What does it mean for a civilization to reach its pinnacle? If a society were to reach a point that could be considered its peak, or what you may call a “golden age,” would that society ever collapse? Wouldn’t any society that makes it to this point be capable of dealing with any and all problems that may arise, both internal and external, in a manner that would allow them to move on in a fair and equitable way, perpetuating their “golden age” society and never collapsing? But how can one know that their society will never collapse without living and experiencing every moment and eon within that society till the end of time? Then that would mean that the only civilizations that can truly be considered having reached their pinnacle, are whatever remnants of society remain at the end of time. And since we have not reached the end of time... unless... just checking, never-mind, we cannot say that any civilization has discovered what it means to be in a true Golden Age. However, for the The Arnot Society, a civilization which evolved and expanded to consume the entirety of its home planet, for all intents and purposes could be considered a “golden age” civilization.
The technological advancement of The Arnot Society was nothing to scoff at, in fact they had nearly everything. The various free energy devices that were cheap and regularly available to all, allowed the Arnotians to live in harmony with their planet. Any pollution or harmful environmental impacts caused by a dominant species making a planet their own, were long diminished, and were not of any concern in this day and age. The sustainable farming practices in conjunction with technology that allowed for the warping of space provided The Arnot Society with not only enough food, but a means to equitably distribute that food to all their citizens regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. Most importantly the Arnotians have the means to communicate across vast distances instantaneously by utilizing the piezoelectricity in quantum-entangled crystals. The only technology that was not developed in this civilization were weapons, because the Arnotians were smart enough to realize that anything can be used as a weapon, so why bother spending time and resources developing them. But all these technological advancements would mean nothing if it were not for a strong, fair, and just geopolitical makeup of the civilization itself.
The system of governance that was put into place had existed for so long that there were no longer any reliable accounts of what life was like before. The Arnots Society could easily be considered a utopia, and the system itself was beloved by the masses, for it took every individuals opinion into consideration on every single issue, and it did this quite simply. Whenever there was a concern or issue that would normally be dealt with by some convoluted bureaucratic government office, a series of votes would be held. At the early stages of this geopolitical experiment, many held the belief that the average person is not smart enough nor do they have the time to understand such issues, but for a “golden age” society this argument is hogabaloowi. For a society to be in its “golden age,” they must have the resources to not only fully educate their citizens, but do it in a way so that each individual will learn to think for themselves. Of corse this would lead to a large range of ideologies and beliefs, leading to a circus of debates whenever a geopolitical issue is raised, bringing us to the first vote.
The first vote is one of ideologies. Whenever an issue is raised, anyone with an opinion and the ability to voice it in a coherent manor is allowed to present a solution. Needless to say, this describes all individuals in this civilization, thus leading to a string of debates where these solutions are conflated and dismissed until there are a reasonable number expressing the various viewpoints of all the citizens. When this is done the actual vote takes place so that at its conclusion there are no more than 17 solutions to any given problem. After which there is a period of rest and reflection preceding the second vote.
The second vote involves choosing the actual solution to the problem, with the winning solution being put on the path towards implementation, but this is not where it ends. The individual, or individuals, who proposed the winning solution, will be tasked with completing a detailed proposal of exactly how this solution will be implemented. There are times when the one who formed the proposal looses interest in the issue, does not care to spend their time drafting a government document, or perhaps they never intended to have the winning proposal to begin with; in which case, the process is reset at the first vote. This could take a good deal of time depending on the complexity of the issue, and the various parties involved; nevertheless, the second vote will inevitably reach its conclusion. When the final proposal is drafted, a short period of study is allotted prior to the third vote.
The third and final vote in the series, is one of scrutinization. Its purpose is to determine if this solution, whether it be regarding a new law, department of public service or even a new branch of government, is in accordance with all other laws and functionality of The Arnot Society. It was up to the current population of Arnotians to make this determination, and their own personal biases could play a factor, and of course there were tedious debates about it as well. If approved, by majority rule as with all the other votes, the implementation of this proposal is imminent. But if it is not approved, or at any point within this series of votes there is a hiccup, the system begins again at the start of the first vote.
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For most, this system of governance was perfect, not only were their voices heard, but they were free to live their lives as they saw fit. From an early age Arnotians were given the most powerful weapon that anyone could wield, an education, and this education was designed to open up the minds of the youth so that they may think for themselves. Unlike education systems of the past which imposed its own will on the youth in order to control them, the Arnotian education system was designed to set its youth free. The majority of the Arnotian youth were not forced to fall in line with society, it was society itself which fell in line with their own ideologies. However, like in any civilization, there were those who failed to fit in, were cast aside by society, considered unworthy of helping, and for the most part ignored. Jovanna was one of these people, but fortunately for him his older brother Ekewaka was the opposite, and being of a kind heart, allowed Jovanna to live with him.
Like many brothers, Ekewaka and Jovanna were constantly fighting, but being true Arnotians these fights took the form of civil debate, usually over the dinner table. Their voices never raised to the level that their neighbors could hear what they discussed, for they realized that the volume of ones voice does not change the meaning of ones words. They always listened to the others arguments in full before responding, and even made valid attempts at understanding the others viewpoints even when they were in complete disagreement. And it is on one of these regular dinner time debates where we will join them, the food long gone but the discussion still hot.
“Give a person a fish” said Jovanna “and you will feed them for a day, teach a person to fish and you will feed them for a lifetime. Our society no longer teaches those to fish and that is the issue.”
“But if you were to teach everyone to fish” responded Ekewaka, “ then the river would become overfished, the population of edible fish would decrease to a dangerous level, and then everyone would starve.”
“Fishing was just an analogy Ekay, teach them to hunt, teach them to farm, do anything but leave them to die, you don’t understand the point I am trying to make.”
“No Jovi, it is you who does not understand the reality in which we live, that is why you still sleep on my coach.”
This was how most of the debates concluded an unnecessary but warranted dig at the others expense. Ekewaka would usually go to bed shortly after diner pleased with the arguments he made, and this night was no different. He had one of the most tedious and highly respected jobs in all of civilization and didn’t have time to concern himself with whatever he had been discussing with Jovanna over the diner table. Ekewaka was a Wealth Cultivator, and as such it was his job to ensure that the wealth of The Arnot Society was equitably distributed amongst the citizens. By all means he was not the only Wealth Cultivator, there were many, but like most he worked independently and with no oversight. And why would he need any oversight, in order to be appointed to such a position he would need to be a model citizen in a golden age society, and to give such a prestigious individual a boss would be nothing more than an unnecessary level of bureaucracy, and there was nothing Arnotians hated more than convoluted bureaucracy.
Jovanna on the other hand had no such prestigious position, or any position for that mater, he did live on his brother’s coach after all. It wasn’t out of laziness or a lack of will to work, because Jovanna very much wanted to work, but he was unable to find his place in The Arnot Society.
“What was the point of doing anything?” Jovanna wondered as he lay there on his brother’s coach. “Why am I laying in bed if I’m not tired? It’s not like I have anything important to do tomorrow. Well there’s lunch with Ekay, but its not like he’ll judge me if I show up unshowered and half asleep. Perhaps it’s just boredom, am I so bored that I would rather do nothing then whatever-else I could do without waking Ekay? Ugh, this life is nothing more than a series of futile endeavors. A series of the same thing happening over and over again. The same conversations, the same events playing out in a never-ending cycle. Of course there are minute changes here and there due to the various deviations in ones life, but even history itself is on repeat. At what point are we going to acknowledge the insanity and strive for something new. I strive for something new, something different, something completely random...Thats it, tomorrow I’ll finally do it, I’ve built my resolve and I’ll finally do it. Tomorrow at lunch I’ll tell Ekay, and then I’ll take the first step towards my new life, and this will be the last night that I’ll have to use this in order to fall asleep.” Jovanna of course was talking about his Sleep Aide 4000, the latest in electromechanical devices used to combat insomnia.
In the past various medications were used to help people fall asleep, but recent societal trends discouraged the reliance on drugs to fall asleep, leading to the rise of electromechanical devices. The Sleep Aide 4000 was one of the most popular, and Jovanna had received his as a gift from Ekewaka. The Sleep Aide 4000 was small enough to be held in ones hand, consisting of a not too long cylindrical shaft with an incredibly dense spherical head. The device worked by converting impact force into electrical signals that would put the user to sleep. Jovanna grabbed his Sleep Aide 4000 and struck himself thoroughly on the temple, rendering him into a blissful slumber.