Many months had passed since I began ruling in exile. One day as I walked throughout the occupied lands I began to feel disillusioned. For the first time in a long while, I was at a loss as to what I should do next. Considering what I had seen I could no longer pretend to myself that animalism was the truth. But what could I do? I had already invested so much of myself into it. I emptied myself of wants and desires and replaced this with the tenets of animalism. That’s how convinced I was that I had found the truth. I couldn’t start over could I? But I had no other option because I also couldn’t live a lie. On the other hand, what would I start over with? I thought, “If animalism is false, does it stand to reason that its diametrically opposed counter philosophy specieism must be true? Specieism is such an abhorrent philosophy but its adherents seemed to be so sincere. And maybe what they say about blood and genes is true at least to some extent. Nevertheless something in my gut is telling me that specieism is not the answer. After all this time should I now start to listen to my gut instead of my head?” As I walked and pondered over what to do next loud sobbing interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see that I was standing near the cliff overlooking the Lumpenproleterian Valley. Standing at the edge was a small cat that I understood had the sole intent of jumping and ending his life. He was an average looking shorthaired domestic cat with black fur and yellowish-green eyes. I said, “Don’t do it! Please just step away from the edge and we can talk about it. Without even looking at me he replied, “I’m fine right where I am. This decision wasn’t made on a whim. A lot of thought went into this decision and this is how it has to be.” Temporarily forgetting all of my own problems I became completely committed to rescuing this cat from making such a permanent decision. For some reason, I felt as if it were my duty to save him. As strange as it may seem I felt as if somehow I was responsible for his decision to commit suicide. I said, “If your going to jump anyways, what harm could come from engaging in one last conversation before you check out? My name is Christopher. What’s your name?” He looked over at me and said, “I’m Stanley.” Slowly I approached Stanley but he stomped his paws along the edge of the cliff. As rocks became dislodged and plummeted miles below he shouted, “That’s far enough! Come any closer and I’ll jump! I’m not kidding!” I stepped back a little. “Alright. I just wanted to make sure you could hear me clearly.” He responded, “I can hear you just fine where you are.” I said, “Stanley, please tell me your story. What brought you to this point?” Stanley laughed bitterly and said, “My story is not unique. My father walked out on my mother and I before I was born. This should have been my first clue that I was worthless. If my own father couldn’t even stand to be around me, then why would anyone else? I am average in every respect. I have accepted the fact that my life has no purpose. However I didn’t always know this. From the time I was a kitten my mother taught me that I was special. She said I was destined for greatness. I wanted to make her proud so as soon as I was old enough I joined the youth core of Zarathustra’s regiment. We were taught the basic values of specieism. It taught that the elite will naturally rise to the top and a system was created to efficiently allow this process to happen. If I were destined for greatness I reasoned, then this would be the perfect environment to reveal my destiny.” He paused and sighed deeply before continuing, “As is expected from a loser, I failed. But that failure carried consequences. I was placed in the cannon fodder division. My assignment was to dig holes to bury the fodder from the front line. I wasn’t even worthy to engage in the battle.” He anxiously rubbed his forehead. “I’ve seen dreadful things on the field.” Stanley continued. “Because of what I’ve seen, I was no longer able to sleep. When I brought this problem to my commanding officer he gave me something that he said would help me to sleep and forget about what I had seen. It was nip. He was right. It did make me forget. When I was on nip my past didn’t seem to matter and I could forget the truth about what I am.” With sullen eyes he peered down into the canyon. “Nothing seemed to matter but the future and that was not written yet. Nip became my best friend but it has turned out to be a false friend. Many years have passed since I have been exiled to Lumpenproleteria but the one thing that has followed me is my addiction to nip. The decision I made to jump is the only way I can see to break the cycle of my addiction.” As Stanley talked I was listening to him but at the same time certain ideas were solidifying in my mind. My previous problem of what philosophy of life I should adopt suddenly became clear as crystal. I said, “Stanley, what if I told you there was another way. Your addiction is the only way you have found to run away from the pain of what you did. When you are clean, feelings begin to surface that condemn you. You aren’t ready to forgive yourself so you run away. Trust me I know all about running away from negative feelings and desperately clinging to whatever seems to be a solution.” I had Stanley’s full attention now and he began stepping back from the edge to be able to hear me better. He asked, “What did you do to be able to stop running?” I replied, “Well… I’m still running.” Stanley looked back towards the edge of the cliff and asked, “Then why should I listen to you? If anything, you should get in line after me and jump yourself.” I said, “I’m not going to jump because I think I just found a reason to stop running.” My eyes widened a little as I said, “Stanley we’ve been lied to. It’s not our fault that we’ve gone down the wrong path. We were given faulty information. But having recognized this, it is our responsibility to course correct.” His eyes filling with tears Stanley shouted, “Don’t you think I’ve tried? Again and again I’ve tried and failed so I’m done trying!” Pleadingly I extended my paw and said, “Try one more time. I think I’ve come up with the solution but I can’t do it on my own. Please, take a leap of faith with me. What have you got to lose? If it doesn’t work the cliff will still be here.” Reluctantly Stanley walked over to me and clutched my paw. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll give it another shot. What is your solution?” As I opened my mouth to speak Chauncey ran up to us panting heavily. He said, “Commander, I’ve been looking all over for you. We’ve gotten orders from The Marshall to reinforce his troops along the western front. Apparently this position is of extreme importance to both Zarathustra and Socrates. It is being rumored that whoever possesses this key position could be in a position to end the war. From the desperation of the fighting I believe these rumors to be true.” In his signature manner Chauncey paced back and forth in front of us then stopped suddenly looking at me with alert eyes. “Just imagine sir, you will be responsible for ending the war just like the prophesy said you would.” Smiling I said to Chauncey, “If the Marshall is expecting troops than we’d better not disappoint him.” I looked at Stanley and said, “You wanted to hear about my solution? Well you’re about to witness it!”
With resolution I marched along with Stanley and Chauncey towards Fostoria. Unexpectedly I noticed that as we walked our numbers were steadily growing. Without even being given an explanation for the march animals from every species wild and domesticated joined our ranks. Before long I was leading a great army across Fostoria’s border. When we arrived at the purge site, Truth and Justice were on hand waiting to meet us. They wore defiant faces but I could tell they were greatly surprised at the size of my volunteer army. Truth spoke first. “Speak of the devil. We were wondering what had become of you. We thought maybe you had defected and joined Zarathustra.” I knew this was a lie. They knew as well as I did that Socrates was aware of the power struggle that was occurring in Fostoria. If I had gone over to the speciests he would never have allowed Chauncey and Rizzo to have been freed and given government posts. However I decided not to call him out on it. I would play their game. “No. I’m still here,” I responded. “I was told we had a job to do! Its time to put an end to this war and finish these speciests off!” Truth and Justice seemed to be confused by my words. With their eyes they tried to read me and figure out my angle. But I could tell they were coming up empty. The expressions on their faces betrayed that they had no idea what t
o expect from me. Animals began emerging from all sides of the territory and began occupying the purge site as news had quickly spread of my arrival in Fostoria. Truth, Justice and their troops suddenly found themselves surrounded and outnumbered fifty to one. Addressing my growing ranks I declared, “Marshal Niccolo has asked us to reinforce him! I say its time we showed Socrates and Zarathustra the true size of our army! We’re not just going to reinforce Niccolo! I say we flood Lumpenproleteria with the full force of our troops and handle the speciests ourselves! Who is with me?” The roar of support that was raised at this time was so great that it rocked the forest. Chants of ‘Great is Christopher the ruler of Fostoria!’ began to be sung. The feared stampede that Justice had warned me about seemed to be occurring. However it was not the chaotic picture that he painted. The animals began running zealously towards Lumpenproletria ready to vent out all of the frustrations they had been suppressing for the past year. Endless streams of animals burst into the occupied lands and began flooding its banks. Unexpectedly, countless Lumpens joined themselves to the invading masses and the advancing army grew to outnumber the forces of Hannibal and Niccolo combined. I admit I didn’t even know this number of animals existed in Fostoria and Lumpenproleteria. A new fear began to overtake me as I looked back on the avalanche I had created. I began to fear that I had created something that was now out of my control. Yet, when I halted marching towards the battle the advancing masses also halted. The multitudes gradually quieted as they awaited my instructions. We had advanced from the south, so before us to the northeast stood Niccolo and his armies facing Hannibal and his armies who were positioned northwest of us. Both armies stood motionless riddled with expectation as to what this new event signified. I lifted my arm toward the northwest and ordered my armies to attack. Overwhelmed with the immense number of my hordes Hannibal ordered his troops to fall back. I could see Niccolo smiling as he expected the Union of Animals to soon control all of Cuyamonga. We eventually pushed Hannibal’s troops back over the border to Cuyamonga. After we had accomplished this feat I did something that surprised both sides. I ordered the advance to halt. I decided that we would not be invading Cuyamonga at this time. Leaving sufficient forces behind to guard the border, we then returned to meet Niccolo who was at this point livid. “Why didn’t you invade Cuyamonga?” he shouted. “Victory was in our grasp and you let it slip away! Socrates will not be pleased!” I responded, “I’m afraid Socrates will have to be content for now with what he’s already conquered. Maybe now with the speciest distraction removed he can focus his attention on bringing about real equality in the Union.” Suddenly realizing what was occurring, a look of disappointment grew on Niccolo’s face. “Don’t do this Christopher,” he warned. “Once you go down this road there is no turning back.” After a brief reflection on my mentor’s warning, I replied, “I know.” Niccolo gradually began to smile bearing all of his teeth in his signature manner. Without another word, he turned and motioned for his troops to fall back. Escorted by my immense army, Niccolo and his troops slowly marched eastward towards Kliev.
Chapter 9 - Humanity has won it's battle. Liberty now has a country - Marquis de Lafayette
The next few days were marked with intense celebration. We of course placed troops on the borders of Fostoria and Lumpenproleteria as our enemies were expected to mount a counter offensive at any time. I at once issued a decree freeing all of the animals within the borders of Lupenproleteria and Fostoria. Upon my return to Fostoria I found out that my newly freed citizens had taken the liberty of rounding up Truth, Justice and any other animal they perceived as a threat to their liberty gathering them in the shelter to await judgment. As soon as they saw me, the Siamese twins threw themselves at my feet and begged for a speedy execution. “Please do not exile us from your borders!” pleaded Truth. “You have no idea what the Union is capable of! Please just finish us off and have done with it!” “Stand up!” I ordered. “No one is being finished off or exiled. You are welcome to stay for as long as you want. You can remain free citizens if you are willing to follow the laws of the land. But if you want to leave no one is forcing you to stay.” This news shocked everyone in the shelter. Rizzo, Chauncey and Bruno just to mention a few, were among those who had suffered at the claws of the Union. They were all looking forward to taking out their revenge on the prisoners. Rizzo exclaimed, “Commander! You mean you’re not going to purge us of these rebels? This is madness! If they are freed we’ll soon find ourselves in even worse conditions than before.” Chauncey added, “I’m afraid I agree with Rizzo, Great One. I’ve never seen a successful society created without first purging itself of agitators.” I motioned for silence. “That’s enough,” I replied. I was bursting with confidence over what we’d achieved. I felt that at this point anything was possible for us. I turned to address my citizens. “Don’t you all see that we’re on the brink of something truly great here? We have the opportunity to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. This chance may never come again! We can go on and repeat the same mistakes that have led animalkind into ruin for as long as anyone can remember or we can break the cycle! Perhaps some of you have never made mistakes but I’ve made plenty. I’m willing to bury the past if you are. In this way I believe that together we can build a beautiful future for all animals!” My words appeared to have moved everyone in attendance. A dry eye could not be seen from any of the animals present and that included Truth and Justice. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined these two stone cold authoritarians moved to tears but that’s what I witnessed. Gradually their hard faces softened into a look of dismay. From dismay to repentance. From repentance to tears of joy. They began kissing my paws and swearing loyalty to the new emperor of Fostoria. I of course did not like this. It smacked of the old way of doing things. I remembered that Lumpenproleteria was a name given to the occupied lands by others. But these animals were now equal to those in Fostoria so I decided that a new name was necessary. I would remove the border and form one large territory. We went back and forth over the topic of what we should call this new territory. Many suggestions were raised and many were dismissed. Finally I remembered a conversation that had taken place between Vlad and myself. He remarked that my ideas were radical and then he labeled them with a word I had never heard before. What was it? Utopian? I suggested to the other animals that we name our new land Utopia and they readily accepted it. The fact that I was now a great military leader and my opinions held sway might have had something to do with this. At any rate one major decision was complete. I decided that since all of the citizens of Utopia were equals, they should all have an equal share in all the decision-making. I remembered the new idea that I had introduced to my former colleagues in the Union of Animals, that of reasoning directly with our citizens. With that in mind I took Chauncey Bruno and Stanley and we ventured out into the land. Our objective was to make sure that everyone was aware of his or her new responsibilities and also to find out just what prosperous direction our new nation was headed in. To my great joy the first citizen we chanced upon was none other than Molly. She had her back turned but I was sure it was she. With butterflies in my stomach I called out to her. As she turned my eyes widened in horror. She had an expression on her face that signaled she was angry with me but that’s not what was so alarming. My countenance suddenly fell as I came to the realization that Molly was heavy with child. Flustered I exclaimed, “Molly! You’re pregnant?” Taken aback she replied, “Yes. But what business is it of yours anyways? I heard rumors you were telling animals that we were a couple. As far as I know Christopher we are just friends.” I was mortified. I stammered, “Yes…I never…” Molly continued, “Now that that’s cleared up, what is this news spreading like wildfire throughout the Union that you have denounced animalism and are now a speciest traitor? What in the world is going on?” I still couldn’t get over the fact that Molly was pregnant. I thought, “This is terrible. My future dreams are now dashed to pieces… Or are they? She said we are still friends.
That could change at any time. Right? If I play my cards right we could still end up together… But she will have children from some other cat… That’s not her fault. I can’t hold that against her. We weren’t official. Everyone is entitled to make mistakes. I’ve sure made my share of mistakes.” These thoughts flashed through my mind as I tried to regain my composure. “No… I haven’t…Utopia is a true egalitarian state!” In the background I could hear my comrades whispering, “Who is this?” Another responded, “It must be his girlfriend.” “Utopia?” cried out Molly. “What is Utopia?” Nervously I replied, “That’s the name of our new state. Why don’t you stay here with us for a while and then you can judge for yourself. You have a family to think about now. Wouldn’t it be nice to bring up your young ones in a territory free of corruption?” She placed her paws on her belly and said, “I do want that. Bringing them up in a world of equality is all I’ve ever wanted.” Seeing my opportunity to sway her I added, “You don’t have to give me an answer right now. Just promise me you’ll think about it.” After some time she acquiesced, with my assurances that I would do everything in my power to maintain equality. We soon departed from Molly but I was left with mixed feelings. I was still feeling the high off of our recent achievements, however the news that Molly was pregnant with some other cat’s children depressed me a little. The next animals we ran into were a group of former Lumpens. I called out to them, “Hello free citizens! Is all well?” An elderly fox replied, “How can all be well as long as we are under occupation? You foreigners draw lines all over our land, steal our resources…” Turning to his companion he continued, “…and he has the nerve to ask if all is well.” Alarmed I pleaded, “Good citizen, those days are behind you now! You are now in control of your own future!” Puzzled they began to look at one another. The fox said, “If that’s true then I demand more food to eat and a more comfortable place to sleep.” Another voice cried out, “And I don’t want to work twelve hour days. In fact I don’t want to work anymore. I’ve worked enough already.” I replied, “You shall have all of your rights rendered to you. Remember, you are in charge.” A look of pride began to glimmer in the eyes of these citizens and this made my heart rejoice. At the same time, my comrades began to look worried. We left these citizens behind and continued on our way. To my great joy the next citizen we came across was my new mentor the old St. Bernard. Leaving the others, I ran up to him and embraced him. “Finally someone is happy to see me,” I thought. “Did you hear what I did?” I asked excitedly. Smiling, the old dog responded, “Well, I heard something of it. But I’m not sure what it means. You’ve broken away from the Union?” With beaming eyes I replied, “Yes!” After a pause the St Bernard asked, “So what now?” “Now?” I repeated excitedly. “Now we live in peace! Now we accomplish what everyone else has only talked about!” Gradually the old dog’s smiling face conveyed a look of concern. “Christopher,” he said. “Are you sure you know what your doing?” I was a little taken aback. I was sure that he, of all animals would have been supportive about what I was doing. I responded, “I’m just doing what you told me to do.” Confused he said, “I never told you to start a revolution. All I said was that you had to make your own decisions.” In anger I raised my voice. “And this is my decision!” My mentor as well as my comrades was startled by this outburst. To tell you the truth I was startled myself. I don’t know what came over me. It was almost as if someone else were speaking through me. I quickly apologized for the outburst but as I was doing this, Rizzo came running towards us. “Commander! Troops are being mobilized near our border!” Alarmed I shouted, “Which border?” To my terror he responded, “Both borders! Hannibal’s troops are assembling on the western border and Niccolo’s troops are assembling on our eastern side!” In desperation I called for a messenger pigeon. I said to him, “Deliver the following message to the chairman of this past year’s peace conference. A new nation has been born from the ruins of Fostoria and Lumpenproleteria. The name of this nation is Utopia. Its citizens are peaceful animals. We want nothing more but to live in peace with our neighbors. Unfortunately this peace is being threatened by the unprovoked aggression of Cuyamonga to the west and the Union of Animals to the east. We call on the world to help us prevent this situation from spiraling out of control.” After dismissing the messenger I then ordered Chauncey to gather as many animals as he could round up to reinforce the troops on the eastern side of Utopia. I gave Rizzo orders to do the same for the western side. With these precautions taken, the only thing we could do is wait and see what would happen next. The next twenty-four hours went by very slowly as the citizens of Utopia were united in anxious fear over our future. Finally the messenger pigeon returned to me and he was wearing a smile on his face. He declared, “The chairman had a vote taken and the majority of the world recognizes Utopia as a sovereign nation! The chairman sends his congratulations Commander.” After hearing this news, our citizens cheered uproariously. I looked over at Stanley who was now full of hope and joy. I could hardly believe that this was the same cat that not too long ago was about to give up on life altogether. Now he looked as if he believed that anything was possible. I remembered the earlier debate I had with my former colleagues in the Union. Russ used an illustration where a single citizen’s mind represented the entire nation. Looking at Stanley this illustration now took on a whole new meaning to me. I said to myself, “This cat represents Utopia. We were given misinformation and pushed to the point of despair but we pulled ourselves up. And we did it without the assistance of Jeffery Chambers, Socrates or Zarathustra.” From that time forward I kept Stanley nearby me to serve as a reminder of where we came from and where we were headed.
Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes Page 23