And of course, being the philosophical father of the whole thing takes a lot out of me, so I have lots of other tasks and responsibilities -- cutting ribbons and passing out 'first dollar' plaques -- and there's not a lot of extra time for letting down my hair, letting my mind wander, and spacing off, drifting off in a self-indulgent reverie on the issues of alternative history. Like What if?
And yet when I allow myself, at those rare moments, to indulge in the non-practical and unwise past time of backwards speculation, I suddenly realize it really didn't have to be this way. Or to put it a better way, it didn't necessarily have to be this way. After all, the average man existed for thousands of years without his own factory, his own warehouse, his own forklift, his own supply depot, or any of the thousands of other things we now take for granted.
Now that it is this way, of course that's good, that's progress. And it evens out the playing field, taking away from the major industrialists the monopoly they once enjoyed over the means of production and the market. We were mere pawns in their greedy little paws, existing at their whim, and being completely expendable. Of course we felt happy ... I guess ... since we didn't know any better ... until I came along to open everyone's eyes to their misery and what else might be possible. That was April 2010, and nothing's been the same since!
Yet ... What if we were to ask What if? Was there anything the major industrialists could've done differently that would've prevented or forestalled the rising of the RIM?
Right off the bat, and I hate to give them any ideas, but since they're mentally bankrupt there's probably little danger of that, they could've killed me. And they probably would've if they would've had the chance, if they could've captured me. Of course I'm very happy they didn't, but from their point of view, seriously, they should've given it a bit more effort.
And they had me right in their sights, too, since my location isn't exactly a secret. They all know where I live, and they were here. One thing to mention is they probably could've gotten more competent underlings to pursue me. I know if I would've been them, I would've. Looking back, this shouldn't've been that tough to see. It wouldn't've taken much, since I was right in plain site, anyone could've seen me. But they were asleep in my willow trees!
In defense of the underlings, remember they had chiefs too! They probably should've looked for better chiefs. But at that point they would've thought of me as just another burr under their saddle, someone who could've been easily brushed aside with a few threats or payoffs. Yet anyone who knows me could've told them they should've known better! If you shoot fireballs over my house (thank God it wasn't thatch), you should've just burnt the place down. Because anyone who knows me could've told them they would've come to regret it.
So that's where it started. I could've given up, but that would've given them the win. Instead, I redoubled my efforts -- being fervently anti-industry at the time. I didn't back down, so they should've known something would've happened. I changed my focus to being anti major industrialist only, hatching my greatest brainchild ever, which resulted in the birth of the RIM. If some men have a factory, why can't every man have one? The idea could've come to anyone, but it didn't.
And yet, even at that point, it seems like the major industrialists would've had options. Before the foundations for new factories were laid, they could've come in and given the average man a reason to forebear, a pay increase. If I would've been them, maybe I would've quickly cut prices. Maybe I would've bought up all their land. Or, to be drastic, they could've mass produced bombs and destroyed the country's highway system, then they could've poisoned our water system, then they could've tainted our land with poison, and finally they could've crippled us all with napalm. Or, at the very least, they could've asked us nicely.
Frankly, in certain ways, it would've made my life a lot easier. If everyone would've told me my idea was cracked, I would've just gone on my way, alone as ever. And I wouldn't've known the difference. Just think of all the extra time I could've had.
But the major industrialists, being a brainless bunch of dimwitted ignoramuses, didn't do anything right. And now they see, that is the few who have two braincells that still function on special occasions, what they should've seen all along.
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