A STORY. 89. YOUR TURN. 5 MINUTES

After the very old man has sung We Shall Overcome, one of the students gets up, comes to the front and sings something where you can’t hear the words and don’t recognize the melody, but you applaud along with everyone else. Then someone comes and reads a list of 10 things wrong with Bill C-293. Basically, it’s a good law only if you want tyranny. Loud applause.

Then it’s your turn. You have five minutes to speak on why the law is unethical, immoral.

You start with John Stuart Mill. Liberty until harm. In other words, you have liberty to do as you like until you harm. You have no liberty to harm. The government also has no liberty to harm. And one way of harming is encroaching on someone’s liberty - which this law does and which this government has done more than once. Therefore the law is unethical, immoral, as is this government.

You could say more. For example, the UN, encroaching on liberty worldwide, is immoral.

Yes, you could say much more. No need to.

You fall silent.

For a moment people are also silent. It seems they expected you to say more.

Then there is a scattering of applause.

As you are going back to your table, someone hands you the sign-up sheet for the parking lot blitz. At your table, you look it over. You see that one other person has signed up for Saturday, from ten to noon at the parking lot outside the biggest supermarket. You put your name down as well.

You read the instructions. Be on time. Meet just outside the big doors to the supermarket. Take a stack of fliers and copies of the petition. Read the script. Read it more than once so you know what to say.

You feel utterly out of your element. But you will do this.

You will go and speak to strangers about this terrible law that most people don’t know about. You will ask them to take a flier and sign a petition, and to give their email address so you can send more information and an online petition.

At the front of the room, someone is reading a poem, Just One String. You are not paying attention.

You think of John Stuart Mills. A thinker. Would he have gone to the parking lot blitz? You do not know.

To be continued . . .
A STORY. 90. WE SHALL OVERCOME
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-90-we-shall-overcome

A STORY. ALL THE CHAPTERS ... UP TO NOW
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-table-of-contents-up-to-now

Posted Nov 2, 2024