This is not finished I feel. But want to know if it holds it own anyway. let me know
The exchange
“There is a heighten tension in the city. It has been remarked upon for everyone to be vigilant and have safety on their minds. It seems the security of the city is not guaranteed.”
* * * * * * * * *
I entered the room before him. He was tall and handsome and had the face of someone who had lived well. He had not suffered at the hands of manual labour. He was a thinker. You could see that. He had an intelligent look. It was that which gave him confidence. I could feel it. I had to start and try and fathom this man’s thinking. He was not going to offer his knowledge freely.
“It’s not the way it will always be…me here you there the fear it here… you can smell it. I know its there even if you do not.”
“Go on…its not the battle you think though…you are not clever enough and never will be. It is not enough to think you’re right when deep down you know what you are thinking is just not reasonable and beyond reason itself.”
“It’s not that what we are fighting for will never come…it will and when that day comes it really will be worth it. It is true that faith is all you have sometimes and that you need to believe it. The question is having you enough faith in your belief? It’s not a question that is applicable to me.”
“Now… there’s a question faith in what. It really is a twisted belief that you can justify something that is so evil and unthinking. I could call it barbaric and it would be commonly perceived as that. You cannot hide behind the truth in faith alone. It cannot guide you to reason here. Quite simply you are wrong.”
“Right…wrong…it’s a matter of debate surely. You understand that in a progressive and liberal society, there are many perspectives. The Post-modern world argues that maybe everything blurs into one thing, all can be merged and open to change. That is not good for the soul. It needs a consistency that the evolving liberal world cannot. I am here to remind everyone that this society, like the works of Darwin said, likes a system of understanding…therefore classification and order. Its my work. To stop the blending of order and logic, it cannot be lost.”
“ The question of faith re-occurs again, and this time …I put it to you. Shouldn’t you have enough faith to realise that the war…not the battle…the war will be won by the most superior logic and argument of what we define as our reality. You cannot force the issue. It is not in your control. As Darwin pointed out that things evolve and thinking and concepts do as well. Trying to control something you cannot it a waste of time. It shows you are losing faith and scared of the change this world it taking. It’s seems this is the last stand of significance for you and you brothers.”
“ Ok… not bad but as you state faith in one’s viewpoint is indeed important. The faith must be unshakeable. I believe that is true within me. I am not a coward and welcome change. I want to play a part in the defined world of the future, which is what I am trying to do. It is ‘my purpose’.”
“ Well…well…well Lucky you to have found what you are chosen for. I define my purpose myself and influence the micro society and hence the macro society. I believe in virtues and they form the base of my thinking. It is defined by kindness, openness and honesty with a belief that we as humans are intelligent enough to live with different perspectives. You do indeed challenge my faith in this. These are my concepts that I believe in and they remain constant in a changing world. The definition of how they are applied may change, but the understanding of what they are will not.”
“ Do you think they will survive in a more pluralist, fragmented world? Those concepts will not survive…they will indeed become watered down, blended into something else and ultimately lost. They will be re-defined indeed and its historic value lost forever.”
“ You have no faith…Ironic that you argue that you have. Cannot you not see that?”
“ I am fighting for a world and planet that survives with a sense of history and vision. There is no sustainable world with rules and order. That is needed. The Law and government cannot became as secular and fragmented as society is becoming. There needs to be common values in order for us as a collective people survive. You … and all of you kind do not realise that you cannot encompass all viewpoints. It is not in our collective nature as a society. You say you want a society that is intelligent enough to accept differences. I argue that our history defines that we as a people are grouped and organised by differences. Can you…really…not see that?”
The door interrupted this rather surprising and open engage. He was indeed up for the debate. However, he knew something and was still hiding the truth. I needed to be more incisive.
“Enough debate really… as interesting as it is. What really motivates you and where does it come from. Be specific now…I need more relevant information now.”
“ And here was I thinking the progressives really wanted to know how we where thinking. Part of understanding the way we work is to understand the way we think it is not? I mean it is well-documented in cultural studies.”
“ Not sure what you mean but as interesting as you make it sounds. The debate is not relevant to breaking the rules that govern a society. Despite what you call the defense of order. The world has changed and the law adapted to be consistent for the well-being of the majority of its people. You fail to recognise that yours is a minority view and a very violent one at that. Few people want it and it is not inclusive or arguably progressive. You could say it lacks the sophistication of a real philosophy. One that HAS ROOM FOR ADAPTING AND EVOLVING.”
Not sure why I raised my voice here. I guess I was growing tired of the debate, but I did feel like the points I raised were very good ones. He did well to come back but his rationale was becoming slack.
“ A fragmented world can never be adapted with philosophy. It needs order and humans create order to understand the world around them. That is what we are and that is what I and the others stand for. To remember what we are and were we have come from.”
“ Starting to sound repetitive really. Not sure you can go on arguing this line for much longer.”
I could smell victory.
“I am repeating myself because that it the point of this, You chose to ignore it. I cannot be held to account that you have missed the point.”
“ Really, we need as a society to go forward, not backwards. We can be better and live with each other and accommodate difference. We do not have to be the same, and that will never happen. What makes you think that it will?”
“ The fact that we are everywhere in the media and here in this place now. I am now scared. You are as the liberal society has fragmented an argument it is not applicable. It creates chaos and uncertainty. That is bad for everyone. We are here to address that.”
“ Need to verify what is the source of your intelligence and knowledge. Not debating where you perceive your arguments lie. They have no relevance here but only in the closeted viewpoints of your supporters. I do not need to argue with a perspective I know will be defeated in time. I have belief in that. I am very certain you will not win the battle ground for the ideas of the future.”
“ We shall see.”
* * * * * * * * *
“ There is blood everywhere…. There are people in a panic and bodies lying motionless on the roads. It is still not entirely clear who was responsible but it does seem to come form a section of the political wing from the right.”
The ambulances are ringing in the sky that has now lit up with red. It is as if to show the world London is on fire and bleeding. The city is in shock and to fix it what is causing the chaos. I cannot believe my eyes that the city is indeed wounded. I was transfixed to the screen of my television. I was fearful, the politics of fear had played its ace card and it was time for reflection.Which argument will win?
* * * * * * * * *
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