Ch. 4: Ideals
Halo got her fingers set and was on her way home. Then she saw him again, the tall man with the blue eyes. His arm was still in a sling.
They made eye contact and began approaching one another.
Morningstar gestured toward Halo’s left hand. “I see the fracturalists have visited you. I am sorry.”
“Well, I didn’t really feel the actual breaking. I was knocked out.”
Morningstar smiled. “People usually resist at first. I did too. Actually, I did the first couple of times. But those notes about the brain damage stopped me. Now I just take it.”
“Take it like a man, huh?”
Morningstar shrugged and smiled. “Whatever that means. How else could I take it? I’m a man.”
“Look, I wanted to talk to you more,” said Halo. “About this whole thing. I talked to some people in the ER, and this one woman, she didn’t really have anything to say. She just said we have to get our bones broken because that’s the way it is. And this other guy, he said we had to have fractures or else we wouldn’t have any nice things. What did he mean?”
“Do you have time to go for a walk?” asked Morningstar.
“Yes.” She fell into step beside him. They began walking.
“See those are two very common reactions to living in the fracturalist system. People either just don’t think about it or they assume that this is the way it has to be in order to have a good life. People aren’t necessarily happy about it, it’s just something that’s there—kind of like we aren’t unhappy with gravity or with respiration, it’s just something that’s there. Some people are happy with it, I guess. The fracturalists for instance.”
Halo made a disgusted face. “I think that’s vile. I don’t know how somebody could go breaking somebody’s bones. I think those people are horrible. I hate that man who came to visit me. How could you treat another person that way? I just can’t wrap my mind around it.”
“It’s simple, the fracturalists don’t look at the people whose bones they break as people. You are just a means to an end—they want to get out of getting their bones broken, the way to do it is by breaking the bones of another person, so they do what they have to do. They act in their own self-interest, that is their highest calling, so if it means breaking a young lady’s fingers, they break a young lady’s fingers. But trust me, they aren’t looking at you as a young lady, they are looking at your fingers that need to be broken to get what they want.”
“I don’t get it though,” said Halo. “We have to have our bones broken to have nice things?
What kind of equation is that? Does that happen everywhere?”
“Of course not,” Morningstar shook his head. “There are many places where people have nice things and don’t get their bones broken.”
“Well then why do we do it here?”
Morningstar looked at her and she thought that his face was very beautiful. “I am not exactly sure. I think the fracturalists are afraid of losing their power. People like power, right?”
“Yes,” said Halo.
“So they like to make people believe that the fractures are necessary. They want to stay in power. If they do it another way, they no longer have the power.”
“Why don’t people just throw them out of power?”
“Because,” said Morningstar, “Most people are afraid to think of a different way of life. Like that poor man you met today. He really thinks that he won’t have any nice things if he doesn’t get his bones broken.”
Halo was frustrated and walked faster. Morningstar walked faster to keep up with her. “He doesn’t know about other places where they do it differently?”
“Maybe. You have to understand though, the fracturalists and the people in power are very convincing in saying that in those other places the people aren’t free and don’t have nice things. I assume that the fracturalist talked to you about freedom of choice.”
“Oh yes, several times. He told me he I had the freedom to choose whether to let him in or have the door be kicked down.”
Morningstar laughed. “Ah, yes. That’s a good one. And the voting in the spring, that’s another good joke. You can vote on all of these things, but you can’t vote to change the system. You can vote on the tree branches but not the tree root. And they will tell you that in places where people don’t get their bones broken, they don’t have freedom of choice. That frightens people, so they submit to the fractures. And then of course there’s the old nice things argument. Both of them are completely untrue, but they do a good job of keeping people complacent and not protesting too much about getting their bones broken.”
“Are the other places far away? Where people don’t get their bones broken?”
“Not so far,” said Morningstar.
“How come you have stayed here then?”
“A good question,” said Morningstar, “And the answer is that I don’t only care about my bones. I care about other people’s bones too. Of course I would like to run away to a place that does not operate under a fracturalist system, but that would just leave the problem for everybody who didn’t come with me.” Morningstar sighed. “Maybe someday I will just leave and save myself, but that’s not really my style. I would rather try to save everyone else too.”
“That is very nice of you,” said Halo.
“I don’t know if nice is the word,” said Morningstar. “That’s just what I think is right.”
Halo got her fingers set and was on her way home. Then she saw him again, the tall man with the blue eyes. His arm was still in a sling.
They made eye contact and began approaching one another.
Morningstar gestured toward Halo’s left hand. “I see the fracturalists have visited you. I am sorry.”
“Well, I didn’t really feel the actual breaking. I was knocked out.”
Morningstar smiled. “People usually resist at first. I did too. Actually, I did the first couple of times. But those notes about the brain damage stopped me. Now I just take it.”
“Take it like a man, huh?”
Morningstar shrugged and smiled. “Whatever that means. How else could I take it? I’m a man.”
“Look, I wanted to talk to you more,” said Halo. “About this whole thing. I talked to some people in the ER, and this one woman, she didn’t really have anything to say. She just said we have to get our bones broken because that’s the way it is. And this other guy, he said we had to have fractures or else we wouldn’t have any nice things. What did he mean?”
“Do you have time to go for a walk?” asked Morningstar.
“Yes.” She fell into step beside him. They began walking.
“See those are two very common reactions to living in the fracturalist system. People either just don’t think about it or they assume that this is the way it has to be in order to have a good life. People aren’t necessarily happy about it, it’s just something that’s there—kind of like we aren’t unhappy with gravity or with respiration, it’s just something that’s there. Some people are happy with it, I guess. The fracturalists for instance.”
Halo made a disgusted face. “I think that’s vile. I don’t know how somebody could go breaking somebody’s bones. I think those people are horrible. I hate that man who came to visit me. How could you treat another person that way? I just can’t wrap my mind around it.”
“It’s simple, the fracturalists don’t look at the people whose bones they break as people. You are just a means to an end—they want to get out of getting their bones broken, the way to do it is by breaking the bones of another person, so they do what they have to do. They act in their own self-interest, that is their highest calling, so if it means breaking a young lady’s fingers, they break a young lady’s fingers. But trust me, they aren’t looking at you as a young lady, they are looking at your fingers that need to be broken to get what they want.”
“I don’t get it though,” said Halo. “We have to have our bones broken to have nice things?
What kind of equation is that? Does that happen everywhere?”
“Of course not,” Morningstar shook his head. “There are many places where people have nice things and don’t get their bones broken.”
“Well then why do we do it here?”
Morningstar looked at her and she thought that his face was very beautiful. “I am not exactly sure. I think the fracturalists are afraid of losing their power. People like power, right?”
“Yes,” said Halo.
“So they like to make people believe that the fractures are necessary. They want to stay in power. If they do it another way, they no longer have the power.”
“Why don’t people just throw them out of power?”
“Because,” said Morningstar, “Most people are afraid to think of a different way of life. Like that poor man you met today. He really thinks that he won’t have any nice things if he doesn’t get his bones broken.”
Halo was frustrated and walked faster. Morningstar walked faster to keep up with her. “He doesn’t know about other places where they do it differently?”
“Maybe. You have to understand though, the fracturalists and the people in power are very convincing in saying that in those other places the people aren’t free and don’t have nice things. I assume that the fracturalist talked to you about freedom of choice.”
“Oh yes, several times. He told me he I had the freedom to choose whether to let him in or have the door be kicked down.”
Morningstar laughed. “Ah, yes. That’s a good one. And the voting in the spring, that’s another good joke. You can vote on all of these things, but you can’t vote to change the system. You can vote on the tree branches but not the tree root. And they will tell you that in places where people don’t get their bones broken, they don’t have freedom of choice. That frightens people, so they submit to the fractures. And then of course there’s the old nice things argument. Both of them are completely untrue, but they do a good job of keeping people complacent and not protesting too much about getting their bones broken.”
“Are the other places far away? Where people don’t get their bones broken?”
“Not so far,” said Morningstar.
“How come you have stayed here then?”
“A good question,” said Morningstar, “And the answer is that I don’t only care about my bones. I care about other people’s bones too. Of course I would like to run away to a place that does not operate under a fracturalist system, but that would just leave the problem for everybody who didn’t come with me.” Morningstar sighed. “Maybe someday I will just leave and save myself, but that’s not really my style. I would rather try to save everyone else too.”
“That is very nice of you,” said Halo.
“I don’t know if nice is the word,” said Morningstar. “That’s just what I think is right.”
