‘It’s a thin veil that holds it all together,’ said the Consul to his son, as they stood looking at the sun rise over the palace. ‘The wind that blows the grass, and the water that smooths the rocks, these things are real, unlike the ties that bind our country together. Those laws and customs we keep to ensure fair lives are given to everyone take generations to establish and mere moments to dissolve. An interloper need only go uncontested for others to see the vulnerability of what we have. We might soon thereafter find ourselves back in the thrall of tyranny.’
‘What about a person’s right to speak?’ said the son.
‘Listen all you like, my son,’ said the Consul, ‘but do not stand idly by while others start down a path that ends with no one able to listen.’
Paddy Dobson
7th January 2021