Chapter 2.
Alone in his berth, Amon pondered this most recent unfolding of events. He felt conflicted. He had been reluctant to insert himself into this seemingly useless exercise. His intellect told him that his civilization had reached its zenith, and that decline was inevitable. Even Abdullah, for all his efforts to prevent a confrontation, was in fact unknowingly facilitating escalation. His efforts to keep the Arab tribes un-organized had only encouraged the war lords to become more unpredictable. The thwarted attack by the Chinese would only encourage them to escalate. The military forces controlled by the North-American Conglomerate were his to command only so long as his war lords continued to supply them with petroleum. The Russians would continue to compete with the Chinese and would take advantage of any opportunity they saw. The failed attack in the Netherlands would surely been seen as just such an opportunity.
In his heart he could not honestly believe that his race would allow this to happen. During his life on Earth, and during his visits with space-faring races he had witnessed first hand the inherent goodness of his species. In the face of adversity they had always managed to rise above selfishness and pettiness. They had managed to transform deficits like self-doubt and fear into assets such as confidence and resolve. It was these attributes which persuaded him that he must not, himself, give in to his frustrations.
Evander had warned him this would be a difficult decision to make. Not all parties involved would be willing to participate in such an overt show of hands. It was for this reason that he had relented to return one last time to try and bridge the gap that had separated so many of his race for so long.
Until now he had always played a ‘behind the scenes’ roll. It had always been difficult for him to hold back in the face of such obvious folly, but over the centuries he had learned that restraint usually yielded better results than more overt methods. People were, pragmatists when faced with tough decisions. They tended to band together, to gain strength from one another, to strive for consensus. This was, after all, how communities and even nations were built. Unity, self-sacrifice, patriotism, all were looked upon as virtues, especially in the face of less than desirable alternatives.
He had also learned that politics is the bedfellow of pragmatism, and that both are blood sports. Practically speaking, when one’s neck is nearing the noose, ones politics takes on a more personal importance.
Civilization was becoming more uncivilized. World leaders knew it, and no individual or group had been able to do much to prevent it.
More importantly, many had seen the unravelling coming and had turned it to their personal advantage, profiting from it at the expense of the population as a whole.
Many others (the so-called “moral majority”) had also seen the change coming, but had been unwilling to do much, if anything, to stop it. That was what Amon had been afraid of. He had spent his whole life trying to help his world progress. But of late he had become increasingly fearful that, despite his efforts, things were continuing to deteriorate.
It seemed that the world had been turned upside down. Moral standards which had served mankind so well for millennia had now become subject to negotiation. Honorable men and women were increasingly subjected to undo scrutiny and ridicule. Rather than stand up for the right, they had opted to remain silent, hoping to avoid criticism. It seemed that the world as a whole had become timid and complacent, bending to the dictates of a vocal minority for the sake of “getting along.”
Politics had become defined as the “art of compromise.” Instead of taking the moral high ground and standing firm, politicians had opted to secure their own station and standing, living to fight another day, so to speak, essentially giving in without outwardly seeming to do so. That attitude was inherently flawed because compromise meant taking a step down, while moral turpitude was not required to do likewise.