Felicity – A Philosophical Fable [Chapter 10]
There was no one in the world who wouldn’t risk death in pursuit of a Felicity. Even with little chance of success. Two men and two women were lost in the failed invasion of Mimi’s household. Yet there was not anyone in the world who wouldn’t have done what they did.
What little hope they had of capturing Mimi lay in the possibility that she would not protect her household. Had she not been content in her new home, they might have slaughtered everyone and taken her for themselves. And even if she was content, as she was, they could still hope to kill everyone before she knew what was happening and then coax her into being theirs. The chance was remote, but a chance was a chance. They risked everything on it and they paid with four lives.
How many before them died such deaths? There was no way to know. There was nothing in the lore. Theoretically it would depend on how many of the beings had been discovered. But who can know that? If a household discovered a Felicity and perished trying to capture her, no one would know. It would also depend on whether more than one household made the discovery. If it was more than one, violence was inevitable. There was no one who wouldn’t kill for a Felicity.
There was little suffering in the world. But there was still suffering.
There was no hunger, no poverty, no money, no caste. No one lacked for anything. No one was subject to anyone else. They all had everything they wanted. And because they all had everything they wanted, there was no greed, no envy, no theft, no quarreling.
The elimination of want, the technological provision of limitless material goods, made for a world of simplicity, peace, and comfort. But social evils were one thing and natural evils quite another.
Most of the maladies that had plagued their ancient ancestors had been eradicated. Most, but not all. There were still some illnesses. Fatal, incurable illnesses. There were still men and women who died young. There were still children who died. It didn’t happen often, but when it happened it was terrible. It was something to dread. It could happen to anyone. Anyone at all. Except someone who had a Felicity.
There was no illness in a household with a Felicity. No one knew why this was so. But that it was so was certain. Having a Felicity was an assurance of life. And life was precious.