Page 25 - Big Idea

The Big Idea – Act 1

But birds and beasts do not think like us;
What they fear and desire does not change
From one generation to the next,
So their hierarchies are stable.

RIVAL 2: I don’t follow this yet. You say animals can’t change, and
people don’t want to change. (scratches head)

RIVAL 1:

What if the great majority of people
Were suddenly to gain an insight,
And redefine their motivations
Thanks to some brand-new crackpot theory?

Patterns of punishment and reward
Carefully balanced by the ruler
Would lose their base of support:
Belief by the ruled in their own stake.

In the flush of new-found optimism,
Fed by the guileless philosopher,
They might forget the lesson they’ve learned
That destruction follows upheaval.

Then all checks and balances would snap
And unknown combinations of men,
Unbound by all traditional ties,
Would rise up en masse and seize power.

Doubtlessly, once the dust had settled,
The old ways would reassert themselves,
The new rulers acting like the old
To retain their hard-won position.

The changes would be superficial:
An illusion briefly ascendant,
Soon replaced by the more ancient truth
Of harsh power concealed by soft words.

RIVAL 2: Well, then, why don’t we just do away with this guy before
he starts something?
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