The Man Shouted Revolution
from:  Systems of Governance
 

The Man shouted, “Revolution!!!!!” They flocked to him and repeated, “Revolution!!!!” Others joined and they rejoiced. At every meeting, given any opportunity they would let loose the roar, “Revolution!!!!” Joy would fill their hearts as they chanted the man’s name and followed it every time with the shout, “Revolution!!!”

The Other quietly said, “Change.” The Other had long standing, well conceived plans. Seasoned by experience and tempered by an understanding of what it takes to foster a great society, the Other offered change. Like the Man, the Other was not new to the world. Like the Man, the Other spoke in tones that chilled the blood of those who wanted the status quo, yet it seemed that systematic change was no match for the romantic revolution.

The Other was criticized for taking into account the limitations that punctuated the world about. “Revolution is not what is called for here.”, warned the Other. Still they shouted, “Revolution!!!!” “At the heart of revolution is destruction.”, warned the Other. The Man walked to the head of the crowd, raised a clenched fist and shouted, “Revolution!!!” The Other was puzzled, certainly the Man knew better. The Man was not new to the world and understood the nature, and of even more import, the consequence of revolution. What the Other did not understand was that the Man had tasted the sweet wine of euphoria. So intoxicated by enthusiasm, he was now drunk with a power hitherto unknown to him. He was the victim of the shadows from hence he came, now, at the head of the crowd, he rationalized. He told himself that when it was time, he would show them that what was really needed was change.

The crowd surged forward with fists raised and clenched tight poking at the injustice of life. The word, “Revolution”, dripped from their teeth. The crowd was majority young and strong. A few weary eyes of age were here and there, they too were chanting and beating the air with clenched fists. “Revolution!!!”, one shouted to the other, “Revolution!!!”, came the reply. They marched on.

The Other, now passed by, looked after them and said again, “Change is what you seek.” The words were too soft to pierce the rock hard chant of “Revolution !!!” Even if they heard, they would not have listened, just as they had not listened before.

The Man at the head, they marched to the place of power. Emboldened by their number, made confident by youth, and blinded by passion, they demanded, “Revolution!!!” The walls of power were time tested and firm. When the Man noticed his band of would-be revolutionaries began to tire, he stood upon the shoulders of the tallest and with fist raised, shouted, “Revolution!!!” Reinvigorated, his band charged headlong, thrusting itself onto the door of power, again, and again, and again. When they would retreat to rest the Man would find tall shoulders and with fist raise shout, “Revolution!!!”, and again they would charge. Again they would tire, and again they would charge until finally the door to power gave way.

Standing in the breech, the would-be revolutionaries marveled at their accomplishment. Standing in the breech, the would-be revolutionaries rejoiced in their strength. They had caved in the door to power. The revolution was at hand. The Man stood before them shocked that the door had been broken instead of merely opened. He looked upon the room where inside power had been built up upon age after age. The cold wind of reality chilled his bones. His drunken euphoria gave way to the sobering thoughts called reason. The Man said, “Yes, now that we have arrived here we can begin change.” The challenge came immediately, “Change sir? Certainly you mean revolution?” A single voice said first, then others shouted “Revolution!!!”

“Yes, yes, there is a time for everything. A revolution of sort is the change that is called for here, once one realizes what can what all has been built up. A revolution of sort is the change that is needed here, once one realizes what can be built upon.”

“Revolution!!!”, came cry from the crowd.

“Yes, yes, a revolution of thought that encompasses part of what has taken place.”

“Revolution!!!” the crowd shouted back angrily.

Before the Man could answer, an angry fist clenched tight, punched the air and the crowd shouted, “Revolution!!!” The Man raised an open hand; his plea for silence was granted. The Man could hear the hard breaths coming from the lurching chests of the revolutionaries. He again mounted the tallest shoulders. He was their leader. It was he who planted the seed of revolution. Certainly, he thought, they would listen to him. Certainly now that they were in this place of power they could see before them a strong foundation on which to build. Certainly now, even has the breath came quickly they could see the reason in change. “Yes,” he said, “revolution in the sense that what we do here will be different. Revolution in the sense that what is needed now is to divert from here and from hence forward grow this direction. Let us root here where the soil is fertile and seed our change. Once rooted the change and be that much ahead of any revolution.” The tall shoulders threw off the Man. The Man looked up, puzzled. Tall shoulders looked down at him and with clenched fist raised shouted, “Revolution!!!”.

Into the breech the revolutionaries charged. The young and strong threw themselves into the task of tearing down, while the older and the weak among them sat aside and cheered them on. Down came the system upon which their government was built. Burned they did the books of lessons learned. Lost became the knowledge that had previously overcame ignorance and chance. Down came this rule or that law that was born of blood and of experience. When they would tire of the distruction, one would raise a clenched fist and shout, “Revolution!!!” and thus, newly gorged on the passion of revolution, they drunkenly continued their indiscriminate destruction.

Down came the arguments of nurture versus nature. Down came the arguments of the rights of man. Down came the arguments of nobleness of sacrifice; of the greater good; of the responsibility of the governed and of governing. They crashed without rhyme. They crashed without reason. It took a while, but in spite of their age, and in spite of the strong foundation upon which they were built eventually it all came down.

Now at its end, the revolutionaries, young and old alike, looked about and admired their work. Before them lay broken brick upon broken brick; ashes of burned books upon broken tables, one no longer distinguishable from the other, since ashes were they all. On top of broken brick and broken tables were smoldering fires consuming laws and customs that had been written on the very fabric of life they were intended to save.

The Other peered through the broken down door of power. A single tear fell from the Other’s eye, “Change was what was needed.” The crowd was too tired to retort, “Revolution!!!!” The Man was allowed amongst the revolutionaries and was shown their handy work broken brick by broken brick. The Man tried to stamp out a fire here, or piece back together a table or a brick, but they were too far gone. “What now?” a small voice came from somewhere. When another answered, “Now we build from here.”, another said, “No, it would be better to build from there.”, Yet a third said, “The best place to build would be over here.” The argument was joined by many and predictably, Chaos ensued.

Revolution, in the abstract, is a romantic notion worthy of fairy tales, but revolutions are rarely needed, and even more rarely successful. As the sun fell on yet another day the argument was sure to continue well into another night. The Man stared in disbelief and sat trembling amongst the wanton destruction. The Other whispered, wept and wandered off into the darkness. Chaos stood upon a pile of broken brick, smiled and with clenched raised jabbing at the smoked filled air shouted, “Revolution!!!!”