I am Rome (Complete)

Chapter Seven

Joe and Rome entered a forest on the far end of the property and dismounted Calibre by a small creek. Nestled in the dense woods, they found a spot away from prying eyes so Rome could walk freely and they could discuss whatever topics came to mind.

'So tell me about your home planet. What's it like?' Joe asked.

'Our planet is called Simbus — it's the fourth planet from our sun. It's about half the size of Earth and has a population of around five-hundred thousand.'

'Wow, that's surprisingly low. On Earth, there are seven billion of us and counting. Some studies suggest our population is heading toward ten billion soon. I often wonder how many problems in the world stem from over population.'

'Your thinking is correct — we deliberately keep our population at a manageable level at around five-hundred thousand.'

'Wow, that's it? I would have thought it would be more.'

'There's no need for more. Beyond that amount becomes a point of diminishing returns whereby one more person does not add any value, rather they actually detract value.'

'Is there no conflict on your planet?'

'Almost none.'

'How is that possible?'

'We organize our society very differently. On Earth, people are much more individualistic and even when they are close with their families, the families tend to stick together. On Simbus, we are all one family.'

'All five-hundred thousand?'

'Yes.'

'If there are hardly any conflicts, does that mean there are no laws and prisons?'

'We have one law, but no prisons.'

'Only one law, how can that be? What is it?'

'We are to treat others as we would like to be treated.'

'Hey, we have that law too, it's called The Golden Rule! 'Joe remarked.

'The Golden Rule?' Rome asked.

'Yes, it's basically what you just stated; treat others as you would like to be treated. We even have a platinum rule, which states; treat others as they would like to be treated. The Golden Rule is a very ancient principle that comes up over and over again in nearly every culture all over the world.'

'So why do you have so many other laws?'

'We need laws in place to protect people from harming each other and themselves. Laws act as a standard in which we expect people to conduct themselves. Without laws, there would be chaos. A person who built a nice house by the water for instance would live in constant fear that someone would kill him and take it from him. So we have property laws, laws against killing, and stealing, and so on.'

'But your Golden Rule encompasses all of that. The murderer/ thief would not want someone to murder him and steal his house, so why does he do it to other people?'

'Desperation, defiance, mental disorder, a lack of respect for law and order. People are raised in circumstances that shape their beliefs. They are taught to be distrusting of authority, they are taught to be self-serving, they are taught to not have compassion. For those reasons, not everybody abides by the Golden Rule.'

'I don't understand. Why would a person not respect the Golden Rule, but would respect all those other laws you mentioned?'

'You're right; some people don't respect any laws. Either they think they can get away with breaking the law, they don't care about the consequences, they act without thinking clearly, or there is something wrong with how their brain works.'

'What do you mean, 'something wrong with their brain'?'

'Some people are either born a particular way, or suffer a brain injury, and so they cannot perceive right and wrong they way others can.'

'And you let them interact with everyone?'

'We try not to, if we can identify them, we try to separate them from the rest of society. I'm curious to know how you handle this problem on your planet.'

'Unlike Earth, we don't have disorders in people's brains. If an injury caused some change where a person could no longer perceive right and wrong, we would fix them.'

'Well, unfortunately we're not there yet. That technology just doesn't exist. Until then, this is the system we're stuck with.'

'I suppose you are right.'

'So what are some other differences between people on Earth and the people of Simbus?' Joe asked.

'On Earth, you allow anyone to breed with anyone — that is a big risk since you cannot ensure they will raise a proper child. Plus when you mix the genetics with two random people, the results can be harmful. On our planet, we grow our population to the exact specifications we need. We can predetermine the sex, temperament, and abilities. Very few things are left to chance, everything is controlled.'

'Some people on Earth have tried to do that in the past, and they turned out to be the biggest monsters in history. People don't like to be controlled.'

'Control doesn't have the same connotation on our planet. Our society operates like a very sophisticated beehive. Each member has a role and we are all obedient because we understand the consequences of the alternative.'

'And that works?'

'You tell me. I'm on another planet right now talking to you, while your people debate whether or not humans have been to the moon or if the Earth is spherical or flat. Not to mention, most people live with a perpetual fear of being attacked by someone.'

'I can't argue with that.'

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