This is the final post in a series of surrealistic events. You can go to the beginning of the series here: An Uncivil War
It has been a long time for my cat Billysky and I living in our cave-home. But we survived. After my last few forays to the outside world, nothing about “society” left me with any good feelings. It had been maybe a year since last going out.
I awoke one morning and sensed something different. So did Billysky. I knew that Billysky and I were thinking the same thing. She came with me to the entrance to our cave-home.
Peacekeepers
What I saw in the valley made my heart race and a lump form in my throat. There in both the east and west valleys were large and organized peace keeping forces. They had no guns and no weapons. Yet they were clearing people out, disarming them, and grouping them based on which one of the two sides they had aligned with in the civil war.
Even with the Peacekeepers there, the divided members of our uncivil society were still going at it with each other, if just through words and fists. Yet they clearly feared the Peacekeepers.
Most all people were being put in one of two penned areas. Buses were then taking the people somewhere.
I watched for a long while. I noticed that select people were given large care packages and were provided some security. This special group had cats around them, sometimes just one cat, sometimes a dozen or more cats. It struck me these must be other Neutrals.
Identifying Myself As A Neutral
Billysky my cat stood outside with me. With her encouragement, we decided it was time to make ourselves known. We signaled some Peacekeepers who came up the hillside. I had to go through a few checks to demonstrate I was truly a Neutral, but it seemed obvious based on my cat. Billysky was as thrilled to find other humans to rub against and get pettings from as she was to get out of the cave.
The Peacekeepers didn’t fill in a lot of gaps of information, but explained that a forced settlement in this conflict had occurred for the betterment of the world.
The civil war had spilled way over the borders. The governmental bombing of its own land and people had created a humanitarian and ecological disaster. Greenhouse gasses of war and not caring fed global warming to crazy rates putting the whole planet in a critical situation.
Unilateral Settlement
The peacekeepers explained the unilateral settlement, “The landmass where the strife occurred would become an enormous and diverse greenspace. The greenspace whould be large enough to at least slow the deterioration of the planet, and also allow the diversification of plants and animals to return.”
He continued, “Your neighbors to the north and south have been given land to compensate for their damage. They promptly donated that land back to the greenspace.”
“All citizens would be sent as refugees to other countries to give them a second chance. The greenspace will be devoid of humans with one exception.”
I asked what the exception is. He said, “The exception is the Neutrals. Any Neutral could pick any place in the world to live if they liked. Or they were welcome to stay here, with only the condition: if they plan to reproduce they must leave the greenspace. That way, over time, the population of the greenspace would dwindle away to zero humans.”
The peacekeeper said I did not have to decide right then, but I already had. I was staying. So was Billysky.
I told the Peacekeeper I had one last question, “What went so horribly wrong?”
He told me: “Both political leadership and social leadership encouraged society to stop being civil to each other. Especially social leadership because they profiteered significantly off of it. Way too many people blindly followed. It become unstoppable. And here we are.”
Epilogue
I’m writing this about a year after the peace keepers came in. They set me up with internet and many other amenities. Its amazing to go outside and see how much the untouched earth has already started to repair itself. And animals returning. Plus I am friendly with a handful of other Neutrals who stayed.
And I am happy. Billysky seems to be also.
Thank you for reading. Peace be with you. Good luck. You probably need it.
Index
This is part of a continuing series. Click on the links to see parts of the series you may have missed (or want to read again). Index to Chapters in order:
- An Uncivil War
- An Uncivil War: Letting Wounds Heal
- An Uncivil War: Trust No One
- An Uncivil War: The Peculiar Situation With Cats
- An Uncivil War: How It Started
- An Uncivil War: Answers About Cats
- An Uncivil War: The Bombing Begins
- An Uncivil War: Coast To Coast
- An Uncivil War: In Leadership We Don’t Trust
- An Uncivil War: Peace At Last?
Paul Sees the World 