A STORY. 66. MEMORIES OF DARK DAYS
On the one hand, you feel the pull to words about happiness, to words about doors inside opening wide, air blowing between rooms. On the other hand, what’s coming into your mind as the doors inside open wide are not happy memories. The last few years.
It was a close call at your university, would there be mandates or not - would the injections be required or voluntary.
In your mind, you’re at the final faculty meeting with the Dean. It’s 2 days before the decision is scheduled to be announced. A firebrand from the Psychology department has demanded the meeting, and the Dean has agreed to it.
Did your presentation make a difference? It was very short. Liberty until harm. From John Stuart Mills. You had taught that for years. Not liberty until fear. Liberty until proven harm. Not possible harm. Not feared potential harm. Proven harm. There was no proof.
You knew what you would do if the decision was for a mandate. You would hold out - no injection - even if it meant being fired.
The firebrand was vehement about the dangers of succumbing to a totalitarian mindset. He had taught that for years. It had never been seen as a radical topic. Now it was.
The meeting lasted for hours. You remember only your presentation and his.
Two days later, the announcement came, in an email sent to all the faculty. Voluntary compliance. Had the Dean always been for that? Did the meeting make a difference?
Time stood still for a moment for you. The email blurred. Tears were in your eyes. You would not be torn from your path, your work.
Now words come into your mind.
In a moment
in a flash
Another lifeline
another path . . .in a moment
in a flash
the moment comes
is there
the moment’s passed
Everything in you relaxed. You would be all right.
But so much still changed, so much harm was done - like the firing of 3 faculty members at a close-by university - like the injuries and deaths from the injections - like people turned against each other - like families split apart - like the closed shops and stores. You notice another closed storefront. For a travel agency. It didn’t have a chance.
You turn around and begin slowly walking home.
You don’t want to stay with the dark memories. You also don’t want, right now, to look at what you know is on the horizon, almost certain to come. Catastrophe engineered by forces out to harm us.
You take a deep breath.
You come back to 7 Days in a Row, Happiness:
https://elsasemporium.com/7-days.html
A warming breeze is blowing
curtains aside
opening wide
the rooms inside
to a fresh tide
of air
throwing
shifting sunlight
on the walls
on all
that's inside
All that’s inside. That isn’t just dark memories and concern about what’s coming.
To be continued . . .
A STORY. 67. THE TOUCH OF LOVE
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-67-the-touch-of-love
A STORY. ALL THE CHAPTERS ... UP TO NOW
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-table-of-contents-up-to-now
Posted July 11, 2024