LJ Idol Season 10 - Week 9: Trolley Problem
"Isn't it depressing, though? Don't you feel sorry for them? I couldn't do it, day after day, seeing how terrible it was for them. Studying history hurts. It's a wonder we survived it, really."
Alexamana was, as usual, a flurry of fluttering motion. Ballantine hadn't seen her come into the caffe-common, but she had a frosty looking beverage in her hand now, and she was moving closer purposely, if dancingly. Her skin tone today was a tawny opalescent shade with flecks of glitter, her jumpsuit a jumble of lacey pastel shades, and her platinum hair was buzzed close to her head.
Ballantine knew that the two of them were a study in opposites- knew that was part of what attracted Alexamana to her. They had been through different iterations of this conversation before, but it felt good to slip into a familiar routine with the ever-energetic Alex, who had correctly surmised that the subject on the virtual screens surrounding Bal's steaming mug was, in fact, history.
"We didn't all survive it, Alex. You know that. Plenty of people died, of diseases we had cures for, even, or of hunger despite massive food waste being the norm. People killed each-other a lot more frequently. . . Who knows what we lost with all of those people?"
"That's exactly what I mean," Alex responded, with a toss of the frothy lace at the neckline of her suit, simultaneously pulling over a chair and pulling her own lens from the back of her hand and activating it to display her virtual screens. Alex would be working on her passion: physics, which Bal found interesting, but not nearly as compelling as the study of the past. "It's like you're studying the great waste. The great draining of humanity's energy to no end. All those poor people, striving so hard just for a share of resources. Having to make such tough choices. It's really a wonder that we ever pulled ourselves out of that."
"I'm inspired by them," Ballentine replied. "Sure it was hard, but can you imagine facing those choices and fighting on? What it would be like? They really had something to strive against. I love that we have so much chance to learn and find our own paths to make a difference. But it's a lot of pressure, having all these choices to make. Sure, they were under pressure, but the pressure was unambiguously outside them. There was evil to strive against. Enemies to be resisted."
"Choices?!" Alex gave a little snort. "More like Hobson's choices. More like, choose between contributing to humanity or grabbing resources just for yourself and yours like the "successful" ones. The past was barbarous. The time of nations and exploitation were harsh. You study them! You should know this best."
Ballentine straightened a bit and cocked her head to the side, her shiny black hair rippling down her back. "Really?! You, Alex, casting stones at romanticism?" Another recurring gulf between the two of them was in their taste in fiction.
Alex laughed. "But I like my history like I like my science," she said. "Unapologetically factual."
"But history is about people," Bal found herself smiling, too. "It's never going to be logic driven, no matter how meticulous your lens. And don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to trade places with them back then. But it's inspiring to see where we came from. To know we triumphed against greed."
"I think that's a silly way of looking at it," Alexamana gave a bit of a scowl. "Reductive. If we hadn't 'triumphed' against ourselves, we simply wouldn't be here now to have this conversation. I think it's better to look at as learning from our mistakes."
"Maybe we're talking about the same thing, then," Bal let her tone be more conciliatory. "Because I love the idea of learning from history."
Alexamana smiled. "Well, I love learning about today's frontiers," she said, motioning to enlarge one of her virtual screens, "and that's why I think this is such a beautiful friendship.
Bal picked up her mug and took a sip of her sweet milky coffee before going back to her own screen. It was indeed that.
__________________________
tonithegreat has a sore throat and needs a warm cuppa! But she's glad to have good friends to chat through things with.
This entry was composed for therealljidol, Season 10. Check out that community for lots of great writing from all kinds of folks. I highly recommend it.
If you enjoyed this piece, please remember me in idol-land and vote for it when the polls go up!
Alexamana was, as usual, a flurry of fluttering motion. Ballantine hadn't seen her come into the caffe-common, but she had a frosty looking beverage in her hand now, and she was moving closer purposely, if dancingly. Her skin tone today was a tawny opalescent shade with flecks of glitter, her jumpsuit a jumble of lacey pastel shades, and her platinum hair was buzzed close to her head.
Ballantine knew that the two of them were a study in opposites- knew that was part of what attracted Alexamana to her. They had been through different iterations of this conversation before, but it felt good to slip into a familiar routine with the ever-energetic Alex, who had correctly surmised that the subject on the virtual screens surrounding Bal's steaming mug was, in fact, history.
"We didn't all survive it, Alex. You know that. Plenty of people died, of diseases we had cures for, even, or of hunger despite massive food waste being the norm. People killed each-other a lot more frequently. . . Who knows what we lost with all of those people?"
"That's exactly what I mean," Alex responded, with a toss of the frothy lace at the neckline of her suit, simultaneously pulling over a chair and pulling her own lens from the back of her hand and activating it to display her virtual screens. Alex would be working on her passion: physics, which Bal found interesting, but not nearly as compelling as the study of the past. "It's like you're studying the great waste. The great draining of humanity's energy to no end. All those poor people, striving so hard just for a share of resources. Having to make such tough choices. It's really a wonder that we ever pulled ourselves out of that."
"I'm inspired by them," Ballentine replied. "Sure it was hard, but can you imagine facing those choices and fighting on? What it would be like? They really had something to strive against. I love that we have so much chance to learn and find our own paths to make a difference. But it's a lot of pressure, having all these choices to make. Sure, they were under pressure, but the pressure was unambiguously outside them. There was evil to strive against. Enemies to be resisted."
"Choices?!" Alex gave a little snort. "More like Hobson's choices. More like, choose between contributing to humanity or grabbing resources just for yourself and yours like the "successful" ones. The past was barbarous. The time of nations and exploitation were harsh. You study them! You should know this best."
Ballentine straightened a bit and cocked her head to the side, her shiny black hair rippling down her back. "Really?! You, Alex, casting stones at romanticism?" Another recurring gulf between the two of them was in their taste in fiction.
Alex laughed. "But I like my history like I like my science," she said. "Unapologetically factual."
"But history is about people," Bal found herself smiling, too. "It's never going to be logic driven, no matter how meticulous your lens. And don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to trade places with them back then. But it's inspiring to see where we came from. To know we triumphed against greed."
"I think that's a silly way of looking at it," Alexamana gave a bit of a scowl. "Reductive. If we hadn't 'triumphed' against ourselves, we simply wouldn't be here now to have this conversation. I think it's better to look at as learning from our mistakes."
"Maybe we're talking about the same thing, then," Bal let her tone be more conciliatory. "Because I love the idea of learning from history."
Alexamana smiled. "Well, I love learning about today's frontiers," she said, motioning to enlarge one of her virtual screens, "and that's why I think this is such a beautiful friendship.
Bal picked up her mug and took a sip of her sweet milky coffee before going back to her own screen. It was indeed that.
__________________________
tonithegreat has a sore throat and needs a warm cuppa! But she's glad to have good friends to chat through things with.
This entry was composed for therealljidol, Season 10. Check out that community for lots of great writing from all kinds of folks. I highly recommend it.
If you enjoyed this piece, please remember me in idol-land and vote for it when the polls go up!