The Light Calls
Nate Milton
The golden sand sparkles in the brilliant sunlight. The
radiant beams hit the calm waves which magnify the fervent light.
Content and overjoyed, many birds fly high overhead. On the
beach, an annoying crab approaches an ostrich, coercing the
grounded bird to hide its head in a hole in the sand. Paralyzed
with fear, the mammoth bird, although huge in comparison to the
attacking crab, buries its head in the cold, wet sand, hoping
that the feeble but ominous assailant will leave. Comfortable
with its dreary hiding place, the large, awkward bird remains
buried its entire life, never experiencing the comforting life
which the light produces. Because the bird is intimidated by this
minuscule but threatening crab, the never-ending cycle of fear
continues. Much like this frightened bird and the citizens of
Flatland, humans prefer to continue their comfortable, dull lives
of conformity instead of seeing the brilliant light which
diversity brings.
Determined to retain control and to avoid change, the leaders
kill and physically hurt irregular citizens of Flatland to scare
the public into conformity. "For the interests of the Greater
Many," the government assigns guards to punish openly the
irregulars that threaten the security of the world (24).
Brutally showing their might, the guards comb the streets of
Flatland in search of irregulars who mighr disrupt their
otherwise peaceful and undisturbed society. Once the guardians
of tradition find an offender, the show, graphic and vulgar,
frightens citizens back into their protective shells of
conformity. "If [the figure] is found to exceed the fixed
margin of deviation," the government officials or guards destroy
the misfit without compromise (24). Through this brutal display
of intolerance, the leaders with the help ofthe guards
discourage individuality clearly. Paralyzed with fear, every
figure attempts to conform and to disregard his untraditional
principles or beliefs.
In the lands of the living shadows, the leaders also use
alienation to destroy irregulars emotionally, discouraging
individuality among the masses. If an irregular shape escapes
death at the hands of the government, the leaders limit the
misfit's interaction within society; the peculiarity will never
have an opportunity to destroy the precious traditions which have
placed leadership in the hands of the circles. To scare regular
figures, the high priests prevent irregulars "from marriage"
(24). This awful punishment scares all regular shapes; they crawl
further into their uncomfortable but safe hideaway.
The leaders portray irregulars as lonely misfits with
unfulfilled lives. The govnnment employs these non-conformists in
worthless "government offices working for a "minimal stipend"
(24). All shapes want acknowledgment, a name, and status. By
rebelling against the laws which restrict the irregulars from
living, the regular figures would be taking tremendously
unnecessary risks. The selfish figures examine their choices.
Each one's conclusion: the victim is not he, so the figure
continues to live in fear. His dank hole in the ground keeps him
happy enough to live. No one wants to realize the tremendous
benefits of speaking out against injustices. Life continues in
the dull, lifeless world with neither purpose nor hope. The
same, depressing tale continues in the real world. The guards
protecting American society, the media destroy irregulars by
portraying them as lunatics and angry threats to the safety of a
nation. The media love to pick unfair fights, especially with the
free-thinking psychotics who want to save animals. Every picture
that a medium publishes shows angry mobs of fed-up activists, not
showing that they care about the environment. The West, an
excellent place for wildlife to build their homes, also is a
rich source of money for the American government. Abuse of the
environment through logging and mining destroys millions of homes
for these innocent creatures. A few years ago, the government,
letting no group stand in its way, decided to ravage thousands of
acres in Oregon for a few precious dollars. Realizing the threat
to an endangered owl which lives in this area, an environmental
groupa arose to the unfair fight. The government first used the
media to butcher the reputations of these nuisances. The media
began to chop at the public's view of the caring group. They
printed article upon article detailing the awful lives that
these people are going through because ofthis matter. The public
become apathetic and disinterested in the matter. No one arises
to defend these people because each citizen says, "This does not
affect me. Why should I risk my polished reputation for this one
group? The issue is irrelevant." The media regroups and charges
for the kill. Next, focus on the profits which this destructive
project will create for the government. Beaten with criticism and
rejection from the media, the group begins to yield, killed by
the images portrayed by the media and blindly accepted by the
public. Rejoicing in another victory, the media flex their
muscles to discourage other groups. The depressed and ignorant
public see the futility of resistance. Dejected, they bury their
heads further into the soft sands to ignore the pain of the
hopeless world.
To fit in, the citizens of Flatland blindly accept the
judgements of the leaders and help to persecute the irregulars.
Full of fear and anger, figures in Flatland see these irregulars
as scapegoats. The harmful spotlight never hits the regulars as
long as they blindly persecute these obvious monsters. The
leaders demand the citizens not to question but to accept blindly
the government's percipience. The main character and an average
citizen, A. Square views persecution of irregulars as a necessary
aspect to society (24). "Very plausible reasoning," he remarks
when he considers the way that society treats irregulars (24).
"If a man with a triangular front and a polygonal back were
allowed to exist and to propagate a still more Irregular
posterity, what would become of the arts of life?" (24). This
average citizen shows his dedication to the laws composed by
tradition and the rulers.
To avoid not only persecution but also insecurity, the
ignorant figures support the judgements of rulers by helping to
point out these freaks. The needs of the "greater number
require" that an irregular not live a normal, easy life (24).
Obviously, the sand tastes very sweet to Arthur. The normal
figures mock the irregulars and laugh at their strange and
ridiculous outlooks on life. Convinced that not conforming means
death, citizens heavily persecute irregulars to fit in. The fear
of death or pain echoes within the head of every shape. "In some
states, where an infant whose angle deviates by half a degree
from the correct angularity," the leaders immediately destroy
the monster (25). This innate fear controls the regular shapes of
Flatland and compels them to hate and to hurt irregulars, not
realizing that they also hurt themselves. They remain in their
hopeless hole, unaware of the brilliant light waiting to keep
them warm.
The government singles out dangerous groups and encourages
the easily influenced society to help destroy them. Because
women no longer accept their assigned place in society, the
government sends in the troops to tear apart the ranks which
threaten tradition and society. By challenging leaders'
authority and the traditional roles which oppress certain groups,
feminists have been labeled "irregular" after the media carefully
measured most but not all of their sides for the benefit ofthe
public. The guards who protect the three-dimensional world, the
media, enter the fight with shimmering armor made of fool's gold.
Singling out NOW, Rush Limbaugh, a puppet of the Republican
party, terrorizes every woman who demands equality and other
basic human rights. Other media join in the valiant fight against
this common enemy to tradition. They air one-sided stories on
the dangers that these groups pose to society. They continually
frighten citizens into believing their negative propaganda. The
annoying crab approaches with negative press and mean
expressions, spooking the public into the tiny, dark hole.
The fearful society joins in to help with the slaughter. With
laughter Rush encourages his mindless drone followers of self-
proclaimed regulars to assist him in destroying the irregular
feminazis. By mocking the abilities of women, Limbaugh pulverizes
these psychotic terrorists who plan to ruin the basis of
American society, its tradition. This degradation encourages his
audiences to dig their fearful holes deeper, which blocks any
interference from that annoying light of freedom. Like the
German citizens during the Second World War, the people follow,
not realizing that they are killing their friends and
endangering themselves. Limbaugh, recognizing that these women
"exceed the fixed margin of deviation," uses the public,
desperate for acceptance and fearful of persecution, to destroy
these "immoral, licentious" misfits (27). Taught to be
intolerant towards larger vision, humans feel the cold but
familiar sand surrounding them; tremendous opportunities pass by
them.
Unfortunately, the citizens of Flatland will never see the
light, unable to transcend either their situation or their
paralyzing fear. The need for a false sense of security leads the
frightened figures of Flatland to follow the narrow-minded will
of a petrified ruler. Irregulars threaten society through
change. Without someone to stand up and demand change, a society
remains stagnant and stuck in the hole dug by their long dead
ancestors. Irregulars bring hope through new knowledge and
ideas. Often, leaders fear irregulars because they speak the
truth. Arthur, a born-again irregular through his experiences,
tells of a new way of living and striving to live right and not
to fear the unknown, but to bring it into the open, explore it,
and to learn from it. They will always rely on logic and
tradition, ignoring faith and ideas based not on fact. Flatland
will remain without light forever.
However, not all humans act as the citizens of Flatland do
towards irregulars. The ultimate irregular, Jesus Christ was
accepted by some people in his times. Although the high priests
protested and hated his mission, many persecuted Christians
followed the lead of this Earth-shattering man. This meddling
being who spoke the truth lifted his followers from their dark
holes and led them to the light that all humans need. Joy and
hope emanated from his teachings,and millions rose above their
fears ofthe government. Unlike the citizens of Flatland, they
experienced an incredible peace and were able to protest against
an oppressive government that held them captive. This irregular
man who changed the focus of millions from tradition to
compassion enraged the circles of his time. They declared Jesus
as a tremendous threat to tradition and the sanctity of the
Synagogues. The high priests, bright red with anger, sent
assassins after this irregular because they proclaimed that
irregularity was evil. However, without this meddlesome
irregular, an entire race would perish. Diversity is a gift of
God which enlightens man to other ideas and opportunities.
The only sinless man, Jesus then died to bring hope to the
masses. Through salvation, Christ gives hope and meaning to a
society without purpose or fervor, allowing its members to
escape from the world of Flatland. Even through Jesus' death and
persecution, some today still refuse to accept this light of the
ages. Refusing to leave the damp hole which has kept them safe
so far, humans are not only afraid but also skeptical of anything
that challenges their set ideas. To continue to live in the
safe hole dug by their ancestors, people refuse to find this
righteous man. They reject irregularity and faith to remain in
the dark, but familiar hole.
The light shines even today. Does the dank sand compare to
the brilliant light which awaits to save every frightened bird?
Christ gives a hopeless world the opportunity to sprout the
wings of an eagle through salvation; he makes them able to float
over the tiny crab which at one time seemed dangerous. Now
able to soar over issues and to see all points of the arguments
through the confidence of Jesus Christ, the eagle no longer
disregards the issues, but he fights for the just causes. Who
will ignore the brilliant star over Bethlehem which makes the
beach sparkle radiantly? The blinding light and open sky call
everyone's name. Who will follow?
Rev 12/96