Solomon's Private File #401
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in the
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 33 in this story, in the Winter of 2059-2060.
Solomon's Private File #401 "A Tale Wagon"
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I said to my two students, "You have progressed very well in physical
fighting training. Now we will learn to fight and defend with the mind,
with what you know so far." They grinned. I threw a soft ball hard at
Raminor. It hit him in the stomach, and he bent over. I did the same to
Manchin. He bent over, too. I said to Raminor, "You were told what you
would be learning, and you have the ability to block the ball. You knew
to be ready, and you didn't stop it. Manchin, you saw what happened, so
you have even less of an excuse for not blocking it." He said, "I'm not
going to forget this lesson, EVER!" Raminor said, "I have to agree.
Very effective. Our lives could depend on this. Please do it again." I
did, and the balls bounced off of their PK shields. I said, "One of
your problems was you were depending on your vision for detection. Your
object sense is now reliable, and much better for this. Another problem
is your shields were active too far from your bodies. It's easier to
have it that way, but not so easy on other people's notice of that."
Raminor said, "Oh! Good thought."
I said, "With more skill, you can combine your shield with body
motion, so they would be completely unaware of the shield effects.
Defending yourself in the immediate, with no thought for how what will
affect your future, is unwise." Nods of appreciation. I said, "Better
if they don't want to attack you, in some situations. Oh, I see the
questions. A determined enemy will continue to work against you, if not
soundly defeated, but a temporary enemy can be dissuaded from wanting
to attack you, by your projected feelings of peace and good will. Best
if you do it very gently, or they will discover it, and oppose you
more. You can also will them to sleep. Doing that where others can't
see a cause, isn't always a good thing." Nods. I said, "But it could
help you make your physical attack more effective, without causing
unnecessary damage. Just be aware in choosing what you do, that it
complies with and enables your desired outcome. Some lasting evidence
of your attack could be desired for the lesson. The broken arms at
Marcel's wedding. He didn't have to do that to disarm and stop them."
Raminor said, "Oh! I hadn't considered that. Obvious, now." Grins.
Manchin said, "We always need to work for the long term." I said, "Yes,
and for that, goals are necessary, and having them before the action is
useful." Grins.
We practiced defense and attack with PK and projection, in ways their
use could be concealed. While they were resting, Raminor said, "The
broken arms. He didn't do that just for the attackers to learn the
lesson." I said, "Yes. It was also for all future attackers to learn
that, too. Deterrent. Worked, too." Grins. I said, "It also increased
the respect other people had for him, that he was easily able to do
that by intent, which was also desired. Young adults are frequently
disrespected by their elders. Some of that is motivated by jealousy and
resentment for their youth. He is MUCH more capable than almost
everybody here. That is now established, so he can now be accepted as
more capable than before." Manchin said, "You managed that." I said,
"Actually, no, not as you mean it. I let it happen, yes, but he acted
as who he is. THAT I did manage some, in teaching him, I have to admit,
but he was already a good and intelligent person before we met. Such as
yourselves." They were embarrassed.
I said, "Now we will test your parallel processes. We will engage in
separate mindtalk conversations with each other, and at the same time
discuss something different with our voices." They had troubles, but
eventually they did acceptably. I said, "You two can practice that on
your own, and during fighting practice." Raminor said, "We're going to
get hit!" I gave them an evil grin. They laughed. I said, "You know I
will heal you. Better you learn how to deal with injuries among
friends, than enemies." Manchin said, "Are you always this wise?" I
said, "You should hope I am." Grins and hugs.
Raminor said, "Manchin and I have each other. You have no other
person here, but as we do, you need to. All our kind need that."
Manchin said, "We offer ourselves with love." I said, "The love I
already have from you is enough. A teacher in authority has
responsibilities. And, hopefully, knowledge of what is best for his
students, irrespective of the possible feelings and desires of all
involved. I am not troubled by the aloneness you described. You know
now I am not as distant from my family as is assumed by others here."
He said, "Oh! I should have thought of that." Raminor said, "I, too. I
think our own love and desire to be close to you, prevented that
consideration." I said with a smile, "That's true." Smiles. I said,
"And I think there is still a lot to share in our hugs." Grins, and we
did that.
In the medical class, one said to me, "There are diseases that run
their courses, and then vanish, that are not bacteria. Is there no
medicine for them?" I said, "Because they work differently, not at this
time. It's not that they eat anything so to destroy parts of the body.
They don't have poisonous waste products. They invade the cells, and
turn them into makers of more of those things. Our immune system
recognizes this, and destroys those changed cells. That's what causes
us to feel sick. There is a delay in that process. Sometimes that is
long enough to enable us to er, die. Some of these viruses attack in
such large numbers, we just can't survive it. There is no substance we
know of here that will kill them, without killing the patient. In
nature, viruses can be destroyed, but they can't actually die, because
they aren't really alive. Because they are so small, we can't see them
with any known to the world instrument, but someday we will." One said,
"When?" I said, "Did you expect me to have a precise date for that?"
They smiled at him. He said, "Do you?" I said, "I can give you
something precise. I don't know when it will happen, not even a little
bit. I can tell you more. Whatever does, it won't be using just lenses.
Maybe none at all. There is a limit on how much magnification a lens
system can do, and that is caused by the amount of light it uses.
You've noticed that higher magnification requires more light?" He said,
"Oh! I understand better now. And larger lenses. That IS an issue." I
said, "And light emits heat." He said, "Roasted samples aren't what
we're interested as doctors."
One said, "You're not just a teacher. I've known many. Few knew WHY
things are, and could explain what they thought they knew even less." I
said, "Thinking is useful. People rarely do that as much as they
assume, and even that, is not done well. You learn better, when you
learn to think well, first. First lesson in that is opinions are not
facts." Smiles. I said, "And observations are not real unless they can
be repeated by others." One said, "Oh! That is sensible." He received
some grins. I said, "Next, our senses and memories are not reliable,
and our expression of them, even less so. Few believe that, and those
who do, don't act like they do." Chuckles. I said, "And last for this
session, is pride is our true enemy, more so because it causes us to
defend the indefensible in us." Nods. One said, "Is humility a
weakness?" I said, "Yes and no. Think about it." They were thoughtful
while they were leaving the classroom.
One remained, the first doctor to rent an office. He said, "Can YOU
see a virus? Well, how else would you know they exist?" I said, "Did I
ask you to be intelligent?" He laughed. I said, "They can be deduced by
the visible actions of cells that can be seen in the microscope.
Perhaps not easily seen in these small models, but there are larger
ones." He said, "Similar to the new telescopes, in reverse?" I said,
"Yes, actually. Hmm, did you think to trap me into some strange
admission?" He was embarrassed, and tried not to grin. He said, "It has
been thought that some people have been known to be able to perceive
unusual things." I said, "Everything seen, is unusual to the blind." He
said, "Your injection of wisdom into the conversation can be
frustrating." I said, "Thank you." He chuckled.
He said, "With that, you intend people to think." I said, "As a
teacher should. Students learn best, when they are helped to discover
things, not when that's pushed onto them. I suspect a question. I
learned from the best teacher, my father. I'm still learning from him."
said, "Your teachers. You know you learned more from them than you knew
at the time. Has that ever really stopped?" He said, "How have you
become so wise?" I said, "I wonder about that myself." He grinned. I
said, "My father was known to be the wisest in his land. Perhaps I
caught that from him, like it was a disease. Here's one of my favorites
of his sayings. 'What are enemies for? To make friends of.' I think on
that a lot." He said, "Worthy. There are more?" I said, "Many. Some are
actually carved into stone. I may share them here someday." We felt a
touch. I said, "Hmm, he likes that idea."
He stared at me in surprise and awe, and said, "That was him?" I
said, "Yes. Sometimes we talk. He obviously wanted you to know.
Unusual." He said, "Is he God?" I said, "There's not a simple answer to
that. He became a part of God, yet still separate in a way, when he
died. It's not something we can fully understand in life." He said,
"THAT I can believe!" I said, "Please treat this as a private matter."
He said, "I will. I too have a reputation to keep." Grins.
Manchin said, "I felt that!" Raminor nodded agreement. I said, "So,
you know I'm closer to my family than you thought, with my dead father
still involved." Grins and awe. I said, "You've noticed that people are
beginning to treat you with unusual respect." Raminor said, "I don't
like it. I don't deserve it." My big grin caused them to rethink that.
I said, "You express yourself to people, they will know something of
who you are. It happened with me, it happened with Marcel, and it's
happening with you, and many of them expected it to happen with you.
They knew I planned to leave to rejoin my family, so they had to think
you were special for me to stay to teach you. For once, they were
actually wise about that." They had to laugh in reaction.
I said, "People are going to ask you for advice, and then be
surprised at themselves, belatedly realizing how young you really are.
But they'll listen to you, not willing to admit they made a mistake.
Interesting expressions. Here's another one. They'll ask you about
their children, about how they don't understand them. But they might
disguise that as a complaint. It's a big responsibility they're
thrusting onto you, but you will do well by it." We hugged.
Raminor said in engineering class, "Why can't we share this
technology with our people?" I said, "To know that, do a thought
experiment, and try to do it in that." They connected, did it together.
Eventually, Manchin said, "It won't work. They couldn't make anything.
It would cause a lot of harm just to try." Raminor said, "Real industry
is necessary for technology to advance, and that requires whole
societies. That means what you're doing here with the doctors is
amazing!" I said, "I can't take full credit for that. I did something
similar in a past life." Manchin said, "I still think it's amazing."
Grins and hugs.
An administrative assistant said to me in my office, "There is a
group of men who are asking to see you. I don't like their looks." I
said, "Not from this area?" He said, "I don't recognize any of them.
From your land?" I said, "Unlikely. None but my family even know I'm
not with them, and they wouldn't come here like that. What do you
advise?" He said, "You're asking ME?" I looked behind him, and he
turned to look, too. He had to laugh. He said, "The eternal teacher. I
don't think I'll ever get used to that." I said, "Good." Grins. He
said, "If you don't meet with them, they will cause trouble here. If
you do meet with them, I think they may want to cause YOU trouble. A
tavern?" I said, "You may tell them I'm not available here at this
time, but at a tavern." I told him which one, and said, "Tell those
people that as foreigners, they need to pay a deposit to the tavern
before they will be allowed to use it to meet with me. I'll tell the
owner that, before they arrive." He grinned, and said, "To cover
damages! Great idea!" He did that.
I shifted to the tavern the smith had damaged, and explained to the
owner what I wanted. He grinned widely, and said, "Excellent plan! This
is a slow time of the day. I'll ask my guests to leave. I know you will
provide just compensation." I said, "Entertainment isn't enough?" He
grinned, and said, "No, that doesn't buy wine." I went into the back
room. The special guests came in, and grudgingly paid the deposit. Then
I walked into the main room, and said, "I am Solomon. You wanted to
meet with me. Here I am." One said, "You're bigger than I expected." I
said, "I sure can't be responsible for what you expect. So, what's
next?" One said, "You owe us money." I said, "How much, and what for?"
He said, "You took our property. A smith's wagon." I said, "Which of
you is a smith?" That confused them, then one said, "I am." I said, "A
worthy trade. Please show me your hands." He refused.
I said, "When was it taken?" He named the date of the tavern brawl. I
said, "How have you come to think I took that thing?" One said, "It had
to be you." I said, "But why not some other person?" He said, "I can't
say." I said, "Well, what CAN you say, that's of any use?" He was
angry. I said, "If you have evidence, you should present it to the
Constable." He said, "All know he's your friend." I said, "All here are
my friends, and all know I support full justice over friendship. Tell
me what exactly was taken, so we can determine where it might be." He
said, "We know where it is! On your property!" I said, "Oh, that
smith's wagon. Before he came to work for me, he used a wagon to travel
from one place of work to another. In my effort to determine the worth
of the smith before hiring him, I asked his former customers about his
work. They also described the possessions the smith used in that work,
long before you said such a thing was taken from you. Do you see where
this is going? Do you see a little reversal in the stealing issue,
happening?"
The owner tried not to laugh. I said, "But wait, there's more. How
was that wagon stored? Were there animals attached to it?" One said,
there were. I said, "You said it was taken at night. Who keeps animals
harnessed to wagons at home overnight? Try the truth." One said, "It
was without animals." I said, "Do you think I'm strong enough to pull
that wagon by myself?" One said, "No man is. You brought animals." I
said, "And you didn't hear that? And I harnessed them without light?
Hmm, were the axels properly greased?" One tried not to laugh. Another
one poked him hard. I said, "I see. You would have heard it, if it had
moved one cm. With my sensitive hearing, that would have been torture
to me." Owner nodded.
I said, "One more thing. The smith in my former employ told people
about the problem with his wagon, first, right here in this tavern,
while he was breaking it apart. He also described who took it. So, do
you have anything more to say in your defense?" One man jumped to his
feet, and shouted, "Defense?" One restrained him, and said, "FORMER
employ?" I said, "Correct. I no longer own the property where he works,
or the business. The person who does now own it, is a little less
careful with how he deals with unpleasant people. Heard about his
wedding?" There were a few gulps in with the nods. I said, "And the
smith isn't about to allow it to happen to him again."
He said, "But YOU have money, and you are without weapons." I said,
"What of it?" They all stood, and he said, "We will take it from you."
I said, "Change that 'will', to 'try'. Accuracy is important.
Communicating well, may help you to improve who you are. You sure do
need that, desperately." They drew their weapons. I said to one, "You
fire that pistol in here, I WILL break both of your arms." He said,
"Not when you're dead." He fired it. I dodged the bullet, and made it
miss the owner. Then in a flash, I was on the shooter, and then his
arms were broken, and he was screaming. I said to the others, "Noisy
fellow. Who's next?" They picked up chairs, and came at me. I smashed
the chairs. I said, "Owner wanted new things. That's why I asked him to
make you pay the deposit." One said, "Oh! You expected this!" I said,
"Wouldn't you?" I took from my tunic, the drawings of them that I had
made with the smith after I paid his fine. I said, "Smith described his
attackers to me. I'm an artist." They saw the pictures were very good
likenesses. I said, "You ever return to this city, or attempt to visit
my former property, don't expect to survive that. You will be known."
Fear and nods.
I said, "You now know that it would be impossible, with what you know
of the situation, for a stranger to take that wagon without you
noticing it happening. So, you might want to speculate about who among
you actually did it, and how much money did they earn by that. And why
that person wanted to conceal that by THIS action, which placed you in
deadly danger. Now, do you want to continue this interesting exercise,
or will you leave, never to return?" They left without a word, looking
at each other in hostile suspicion.
Then the owner burst out laughing so hard, he had to sit on a table.
There were much fewer undamaged chairs available. When he could, he
said, "Did you take it?" I said, "I'm not going to tell you either way.
But, it's accepted that retrieving stolen property is not a crime, if
no other crime is committed in that action." He said, "True." I said,
"And a person who wanted to take a wagon at night so others wouldn't
know, would be sure to grease the axels. And yes, I'm strong enough to
pull it to were the animals might be waiting for it. Not that I'm
saying it happened that way." He laughed loudly again, and said, "But
now you have them thinking one of them did it! That is the most devious
thing I've ever heard of!" I said, "Thank you." More laughter. I said,
"They were successful in their thieving, only as a group." He said, "I
see. Destroying that group relationship will make them less effective.
Less dangerous. That's amazing! And for why, and that you planned all
this." I said, "Thinking is useful. They didn't, much. Proved it."
Grins.
I went to see the Constable, and described the action, and what I
told the owner. He laughed. I gave him copies of the pictures. I sent a
messenger asking to see Marcel and the smith at his house in the city.
There, I said the same, and they laughed hard. I gave them the
pictures. Marcel said, "TWO broken arms. You had to best me." I said,
"Well, maybe." Grins.
Back at the offices, I projected to the boys what happened, and they
laughed, too. Raminor said, "So that's what a Guardian action is!"
Manchin said, "I noticed something. The path of the bullet." I said,
"Yes. I had to manage that a little, or the tavern would have lost an
owner." He said, "You couldn't keep him away." Raminor said, "And you
wanted a loudmouth witness." Chuckles. News of what happened went all
over the city. Many were amused in a loud way, as the doctors tried to
tell me. I said, "Wait! I was there. I know what happened in the
tavern. I don't need to hear about it." One said, "But it was so
funny!" I said, "Not to me. I broke a man's arms! That is NOT nice. I
didn't want to do that at all, but I thought I should do it. He almost
killed the owner! He won't be able to do that again for a long time.
They were friends with each other. I ruined that. Sure it was for the
good of many more others, but it was still a bad thing. I suffer for
what I did. I deserve to, but it was necessary for the greater good.
Tell me, do you think amputating a leg, when necessary, is funny?"
They thought that over. One said, "I think we should apologize. We
forgot they have feelings, too, and that we knew you wouldn't like
doing that." I said, "I accept. Part of that is my fault, too. If I
hadn't made it a little funny, most people in the city would be afraid
of me. This way it helps them to accept me as a nice person, just when
I was far from that. And it also makes the lessons in it easier to
accept." They showed increased awareness and understanding. And awe and
amazement, too. The first doctor said, "You planned even that!" I said,
"Of course. When you can, why wouldn't you? Don't YOU work for the
future well being of your patients?" After they thought a little, he
said, "This city, this country, is your patient!" I said, "Well, really
isn't that so for all good people? I just do it a little more, and with
more intent." He said, "And with modesty." I said, "Which prevents me
from agreeing with you." Chuckles.
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Grant
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