2020- The crux of change

Two conflicting directions and the path Unity can lead us

Imagine a kingdom where the King was chosen by people, an election of sorts, so every man and every woman had a say in who would be trusted to rule the kingdom, protect the people and the Kingdom’s precious natural resources. The Kingdom was rich and for many years the people worked hard, and times were prosperous, so most enjoyed comfortable, if sometimes modest, lives under their chosen Kings and their Courts.

But, over time, more and more of the Kingdom’s wealth went to a small group of citizens while the others worked harder to just live modestly, let alone be comfortable.

So, the citizens chose new Kings, and they chose new Kings, yet ever more of their work, their wealth, went to that same small group. Until the day came when prosperity for the great mass of citizens faded to a memory.

Then along came a man, a flashy man, a man who thought gilt was gold and he promised a desperate populace he could restore all things to their former greatness, end the kingdom’s problems, and many believed his silver-tongued lies.

And when he loudly proclaimed, like a circus barker, that he was the one, the only one, who could solve the Kingdom’s problems but to do that he must be named King and then, like a Pied Piper, many citizens followed him, believed in his lies.

So, with much pomp and circumstance but less enthusiasm from citizens than he felt he deserved, the flashy man was made King. The Queen, wrapped in her finery, was cold toward the populace but surrounded herself, gilded herself in gold, much like the King.

But the man-who-would-be-King, the salvation of the populace, had lied, of course; he wasn’t smart, but incompetent. The new King broke his promises from the day he sat on the throne, filled his Royal Court with swamp dwellers, fired Administrators of the Court who managed the daily affairs of the Kingdom and then sold their positions to friends and members of that small group that had most of the Kingdom’s, the worker’s, wealth.

It was soon clear the man didn’t want the job, he only wanted the Crown, the title, the appearance of being important. He only cared about the ratings, since he’d put on such a great show in convincing many to help him be King. Despite his promises, he wanted the adulation of his subjects.

The state of the Kingdom worsened over time and the King’s promise of more wealth to the workers was twisted into more wealth from the many to the few.

Then the King-who-would-be-tyrant borrowed a great sum of money in the name of the Kingdom so citizens would repay it and gave nearly all the money to, again, that same small group who held so much. Then he sold off or gave away much of remained of the Kingdom’s natural resources, the very basis of its wealth, to friends in that small group.

The Kingdom’s citizens were angry with the King’s actions and anxious to choose a new King, a better King. One who would rule the Kingdom fairly, honestly, and use its wealth to improve the lives of its workers, many of whom had never known a comfortable life and for whom prosperity seemed a distant, fading dream.

Many brave white knights stepped up to say that he or she (women in that kingdom could be knights, too) was the one who could defeat the evil King, oust him and his black knights from the castle. The many white knights sparred and sparred and sparred to be the one to face the evil King. The knights fought valiantly, each anxious to take on the evil King but one by one, they dropped out.

After many days of jousting, only two Knights were left standing.

Those final two White Knights, after the jousting had come to an end, knew they both had the same end goal, to get citizens what they deserved; each just saw the journey from different points of view. And they were wise enough to understand that true victory comes with Unity.

Many of the white knights who had dropped out united behind the Knight they thought to have the best chance of taking down the King. So, each Knight had his supporters, and each had his own group of citizens cheering him on.

The citizens knew the gravity of appointing the next King; he would have years of destruction to repair and help decide the direction of the Kingdom from that day and into their great-grandchildren’s lives. They knew the outcome was crucial.

In Unity, the two White Knights vowed that whichever Knight won, the other would fully back the one facing off against the evil King and his Court and encourage his own supporters to do the same.

These who stood with the white Knight understood that each needed the other at his back and they needed all their citizens to oust the evil King so the progress they all wanted could begin.

The kingdom’s citizens knew victory could only come with Unity.

And the man-who-would-be-King must go.

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