Solomon's Private File #436
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 35 in this story, in the Summer of 2061.
Solomon's Private File #436 "Conscientious Objector"
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aura blazing. He saw it happen, and was very astounded. I said, "Better
close your mouth before something wants to build a nest in it." He did
that, with a snap. I said, "Why are you executing religious people for
their religion?" He said, "We're not doing that!" I said,
"Conscientious Objectors." He said, "Oh! But they're breaking the law."
I said, "Change it. And stop calling them cowards! Knowingly facing
almost sure death for their convictions is a supreme act of REAL
courage, NOT cowardice!" He said, "That's one way of thinking of it." I
said, "Why are you at war?" He said, "To protect our citizens, and our
values." I said, "And how well are you doing that at home? Keep going
as you have been, you won't have any good values left to protect. You
think your values are superior to your adversary. Not any more. What do
you intend to do about that?"
He said, "There isn't anything I can do about it. We need to have
that penalty to encourage people to comply with the draft." I said, "It
causes you to have soldiers who don't want to fight. Forcing them to,
causes them to resist that, even on the battlefield. That reduces the
effectiveness of your army in action, and causes a lot of unnecessary
casualties. Some of those people DO react violently to this, but
against their officers. You're losing a lot of them that way. You don't
change this, you're going to lose the war, and deserve to. You can't
try to make people do what's totally against who they are, and expect
them to be sane!" He said, "I can't change it! There are political
issues!" I said, "By people who fought in past wars, or who haven't
fought at all. Both are engaging in romantic fantasizing about what war
is, and what it does to most people. At this level, there are no true
winners in war. All sides lose something important, which is who they
are, who thought they were, and who they will become. Much more of that
for many individuals. This will become worse, as technology advances."
I said, "In the lifetime of your children, there will be developed
weapons that can easily destroy all life on this world. You are
creating NOW, people who will want to use them. Those of you who don't
believe in God, will be very surprised after you die in that." He said,
"I DO believe in God!" I said, "No you don't. Such a person wouldn't
allow the legal murder of the nonviolent religious, no matter the
personal sacrifice. You WILL suffer for this after you die and are
judged. That is certain. How much, is in your hands, by what you do to
right your wrongs while you still can."
He said, "I understand some of that, but there are political
realities I can't change. If I tried to do what you want, I would be
replaced by somebody who would reverse that." I said, "So you're not
actually a leader, but a follower of those who control you." I named
them, and how they work. He said, "How did you know that?" I said, "I
work for God. He knows all, and shares it when needed with those who
are His. I offer a service, in exchange for your cooperation with my
requests. I will make available to all, the evidence that shows what I
just described. Stop killing your own people for their religious
convictions!" He said, "We can still imprison them?" I said, "Until the
war is ended, yes. Consider; why treat them worse than prisoners of
war, which in effect, they actually are?" He said, "Oh. I hadn't
thought of it that way. I see the reasoning. We weren't acting with
full justice. I think it might have had some revenge in it. I know. God
opposes that. And against people of God? You've convinced me!"
He said, "How can I make this change happen?" I said, "One way has
already started. Every cinema house in your country that was showing
something, has been showing this meeting as it happened. Newspapers
have been given the evidence, and will have a transcript of this
meeting. I good start, I think." He said, "Wow!" I said, "I hear that a
lot. You know God is watching. Do well in this, and you and your
country will have less of God's displeasure." He said, "But still not
approval?" He said, "He doesn't like ANY killing. Ending a person's
life is HIS decision, not that of the living. You know that. Making war
is easy. Making peace, is hard, which is good. Think about that." I did
the light ball shifting out.
I pulled our students from that world out of class to show them that
action. They had a lot of wows to give, and some tears, too. And a lot
of hugs. Then I met with Stelgarth's father in his office. He said, "I
thought you didn't interfere in societies." I said, "So did I. Got
orders. A government killing people for their religion, is NOT approved
of in any way by God. One more thing. This war was deliberately caused
by money people, for them to make more money from it. Both sides.
Actually, when is it not?" He said, "They USE us and our very lives,
for their PROFIT?" I said, "Yes. Politicians, too. All real wars are
caused by economic forces. All other reasons are just excuses. Some in
the military are not immune to using this, too. Call it personal
profit, in their rise to power. War degrades all people. The few real
heroes in it are honored, but do they actually feel they're heroes?" He
said, "From my own experience, I think they don't."
I said, "Sometimes good can come from bad. Some heroes have used that
honor for good things. When the war is ended, there will need to be new
leaders. Such status will make people listen more." He said, "I've been
thinking about the end of the war, and what will happen, and to me. I
won't be fit for the service then. I have to decide what to do with my
life." I said, "Planning ahead, helps to keep it attached." He laughed.
I said, "Or said in a different way, plan for the future, you own more
of it, instead of it owning you. Decide for yourself, or others will
decide for you. It's never too early, to start planning for later. Have
I er, overexposed that idea?" He said with a grin, "Yes you have!" I
said, "In a past life, 300 years ago, I had something of a publishing
empire. I put a lot of those sayings in my newspapers and books. That
life is still known and revered on my world." He said, "And you are
now?" I said, "My father had to go public to avert a world disaster. He
made me public, too. So, I'm known as who I am now, and I've used some
past incarnations to teach with. I also use a lot of my offworld
actions to teach."
He said, "Would you be using this one?" I said, "I've never told
people who were in them, that I would be using it, and people of your
world are on my world as our students, but not known to the public. I
would have to ask you and them for permission. Oh, and I don't ask my
victims." He grinned. He said, "What you've said and done here should
not be limited to just one world. You have my permission." I said,
"Identities will be changed. They expect that." He said, "That's good."
We hugged. I showed those meetings to the students, and they wanted me
to show it all.
Mario said, "Solomon is with us to show a series of actions on
another world. This is very different from what we've seen before. He
actually has the permission of the people in it, to show it!" I said,
"And one of those people is now in our school, and yes, that's
sometimes on Earth. In what I'll be showing, the identities have been
changed. Of the good people." He grinned. I showed the action with the
sergeant, and the fight and discussion. Then we went to break. Back
from break, Mario said, "They look perfectly human!" I said, "To them,
WE would look human." He grinned, and said, "True. Are they genetically
compatible?" I said, "I suspect some of our people will be testing
that. After a lot of practice." He tried not to laugh, and said, "Why
your school here, and not your other schools?" I said, "Well, that
I said, "Our other compatible schools are on worlds that are more
advanced than Earth. Their society isn't more advanced than ours, so
it's a better match." He said, "Oh. That's reasonable." I said, "We
try." He looked odd. My grin didn't help that. He said, "Did you do the
uniform color change?" I said, "God did, with my abilities. I wasn't
expecting that, which was probably why He did it." He grinned, and
said, "You know we, and the public, sometimes like that." I said,
"Maybe another reason, to show I'm really not all powerful, that I have
a real boss who's really in charge of me. I don't know. He hasn't said.
But I can sure think it!" He laughed. He said, "You changed those
soldiers." I said, "No. I opened their eyes a little, and they changed
themselves, and improved who they were. That's almost always part of my
missions, but you know there was more to this one." He said, "Yes." I
played the meeting with the Major. Back from break, he said, "He IS
intelligent. But his son. You've said before, that only children of
your father can teleport between dimensions." I said, "And one other,
yes. Obviously, that's changed."
He said, "How did you find them?" I said, "I'm continuously
cataloging dimensions. In doing that, I know all in them. I'm finding a
whole lot of things, but this er, thing we really want to find. Got a
lot of work waiting for our new students. Now to show the meeting at
their home." I did, and then we went to break. Back, he said, "You do
well with children. We've seen this before. You don't talk down to
them, you treat them as regular people, but still with what works for
them, more than adults." I said, "As we should. They're people! Just
because you're taller, doesn't have to mean you need to look down on
them more than physically." He said, "I haven't heard it said that way
before. I like it." I said, "Good to like the truth." His mix of
emotions finally subsided into a grin.
I said, "After I took his son, I met with him again." I played that.
He said, "A good explanation of small things creating big things in the
future." I said, "That that wasn't enough for my Boss." I showed my
meeting with the leader of the country. After the break, he said, "You
influenced that society." I said, "Actually, I didn't. I know, because
the society didn't change. That law hasn't changed, but it will,
eventually. Those power brokers are still there, and denying
everything. But that will change. They will become less powerful, and
others will replace them. It takes a LOT more than what I did, and a
lot more time, to change a society. Even then, trying to do it
deliberately, usually causes an unpredictable change, and usually for
the worse. Some of the things in our own society, who could have wanted
them, or even predicted them?" He grinned, and said, "I understand."
I said, "But that action didn't end there. I met with the Major
again, and that caused me to show this." I played it. Back from break,
he said, "THAT was very different. I'm sure he knew you were coaching
him to become a leader in civilian life." I said, "He had already
considered that. I just helped him with some support. He WILL do it,
and he will make a society changing difference, just when that society
wants it to happen, and was ready for it." He said, "For him, and his
world, I hope he succeeds. Are there other planets where Conscientious
Objectors are executed?" I said, "In percentage, not many, but still,
it happens on billions of worlds. Where it would he useful, I do what I
can to correct it." He said, "It's those people some of those countries
go to war to protect. Stupid policy!" I said, "But basically, what
about war, ISN'T stupid?" He said, "Oh, true."
I said, "War makes less, for what you fight for. Results show that.
Wars that are fought to preserve or enable freedom, seldom make that
anything but worse, and that is worse the more tech oriented the
society is, because those societies had more freedoms to begin with,
that need to be reduced in order to fight the war. In basic reality,
there is a tug of war between the government control that's necessary
to serve and protect the people, which from the people's perspective is
often abused, and freedom, and the personal need to have that, which is
often abused, from the governments' perspective. There are always
compromises. That's society's eternal internal war, and is just as
damaging to all, in it's wild swings between different extremes, and in
the fighting, which hurts the powerless and vulnerable the most. Often,
it's only the religions that act as their voices in support and
protest. I am not apart from that."
He said, "We here at CNN know that, and we're very honored that
you've chosen us to share your work in that to the world." I said, "We
like that, too." I said to the camera, "Everything we do has
consequences that will affect the future for a great many people. Small
things build up into big things over time, and even bigger things.
Before you act, please consider what will come of it. The best way to
avoid bad things, it to keep the Golden Rule shining!" We ended the
show. Mario had some tears. We hugged.
I said, "Some are wondering why I didn't say the Golden Rule itself,
instead of just the title of it. Some will ask what I meant, causing it
to be noticed even more. Good talking point for you, too." He grinned,
and said, "True. Thank you!" I said, "You're welcome. It was my
pressure. Oops?" Chuckles.
I said to the students, after a lot of tearful hugging, "Did I do
alright?" They said I did. One said, "They didn't talk about all the
important things. Just some of them." I said, "Different things are
important to different people. More will be talked about in the follow
on discussion, and by the public on the internet. That's why we do
these things, so people will talk about them. Learning isn't just
listening." Nods and grins.
Leaders of religions, even minor leaders, praised what I had done and
said, and me, too. That was mostly expected, but not with the emotional
intensity they used. That surprised some people, which made more people
discuss that.
Fox cable news was having a discussion about me, when the question
was raised regarding why I use CNN almost exclusively. I sent an
obvious image to the studio, and said, "I'll tell you about that in
person, if you want." They really did, and I shifted in. I made another
chair, and was given a mic. I said, "I don't need an earpiece." Grins.
I said, "My father's first contact with CNN was with their request to
help them with a series on religions, with Buddhism. He didn't, but
instead reviewed their shows, and gave them some material on how
religions are created. He had a good relationship with them. A
friendship. He was very impressed with their ability and
professionalism. Then he had the idea to invite them to do a show in
Tibet. They didn't know then that they would be there for the
announcement of independence, but Stephen did." Grins. I said, "Yes, he
used them, and they loved it!" Nods. I said, "And those people became
friends."
I said, "A lot of news services wanted to interview my father, but
they didn't like his conditions that it be live, and never edited in
rebroadcasts, probably because they don't know him, and so didn't trust
him. CNN did, and the current relationship was born. We use them for
our world communications, and they use us for ratings and revenue, and
we use each other to help the world. One reason why this worked with
CNN, is they are a cable network that doesn't have independent
broadcast stations they can't control. Your company does have them, and
they could and have edited our messages. We didn't want that for news
things such as action reports. We have our own network now, but it's
not a real time news enterprise. CNN is, and we can't do it any better
than that. We don't control the hosts, and that's a good thing. They
can better represent the people we're intending to reach, and speak
well for them. And who doesn't like it when we play with them?" Grins
and chuckles.
I said, "Playing with ourselves wouldn't work as well, and really not
on air. In discussions! What were you thinking?" They laughed loudly. I
said, "Control room's got you beat, and then there's Hawk." Renewed
laughter. I forced a break. I said, "I'm finished, but hugs are
available." They came for them, and really needed to sit right after. I
said, "That's why I forced the break. You really wouldn't want to do
this live." Relieved nods. I said, "About the playing; 'there aint no
such thing as a free lunch'."I shifted out.
They were all showing their big grins at home. Galya said, "You don't
take away something, without giving something in return. They just
discovered it works the other way, too." Mom said, "They noticed, and
are commenting on it, and with smiles." Hawk said in the air, "And
they're realizing more, that they can't do anything without you knowing
all about it." Dawn said, "Funny expressions." I said, "Viewers are
noticing that, and are not at all unhappy about it." Kam said in the
air, "CNN is practically jumping with joy over that. And with Mary, and
that's some jumping." Hawk laughed, and said, "Good one, Kam!" She
said, "Thank you. Sol's recent show is still going over very well here.
A lot of discussions. Who needs sleep?" Grins. We shared our love.
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Grant
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