The man, cowed, retreated back into the crowd. Onk! smiled and looked at Albert. ‘And you?’
Albert shook his head. He’d had enough. He wandered back toward the cars, away from the crowd. The man with the graying hair followed him.
‘My name is Paul,’ he said.
‘Do you agree with Onk!?’ Albert asked.
‘I don’t agree with his decision to destroy things that others hold dear without their permission, but as far as rights and the idea of possession--yes, I do agree with him.’
‘You seem almost proud that you do!’
‘I think that’s right! Though I believe Onk! is very rude and his actions are hurtful, the greater harm is taking away his freedom.’
‘But surely he’s misusing his freedom!’
‘Freedom cannot be misused. That is a fallacy that has been used for thousands of years to justify the grossest forms of imprisonment. An imprisonment that demands the prisoners to routinely profess their freedom.’
‘Are you speaking of the United States of America?’
‘Yes, but not only this nation, but any nation that punishes an individual for acting outside of that nation’s precepts.’
‘But there you contradict yourself! For you subscribe to Onk!’s theory that anyone can do whatever he wants as long as no one stops him. Therefore those nations are free to imprison whom they choose!’
‘Obviously they are free. That is self-evident in their ability to do it. But freedom to do something never justifies that thing.’
‘What justifies it then? God?’
‘If you believe God can justify it.’
‘What if I don’t?’
‘Then it is whatever you believe.’
‘So you’re a relativist.’
‘I’m a realist in the truest form of the word.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It means I look to reality to understand it, not what I am told by a system designed to use me for labor, indulging me just enough to sustain my energy to better serve that system.’
‘I think society is necessary for the individual.’
‘It’s designed to be such, but that’s its first lie. Society is able to create amenities for the individual and attempts label these luxuries necessary. Obviously, it is very successful, even winning over men as smart as yourself.’
‘I don’t see any point in trying to see past all the lies. Our whole perception of reality is at its base a fiction. Where we see trees and cars exploding in the middle of the night, there are only atoms formed into molecules and compounds and the space betwixt them. Any form or shape we give them is just a--well, it’s a lie we use to order the whole mess of electrons and atoms and invisible energy and it’s so pervasive we can’t see past it even if we try!’
‘You’re right. My entire existence is a lie--so I don’t need anyone else bullshitting me.’
‘You’re unbelievable, Paul. It’s like you took an intro to philosophy course in college and actually took it all to heart.’
‘That might be where it started, honestly,’ Paul said, smiling. Paul laughed. ‘This is getting heavy. I heard someone earlier telling stories about what happened at the gas stations. You want to hear about it?’
‘Sure. Sure, I suppose,’ said Albert and followed Paul as he walked back toward the crowd surrounding the slowly dying fires pouring out of the dead cars.
‘”Thank you, sir, are you sure you don’t want to come along?”’ Perry the storyteller was saying, a crowd gathered around him. ‘”No, I’m quite all right,” he said.’
The crowd chuckled.
‘Which one are you on?’ Paul asked.
‘That last group, number five,’ responded Perry.
‘After you finish it, can you go through it all again for my friend here?’ asked Paul.
‘It would be my pleasure,’ said Perry, then returned to the story. ‘So they left him there and went on their way. Now, it’s this last group who seen the choppers. No one else said they saw any helicopters.’
‘Police?’
‘They say police. But the police ain’t here yet, so I don’t know what’s takin’ them so long. Anyways, Group Five didn’t have any other adventures after the gas station. They were pretty boring. Kind of anti-climactic. I might put them first next time I have to tell these stories so I can build up to the group right before them.’
Way ahead of you.
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