Chapter 27: The Path of Most Resistance
Lying in bed on her stomach Claudia turns her head towards the window. Though not able to see the sky from this angle, she knows what it looks like. It’s near eleven in the morning and still very dark, though she hasn’t listened to the forecast she’s sure there must be tornado warnings for the Chicago area.
The light in the room is full of subtle hues. At one moment it seems almost honey yellow, shortly thereafter it appears pinkish and slowly fades into a soft shade of purple. Currently it is not raining, but she has heard the tapping on the window most of the time she’s been aware.
The lazy day suits her just fine as she has spent the morning drifting in and out of consciousness. Her body aches, and though she no longer has a fever, the dull headache and congestion remind her just how sick she has felt over the last few days.
Claudia hopes today’s rains signal the final demise of winter which even in late April has refused to go completely away. It’s lingering chill has haunted her making her bout with the flu even more depressing. Closing her eyes she tries to envision herself healthy and relaxed. She imagines she’s a tulip being opened and strengthened by the rain.
Austin picks up three of the towels he placed in front of the space heater and walks towards the bed. Pulling back the sheets he quickly covers up the goose flesh which immediately appears. Claudia shivers, then sighs the moment the soothing warmth of the towels cover her body. Austin lays them lengthwise dividing Claudia’s body into thirds. One towel lays from slightly below her feet up to past her knees, the second towel covers her thighs and hips and the final towel covers from her lower back up to her shoulders.
When sick, Claudia puts herself completely in Austin’s hands. There was no doctor she trusted more than him, and his healing powers had always amazed her. Austin was kind of like a faith healer, for he cured all of Claudia’s maladies solely through devoting his hands, heart and soul to making her feel better.
Austin walked over to the space heater to check the remaining three towels being warmed and to retrieve the bottle of baby oil which was warm to the touch. Squeezing out a few drops on his wrist, Austin made sure the oil was warm, but not scalding.
Pulling back the bottom towel to expose only the right leg from the knee down, Austin held her right foot with both hands. He first warmed her foot by gently rubbing it with both hands, and then closing his eyes attempted to locate her pain. Sensing a tightness in the bottom of her foot, Austin pressed his thumbs into the arch. Claudia’s soft moan and sigh let him know he was on the right track. Only after he massaged the toes and calf for a few moments did he feel her body was prepared for the baby oil. With eyes remaining closed Austin used his intuitions and Claudia’s gentle sighs and moans to direct his massage. When he was done with both legs, he replaced the bottom towel with a freshly heated one before moving on to the next section of the body.
Claudia listened to the peals of thunder in the distance. Occasionally a rumble was close enough to cause the windowpane to rattle and hum. Austin’s hands seemed to be directing the storm ebbs and flows like a symphony conductor. The longer he massaged the healthier Claudia felt. Yet, despite his magic touch, Claudia had mixed feelings regarding his intervention. Though he was the cure of her disease, she felt he was also the cause.
Over the last couple of weeks Claudia struggled daily with Austin’s desire to completely restore their relationship. Keeping him from staying overnight had become more and more of an open conflict. She felt her constantly having to ward him off and each night kick him out, had finally warm her down. Her sickness, she was sure, was due to his wearing down her resistance. Now, lying there sick and completely vulnerable he had won and spent the night and morning taking care of her.
Austin opened his eyes and lovingly gazed at Claudia’s hips. The soft roundness of her hips was the most intoxicating and relaxing vision in Austin’s world. In times of anxiety he had always found this picture reassuring, a true anchor in the chaos of life. Out of deference to her illness, Austin had refrained from being amorous all evening. Closing his eyes Austin struggled to stifle the impulse to ravage her and instead focused on the task of restoring health to her glorious body.
Feeling the knots in the small of her back melt away, Claudia’s mind let go of any ill thoughts she harbored regarding Austin’s presence. She let herself slide deeper and deeper into the warm bath of good feelings. At moments she was aware of her breathing, at others the warm hands untangling the very fibers of her body, but most of the time she was aware only of the explosions of light on the insides of her eyelids.
When she awoke she was lying on her back, resting on a cloud. It took her eyes to inform her liquid body that she was still covered in warm towels. Austin appeared with a steaming bowl of soup just as Claudia’s mind began to formulate the question of his whereabouts.
Claudia fell asleep moments after finishing her soup. When she awoke, Austin was gone. She looked at the nightstand and finding no note, assumed Austin was out, but would return.
Sitting up Claudia could see she felt much better. After she got dressed she walked over to the window to look outside. It was still overcast and drizzling, but the threat of any serious weather was no longer present.
She again questioned her decision to let Austin spend the night, and worried about its repercussions. Surely, he would add the apparent innocuousness of last night to his nightly arsenal of reasons why he should be allowed to stay.
Claudia realized they couldn’t stay in this holding pattern forever, but she was nowhere near ready to make a final decision regarding their relationship. What was most painful for Claudia was the way Austin seemed to be making it a black and white issue claiming they either live together, or break off completely from each other. Even if she were to decide it was best to stay separated from Austin, she could not envision her life without his friendship and support. Though she believed Austin’s ultimatums were more of a threat than a reality, she still feared the prospect of hearing him coldly utter his angry farewells.
Early on in their separation Claudia doubted if she truly had any reason to leave. Yet, the more they talked the more assured she became that leaving had been the right decision. Even if she were to return, the separation would have been very valuable. During this time they gained a great appreciation for each other’s differences and goals, as well as a greater appreciation of the love they felt for each other.
When Austin returned he was very pleased to see Claudia out of bed and looking much better. They ate the chinese food Austin had picked up for them in relative quiet. Austin lit candles and they talked in little more than a whisper the entire meal.
After they finished eating Austin asked if there was anything she wanted him to do for her. Claudia moved over to the couch and while smiling said, “Why don’t you come over here and dream with me a little while?”
“How do you want me to dream?” Austin asked cautiously.
“You know how thinking of good things often lifts the spirits?” asked Claudia. After seeing Austin nod she continued, “I think I’d feel much better if we talked about a better world. I know you’re not an idealist like me, but for tonight could you please join me in picturing an honest and good world?”
Austin gave no reply, and instead waited for Claudia to initiate the conversation. Claudia saw in Austin’s eyes a passive acceptance of the discussion. She knew what his objection was, and she also knew he would swallow his objection because she had been so sick. If she were perfectly healthy she knew Austin would have countered with something like, “but an honest and good world is not possible, and if it were it definitely would not be a better world.”
“Now, I know you have great faith in our basic social structure,” Claudia began, “but I want you to imagine that you don’t. I want you to remain optimistic about the future, and to believe that altering our social structure would not only be beneficial, but a necessity. If you were convinced a better world existed on the other side of capitalism, what would you do to help usher in the new world?”
“You mean,” Austin said in a slightly patronizing tone, “what would I do if I wanted to destroy our social system and replace it with another?”
“Yes, kind of,” Claudia said tentatively searching for the words which would motivate Austin to give his best effort in this fantasy game. “As you know I, unlike you, feel we would be best served by a more compassionate and less competitive social structure. Our society seems so formidable, so strong, it would make me feel better if I could at least imagine this society giving way to another.”
“Having this society malfunction is really not that difficult,” Austin said still somewhat stiffly. “In fact, the leaders and planners of this society have often felt it was on the verge of crumbling.”
Warming to the topic Austin continued, “As you know, capitalism and big business were not embraced by the public for a long time. In the years preceding WWI an increasing number of people were embracing the goals of socialism. It took two world wars, a lot of PR, and the creation of the American middle class in order to win the public over.”
“Yet, now the public is won over,” claimed Claudia. “The very words communism and socialism are evil and anyone associating themselves with those ideologies are either ridiculed or treated as pariah. Any time the government wants to muster support for a war, all they have to do is label a foreign leader as being a socialist or communist.”
“You’d be surprised how many military and government leaders really believe in things like the red menace. I’ll grant you many planners thought it ridiculous to imagine Korea, Vietnam or Iraq as being a true threat to democracy or our way of life. Yet, many truly believed all it took was one domino to fall and the rest of the nations would soon follow.”
All of Austin’s reservations regarding the conversation had vanished, and his intensity and zeal increased with each sentence uttered. Claudia was indeed feeling better, and settled in like a child listening to a fairy tale not sure if the ending was going to be scary or happy.
“Some people, especially in the military, are truly paranoid. They are control freaks who are convinced any transgression from the status quo, any hint of change, is a matter of life and death. In their mind all it takes is one unaccounted for germ and here comes the inevitable plague.”
“Aw, come on Austin, that’s just a caricature of the military we use for comedy,” Claudia said baiting Austin.
“Many people, like policemen and military personnel whose job it is to protect people and society, take their roles very seriously. Now it’s true that many in the police and military are normal, rational people. Yet, a sizeable portion of those serving are so dedicated to protecting the status quo because they are truly paranoid of change. These people are rabid racists and nationalists who feel threatened by any deviation from the norm. Fear runs their life, and hatred is their response. The military stereotype exists only because it does contain some truth.”
“Our social system is fragile, because so many important leaders of our society think it’s fragile. History has shown that paranoid people seldom succeed in the long run, and their paranoia is usually the cause of their downfall. Paranoid systems, likewise, often fail simply because they are paranoid.”
“That makes sense, but you still aren’t saying how our system can fail. Not everyone in the system is paranoid, and many of our leaders and planners are very skilled manipulators of human psychology. How could this system with its perpetual propaganda ever fail? No matter how bad things got here, wouldn’t they make sure it was still better than anywhere else in the world? Couldn’t they always convince the public that life would only worsen without capitalism?” Claudia asked these questions hoping Austin had an answer.
“You initially asked me what actions people could take if they wanted to successfully dismantle our current social structure. Now you seem to be asking if one could succeed in getting people to want to change society. Those are two different issues and I’d rather answer your initial question before going on to any others.”
“Sure go ahead,” Claudia said smiling at the prospect of hearing reasonable solutions for any of her questions.
“The continued existence of any society depends on the cooperation of a portion of its population. In a dictatorship the number of people agreeing with the current social structure can be rather small. Yet, the percentage of the populace needing to support the society increases drastically as the society heads towards democracy.”
“Now our society is not only politically dependent on the support of a majority of the populace, but also economically dependent. We are the most powerful nation, only because we are the wealthiest. Our power is dependent upon a large percentage of the populace generating wealth through producing and consuming goods and services. The more objects produced and consumed the better. Our success as a society has been generated by using advances in technology to increase the amount of objects produced and consumed, and the speed by which they are produced and consumed.”
“Most people are in awe of the magnitude of our society, and it leaves them feeling relatively insignificant and powerless. They feel fortunate to live in a country so wealthy and powerful. They are convinced they have more to lose than to gain by complaining about how things are done, or asking for a bigger portion of the pie.”
“The average citizen views corporate America as being fat and opulent, and being able to crush them at any moment. Yet, the truth of the matter is, corporations are more dependent on moment-to-moment commerce than the general public. Most people could easily stock up and go a whole month without needing to purchase anything. This has been demonstrated by modern age survivalists whether they stocked bomb shelters in the fifties or prepared for the much anticipated Y2K problem.”
“Every day corporations make more money and at faster speeds, their continued opulence is dependent on progress. Though they are terribly fat, they are also extremely hungry. Most corporations are far more dependent on the daily consumption of the public than the public is on daily consumption. As I said most people with a little preparation could go a month without needing to purchase a thing. Most corporations would implode in a matter of days if all commerce were to cease.”
“So you’re saying our entire society would crumble if we all stopped being consumers for a month?” Claudia said while shaking her head in disbelief.
“Yes, without the participation of the public as producers and consumers, our system would crash. One well organized wildcat strike, where a majority of the populace refused to work or consume, is all it would take to topple our system of free enterprise. In our system those with power remain in power only to the extent to which the population participates in maintaining and expanding the system.”
“Wow!” Claudia whispered in soft amazement, “that’s unbelievable.”
“Now, the question becomes is such a wildcat strike possible?” Austin asked beginning to deal with the second part of Claudia’s fantasy. “The answer is yes, it is possible. Yet, it would take the trust, cooperation and participation by the populace to follow through on the plans to conduct a wildcat strike. Now, the odds of my winning the lottery is by my estimation far greater than my being able to successfully organize a nationwide consumer strike.”
“Yes, but if we had a strike,” Claudia said wistfully, “we could pretty much name our price.”
“Yes, like any powerful strike, management would have to meet the demands of its workforce.”
“So,” Claudia posed hopefully, “we could create a system whereby all wealth was divided equally.”
“At least for a few minutes,” Austin cynically admitted.
“Thank you so much,” Claudia said earnestly, “now I know my dream is at least possible.”
“But that possibility is hardly worth mentioning,” Austin said in protest.
“Before you can invent something, you have to at least imagine its possibility,” Claudia admitted unaffected by Austin’s pragmatism. “The invention of the airplane started the moment the first man imagined flying like a bird. Your wildcat strike just opens my eyes to the possibility. Maybe, like putting wings on a man, your wildcat idea won’t work. Yet, using your idea as a starting point I’m confident we can find a way to create a better society.”
Claudia truly felt better. Once again Austin had healed her body with his hands and her heart with his words and ideas. She knew the discussion was not complete, and Austin would surely continue to point out the weaknesses of the dream he just imparted to her. Yet, she welcomed his challenges as a way for her to better understand this vision and how she could improve upon it. At this point she wasn’t even sure she wanted the world to change, all she needed to know was, it could.