| Xen: Ancient English Edition by D. J. Solomon |
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As I browse once again through the pages of Xen, sifting through mountains of
philosophies and perspective, I stop flipping pages, stop skimming the paragraphs and
pause upon reaching the concept of schwelds-r. First mentioned on page 123,
schwelds-r is the rather unorthodox acronym used to catalogue the differences between
pre-Plague Earth and post-plague Earth. In doing so it also demonstrated, through the
mental soliloquy of Mu, the almost unnerving perfection of this brave new "Eartherian"
society. There is no war, for there is no greed or violence in the hearts of men or,
perhaps more importantly, women (the book makes a strong connection between the
perfection of the Human species and femininity, a theme which I will analyze later). There
is no want, for everything is provided for. There is no discontent, because all members of
Society are regarded as equally important and given freedom to govern their career
choices as they see fit. For better or for worse, the world in which Mu lives is startlingly
devoid of flaws of any kind.
There are indubitably those who will point out, upon reading my above assertion, that Mu
herself admits that there are still rare cases of emotional and physical suffering. Divorce,
for example, and rare cases of incurable illness still haunt the Human species, ghosts of
a past remembered only faintly by the oldest living Eartherians. However, the perfection
of Mu's society lies in a sense of unerring optimism and in an almost inconceivable
contentment with the circumstances of the individual life. Mu states in her long
monologue, in reference to individuals who die early of disease as well as the families of
these individuals, "Everyone understands that some things just can't be helped; the goal
is to enjoy the time one has...these unfortunate souls...remind the community at large to
be thankful for the blessing of good health that the bulk of the population enjoys." Death,
whether it is premature or "on time" (around 300 rotations), is met with a stunning sense
of acceptance and humility. This is a far different attitude than that which humanity
exercises today, which is a strange mixture of hope, apprehension, terror, and childish
curiosity.
Another intriguing aspect of Mu's society is its emphasis on the common good and,
strangely, its complete compatibility with individual interests. Perfection and morality, in
the minds of the Eartherians, are inextricably linked to altruism. This giving of one's life to
the cause of Society is met with further enthusiasm and a striking humbleness. All are
equally appreciated, as long as they serve Society to the best of their abilities. According
to Mu, "Those with illustrious careers, who make many breakthroughs and create many
original ideas are no more celebrated or revered than anyone else in the world."
However, the rationale behind this acceptance of the collective good is that the
population of Earth allows for any given individual to pursue a career in any given field at
any given time. No one with the proper ability to and desire to perform a certain task will
be turned away, as the diverse population ensures that interests among individuals will
span the career spectrum. Therefore, the task of the individual is simply to find a career
that they have a passion for and pursue it. This eliminates the essential flaw many find in
collectivist societies: they oftentimes subordinate the aims and goals of the individual in
order to benefit the group. Mu's society encourages the pursuit of an individual's goals,
which is a more capitalistic philosophy. However, the Eartherians manage to pursue their
individual interests without falling into the traps of greed and power that plague many
modern capitalistic societies.
The most striking aspect of the Eartherian concept of perfection is its link with femininity.
Even the name of the new Human species, Femina persapiens, shows that with the
eradication of humanity's faults, so also was eradicated the concept of masculinity.
Masculinity is often thought to be synonymous with aggression, subjugation, domination,
and violence, all of which have been removed from the new Eartherian society. Strangely
enough, the less extreme forms of these traits, such as assertiveness and physical
acumen, are in our society highly desirable and positive characteristics. Perhaps the
problems of the pre-Plague Humans, which were often of a violent and sexual nature,
were attributed to masculinity. Therefore, the Eartherians place an emphasis on the
faults of men and, occasionally, the superiority of women. Even physically women are
believed to be superior, which is ironically the reason that Eartherian women are not
allowed to compete with Eartherian men.
Also baffling to me is the simple yet mind-boggling perfection of the Eartherian economic
system. There is no money, there are no economists, there are no wages, and certainly
no class distinctions based on money. What one needs or wants, one takes, and what
one can give, one provides. It is the perfect economy, devoid of exploitation and
money-worship, devoid of any distinction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.
This system is, as well as the simplest one, the most difficult to attain. As is true of many
other aspects of Eartherian society, this style of economy requires a perfect Human
race. Laziness and greed by even one member of the society would ultimately cause its
failure. The system, in its perfection, requires perfection of those it governs (or rather
those who govern it).
The perfect environment, completely safe and almost totally sterile, is also created by
Humankind. Here I use the word created because to achieve this momentous goal,
Humans had to act upon the environment through various means; the Elements had to
be contained in order to create Humankind's ideal surroundings. Natural disasters are all
but neutralized, with only the occasional and minor damage to property occurring, which
is of course regarded as entirely replaceable. Fire is eradicated altogether, which
despite the chaos it causes is somewhat sad and disheartening. Fire itself is symbolic of
the strong and passionate nature of the human spirit, which produces beautiful things as
well as destructive ones. Fire's disappearance seems to go hand-in-hand with the
disappearance of the hero and of the martyr, which are completely absent from the
Eartherian society. On a lighter note, bugs and pests of all sorts no longer pose a threat
to Mu and her fellow Eartherians, seeing as pheromones which act as natural repellants
are secreted from the Human body. The Eartherians have eliminated all environmental
threats, from the grandiose (natural disasters) to the trifling (insect bites).
Whether one chooses to compare the perfect society in which Mu lives as utopian or
dystopian, the fact remains that the new Eartherian society is wholly perfect. The nature
of this utter perfection is baffling to me, as I am living in a world still rife with greed,
corruption, and evil in the hearts of Humankind. This makes Eartherian society somewhat
disquieting at first; we simply cannot understand it and are therefore suspicious of it. We
ihhabit a society in which appearances are deceiving and everything that appears to be
truly wonderful is usually just a mirage. Regardless of the present state of the planet
Earth, it is easily apparent that Mu's planet Earth is one of peace, longevity, knowledge,
love, safety, harmony, and the reconciliation of the will of the individual with the needs of
the collective. Whether one chooses to view this perfection as desirable or regard it with
suspicion in their hearts is, quite simply, irrelevant. For better or for worse, the fact
remains that the Eartherians of the future are the ideal Human race inhabiting a planet
perfectly suited for the needs and desires of Humankind.
| Ian M. Harris Bloomingdale Senior High School Valrico, FL "An Analysis of the Perfection of Future Eartherian Society" |
| © Copyright 2004-2008 by Avar Press. All rights reserved. Copyright of the individual essays belongs to the respective writer and may not be reproduced in any fashion without express written permission from each author. Interested parties may contact the author via their high school or by sending correspondence to Avar Press. |
| Third Place $300.00 Scholarship 2007 |
