, but rather things that may help us achieve more social unity and more fulfillment of life. Objects are not the achievement, they are the simply the structure that helps us measure that which we have achieved. So perhaps that is what motivated the lecture I gave.

Me (the introduction to my lecture): Good morning! I called this lecture not to present you with new material for study, but rather simply to answer any questions you might have and to open up a discussion with each of you so that you can put your concerns out in the open. But before we begin our discussion I would like to say a few things.

They all had quieted and now I remember still seeing fear in their eyes. I sometimes wonder if I lack that certain sort of presence that Chairwoman Terrace possesses. She rarely has to say anything to quiet fear and concern.

Me: I know the attack this morning gives each of us great pause, and yes, it is terrifying when we look at it as a momentous event, but try, if you will, to see it in the grander scheme. This was an act by terrorists who wish to dismantle our very societal norm, but what they don’t understand is that we do not rely solely upon the physical structures that we surround ourselves with. As was demonstrated by the Ministry reaction to the attack, the community that was harmed in the attack was almost immediately compensated by the surrounding communities. The social will triumphed easily over the powers that tried to challenge it. It was the individuals involved, let’s not give too much credit to the Ministry because, of course, without the people involved in our unified society each member’s pain would be theirs to bear alone, but when we are all unified the pain can be lessened greatly, even completely extinguished and prevented. So let us consider these things in our discussion. We are a great society with a unified strength of will that can overcome any trial facing us.

I don’t remember any of the students’ actual words, but the discussion was much calmer than I had expected. I would like to think it was because of my words concerning the subject, but perhaps not, perhaps their will-power was truly stronger than I had assumed. Many of the students mentioned visiting the Ministry to volunteer to help with the rebuilding of the water heating plant and treatment center. I thought it was a brilliant idea and offered to make a few calls to see if I could arrange a meeting for them. Their will was great, very great.

After my lecture I received a notification that my friend Aele, was waiting for me in my office. Not a surprise because he said that he would be tested today on the manual. It is one of the few tests prescribed by the Ministry that was a pass/fail test. They usually had a chance to judge a person’s aptitude by how they perform throughout life, therefore eliminating testing, but since Aele was new to our national identity, and so the Ministry really had nothing to base his placement on.

He was sitting in one of the arm-chairs at the center of my office. My desk was along a wall, so there was nothing between me and my guests. I had requested it be arranged that way so that there is no threat of authority. The Committee liked my idea enough that they made it an option for future Committee lecturers. As I entered the room, Aele rose and gave me an unexpected hug.

Aele: It’s good to see you! I just finished the test and passed. But it wasn’t just a pass! The administrator of the test told me that I would need to wait a few days because I scored well enough to be considered for a few other jobs. One would be in the Ministry itself! I have to say that it is a hell of a lot easier to find good employment here than in the South. You know what I did there? I worked a farm. A farm! And now I’m being considered for an administrative position in the Ministry!

Me: Wow! That’s really great news Aele! But I don’t really understand. They don’t just make you an administrator. You have to be voted in by your peers. You have to follow the rules of Societal Transition.

Aele: Well, they were all very grim and didn’t talk much, so I don’t know exactly what they are thinking here, but I know for sure that the lady watching me take the test did say the word administrative. Oh and are you going to that “uniform” meeting tonight?

Me: It’s the Call to Unity, and yes. We should all go. It is sort of a vigil for the community that was attacked.

Aele: Oh yeah, I guess so. Do we dress up or something? Will there be food?

Me (and yes, I chuckled): Yes Aele, there will be food, and no, wear whatever you like.

This is another thing that is a little different from the other nations in North America, in the North we don’t exactly have the “Sunday Clothes” that the South has. As per our societal shift, so shifted our collective taste in clothing. It isn’t like one of those old-world tyrannical countries where they all wear uniforms and no one is different. I wouldn’t want my readers to think that we as a people aren’t incredibly diverse. In fact, I would say that we are more diverse and individualistic than any of our neighboring countries. However, there is a certain North-ness in the way we all dress. We don’t hold to the old religions of ancient times, so no day is in itself holy, therefore we don’t have a special sort of dress needed for a singular day every week. Appropriate attire is simply dressing in whichever style makes you happy, of course it is expected that a person won’t show up for a professional meeting or ceremony in their sleeping clothes.

Aele: Well then, what are you wearing? Can I ride with you?

Me: Aele, it’s within walking distance. Besides, I don’t have any sort of vehicle by which to transport us.

Aele: Oh right, well, okay. It is odd not having my truck. I drove it here, but they wouldn’t permit it at the border because its emissions were too great, otherwise we could ride there in style!

Me: Okay okay Aele, just meet me 1830 at my apartment and we’ll go from there.

Here is another thing that is different about the North; and I don’t mean to be condescending to my beloved reader, but I think I should assume this is not an ordinary thing for you in whichever country to belong to. In the North, we do not have petroleum based fuel, at least not in any amount that is note-worthy. All of our vehicles are electrically powered and tap into a grid of wirelessly transmitted power. Shortly before the fall of the United States, a team of Italian engineers discovered two pieces of technology that have allowed the North to make such a smooth transition to becoming independent of any oppressive force.

The first piece of technology was the improved power output of Cold Fusion that allows us to generate large amounts of power with an extremely small amount of waste. The second piece of technology was wireless transmission of power through microwaves. At first it was thought to be dangerous and inefficient over long distances, but the Italian engineering team refined the technology so that it was 94% efficient and now none of our cities have the power lines and substations of old. Now we receive all of our power through the invisible waves in the air. Now, we no longer worry about dying batteries and the like because that simply won’t happen. Everything still has a battery in case the transmitters need repair or updating, but that never takes more than a few hours. I won’t explain the whole thing because you can find an excellent book by a colleague of mine named Torin Salvis called Invisible Power in just about any of the e-bookstores.

Alright, so now I have to get ready for the Call to Unity, so I will sign off now. I’ll write tomorrow to tell you about the meeting which you will probably have already heard about on the news, but perhaps I’ll have some insight that you might find interesting.

Until then, cheers!

Jack