The final chapter of the Path of the Unarmed
The Path of the Unarmed is now out.
The whole book is available at Wattpad to read, all 20 chapters. In keeping with my spoilerific philosophy, here's the last chapter. So, you've got the last chapter, the bonus chapter, and the first chapter all by email. Now all you need to do is decide if you want to read the rest.
Hope the big twist brings you some amusement.
-Justin
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Chapter 20: If it's not good for everyone, it's not good for anyone
As the sun started to get low in the sky, Disarmed sped up his talking to even higher levels of urgency. Always given to extensive and rapid info dumps, he had reached a fever pitch this afternoon.
“Resistance goes back as far as capitalism and empire does. I mean, there were antiwar ideas even in ancient times – and egalitarian ideas and movements too. And in the modern iteration, it goes back at least 500 years when Indigenous people and African people resisted conquest and slavery. People think that leftism started with Marx but even the idea ‘from each according to ability, to each according to need’, that’s a much older idea. That’s how people treat their children. It’s how people act in their families. Leftism isn’t some new thing. It’s... it’s...”
“An expression of human egalitarianism, I know.”
“Of course I know you know! But it’s not just egalitarianism. It’s also critical thinking – which was practiced by the ancients too, Socrates, or the Buddhists or in ancient China, they all had logical methods to try to get to the truth. And sociality – solidarity – that’s also basic to being human. So’s freedom! These instincts go back just as far as propaganda and isolation do. So it’s just a matter of harnessing them, organizing them, making space for them in your life. The main point is, if it’s not good for everyone, it’s not good for anyone. Can you remember that? Tell me you can keep that in mind.”
Unarmed looked at the increasingly frenetic and hyperactive Disarmed. “What has gotten into you today? It’s like you’re trying to summarize everything you’ve taught me all at once.”
Disarmed continued without answering the question. “Listen. You might start writing or start a podcast, or a youtube channel or work in the media. If you do that, don’t chase followers, OK? Don’t worry about metrics, followers, views. You can’t worry about that – that’s yet another way of controlling you. The same way we talked about the way that scientists are controlled through funding and awards and jobs – journalists and social media commentators are controlled through views and clicks and followers. Don’t fall for that. Focus on what kind of leftism the people need, what kinds of messages they need that you know and can provide, and don’t worry about the things you can’t control.”
“OK, OK I won’t.”
“Leftists fight bullies. They fight propaganda. They fight for equality, solidarity, and liberty using knowledge and science. They work on educating people and they work on defending the land. Remember what a leftist is when you face all the horrible accusations that inevitably come with being one, and you’ll have the strength to not be demoralized.”
“I don’t feel demoralized.”
“There will be ups and downs! Crises are everywhere! Fascism is on the rise in much of the world. Despairing is all too frequent a temptation. So is nihilism. So is just to follow the temptation to take care about you and yours and forget about everyone else. You can get demoralized and get addicted to things – your phone, social media. But we’re a social species – get out and keep getting out and struggle with others for a better world for all! That’s the way of the leftist.”
“I know, man. You taught me all that,” Unarmed said.
“And.. and..” Disarmed looked increasingly uncomfortable.
“Spit it out,” Unarmed said.
“Don’t screw things up with SJ. She loves you, don’t let your insecurities blow up that relationship, OK?”
Unarmed felt vaguely offended. “Why do you think I’m going to let my insecurities blow things up? Everything’s really good with SJ,” Unarmed said.
“Well, now they are. But in the future...”
“No one knows the future,” Unarmed said. “Except, now I have some questions.”
Disarmed said nothing, suddenly clamming up.
Unarmed moved a step toward Disarmed. “You just showed up at my place one day and started telling me all these things, right at a moment in my life when I was lost. You created this incredibly personalized education program for me, encouraged me to join specific organizations and read specific things. You showed up and went away more or less with perfect timing. And you introduced me to someone who would become my girlfriend, someone who obviously knows you really well and likes you a lot, even though I think you’re a bit too old for her. Is she your ex, or something?”
Disarmed took a step backward. Unarmed moved forward again.
“Since we met I’ve automatically trusted you and believed everything you told me. I’ve always had the feeling you were really invested in what I decided and what I did. I don’t understand why, and today the way you’ve been acting is particularly confusing. Are you planning on leaving town again?”
“I do have to leave town,” Disarmed said.
“OK, well why didn’t you say so? That isn’t the biggest deal, man.”
“I’m not going to be able to be in touch again.”
“That’s a weird thing to say. Are you going to a besieged territory where there’s no communications allowed?”
“It’s hard to explain. But you remember in that Avengers movie where Dr. Strange sees fourteen million scenarios and in only one of them, do the Avengers defeat Thanos?”
“Sure, everyone saw that movie.”
“And Terminator movies where they send someone back from the future to change the past?”
“Yep.”
“And Quantum Leap, that old show where the guy keeps leaping into different lives to try to fix problems?”
“I remember. But not too many people watched that old show – how would you know that I watched it...?”
“Because I am a future version of you,” Disarmed said. “You see, I’ve been traveling through different pasts and trying to teach previous versions of myself what I needed to know and what I missed.”
“So, in the future you come from...”
“Leftism lost. You don’t want me to spell out what that world looks like. Let’s just say we came pretty close before losing and some of us created a time machine to send ourselves back to previous versions of ourselves to see if we could find a way to win.”
“By intervening with earlier versions of yourselves.”
“Right! And so in my future, me and SJ broke up and it was basically my failings – really I think I didn’t have the confidence to be a good partner. That’s why I really want that to work out for you.”
“But our relationship isn’t key to the future.”
“No, I’ve seen scenarios where you break up and still manage to make the world a better place.”
“But we’re unhappy.”
“She’s not unhappy, just you.”
Unarmed laughed. Disarmed didn’t.
Unarmed asked: “The fact that I find that funny and you don’t – shouldn’t we have the same sense of humour?”
“Different stage of life, I suppose,” Disarmed said. “Anyway, now you know the truth. At some point, probably in the middle of speaking, I’m going to just completely blink out and disappear. Poof. And return to my post-apocalyptic, doomed, miserable future timeline. You, though, you’ll have to find your way from here on out.”
“Well, I’d like to thank you – me – for doing this. You’ve given me a lot. The thing is, this capacity for seeing through propaganda and understanding power and politics, it’s a kind of personal power that is useful in life.”
“It’s also a power that can be used for ill – which is why there are, as we’ve mentioned, bullies in left-wing organizations. You must use your abilities with the greatest of integrity. Then you’ll be ready. Perhaps you should change your name.”
“You’re right,” Unarmed said. “My name doesn’t make much sense any more, though your name finally does. I suppose that now I should call myself --”
As Unarmed was speaking, Disarmed blinked out, just like he said he would.
Alone in the room, he faced the future, now with knowledge, methods, a meaningful social life and relations, and a mission. He was ready to contribute to the struggle for a better world.
He was Armed.