IX-Freedom

The classroom oohed and ahhed like backup singers to an R&B diva. They were already excited to see who would win the twenty-thousand dollar prize for answering the final question of the guest professor.

“This is the last surviving physical copy to be found in America and it’s right here in Delaware, in my hands. It used to be a strong piece of canned philosophy, but now it’s really just a relic of the past. All the information contained in this little black book is stored on servers.”

”Did people really believe in it?” a student named XV-Joy asked.

“Indeed they did. Prior to the twenty-fifth century, people lived and died by this book. They placed their left hand upon this book, and swore oaths of honesty and duty to their country, they read from its pages during weddings and funerals, and they even placed copies in the drawers of hotel and motel nightstands.”

Some of the students quietly chuckled, then one of them named III-Independence asked, “Did people allow themselves to deal with things that don’t exist?”

“Certainly, but you have to understand, people wanted to promulgate and implement ideas using coercion rather than persuasion. Those who did attempt to persuade really found out they had to say that people who opposed their ideas were lost. They tried to persuade, but ultimately failed.”

More giggling from the class….

“Class, please,” robot instructor CO-06 said. The students settled down, and resumed listening to the incredible story.

“This book is responsible for trying to excuse some of the worst murders, rapes, thefts, and other acts of immorality. Why? Because the leaders, the speakers who spoke from this book forgave the perpetrators of these unethical acts. They overrode logic and reason, and allowed emotions to impact their choices.”

“What was the worst thing this small black book did for people?” LIV-Happiness asked.

“It granted people a pass to behave irrationally. It said human beings could say most anything can happen based on a wish or whim. They would say words aloud, and expect those spoken words to have an effect on reality.”

“So what happened? Did the government ban it?” a student named MMI-Odyssey asked.

“No. The government played its role in that it protected people to exercise their rights to absorb and profess and to live their lives according to this book. There are still small groups of people who study and live by aspects of this book, but they have very few members. What we have now is a way of life where we observe reality objectively, and view truth as that which we can verify using our five senses, which are integrated into reason.”

“What changed?” XXVIII-Prosperity asked.

“When people stopped being willing, or able to shell out massive sums to universities like this one, they realized they could think and learn for themselves, and when they did, they knew how how to elect better representatives, and stopped voting for ‘politicians.’”

““Did other books like this one become obsolete, too?” DIV-Tranquility asked.

“Yes. Once the book’s followers stopped worshipping the words in the book, other groups changed their views, too. They replaced the ugly ideals embedded in their own books with reason and individualism.”

“How has society managed to shrug off what the book represents?” Another student, named CM-Determination, asked.

“Yes, the professor answered. “It took a while, about 300 years, but it happened, and when it did, morality, capitalism, and romanticism flourished. For over one thousand years, the teachings of this book were the law in many people’s minds, even when they were not enforced by the state. This book was a cultural force to be reckoned with in America, but it became a relic when people began to realize it represented mental weakness.”

“Can this book ever be returned to where it was all of those years ago?” V-Progress asked.

“It would have to be the destruction and nihilism of intellectuals to cause such a reversion. Now, we are able to hold reason as the proper guidance of individuals. Now, who can tell me the acronym that was associated with this book?”

A dark brown man student named IX-Freedom stood.

“Is it Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth?”

“That is correct! Congratulations, young man you have unlocked a level in your educational journey and won the twenty-thousand-dollar prize.”

IX-Freedom accepted his money while his classmates all cheered him.