Sunday 4 July 2010

What's in a Name? (Part 9) - Final section

‘Of course I have. They are well-known names, heroes of the people, and …’ the Ruler stopped in mid-sentence, immobile. Then, with a shocked look on his face, he said, ‘Oh …!’

The Stranger sat back in his chair and stretched languorously, as would a satisfied cat. He closed his eyes and smiled.

‘I think you understand well enough, don’t you?’ he asked of the Ruler.

‘Oh yes, indeed I do,’ the Ruler nodded. ‘But, how to solve the problem? How could I have made such a blundering mistake?’

‘You were only trying to do the right thing, but there is one thing that you forget.’ The Stranger responded. ‘Through the years your people have forgotten that other people are just as important as you are. Even if they are your enemies – or at least, their ancestors were. You will need to work hard to make your co-habitants of this planet – your neighbours – your allies. One sure way of not doing this is to install a democratic system. A majority will always win, and you will always have people who are unhappy. You will need to work together for unity.’

‘This is a hard task you set me,’ the Ruler replied. ‘But I know what I must do. As the Ruler, I must start with myself. I myself am guilty of hating the Denebians, but now I recognise that they are of the same species as I am. They too are human. As such, I should not – cannot – hate them. There are things we can learn from them, and there is much they too can learn from us.’

The Stranger stood on the hill, overlooking Madgar. He had a satisfied smile on his face. He knew now that everything would go well with this planet. The two groups of people would now work together to build a new future for themselves. His meeting with the Ruler had gone extremely well, and he knew that the Ruler would now work to unite the two people-groups under his care.

Slowly he climbed into the flighter, started up its engines, and returned to where he had come from.