The Reality

"The dream seems far from our reality. Our reality is a world in which too many suffer too much and too often. It is the best and worst of times indeed. Murder, rape, starvation, all evils, are rampent. The Kali Yuga is indeed upon us. But the night is darkest before the dawn, and there is an opportunity to transform this reality into the dream. We can create a world without crime - always misdemeanors, we are human after all - but no crime..."

"But how?" they all cried concurrently.

"Step one is defining crime. Step two is offering public workers financial incentive for eliminating crime. Imagine D.C. becoming the new Wall Street. Imagine Senators who make seven-figures in return for achieving certain crime-contingent milestones for which their voters elected them - such as eliminating homeless in you-name-it. We employ the government, after all, so it's about time we start managing and motivating them effectively."

Plato shrugged. "I suppose the reality is merchants will always be merchants, and will never be philosophers. Merchants should never rule, only philosophers."

I responded, "It doesn't matter. The structure of this system is such that the merchants must behave like philosophers, must obey reason and pay respect for empirical evidence, if they are to succeed. Because the only way to eliminate all crimes is by thinking like a philosopher - analyzing every angle imagine."

"If I may..." Aristotle began.