12. Dick, the terrorist and a deaf dog

Hi I'm Richard Everyman but people call me Dick.

With their new found brain power the Eggheads kept me awake all night with their excited chatter.  They didn't wake Patch though, being half deaf he had devised a way of sleeping on his good ear to block out any intrusive noises.  In short he was a pretty useless watch dog but his companionship made up for all his other faults.  I switched on the radio and heard something about a massive international terrorist being killed and how the world was now going to be a safer place.  If society had to depend on Patch then they could forget that notion I thought.  But I was intrigued all the same.

I asked the Eggheads about him and they filled me in on all the gory details.  After a good half hour's chat 44 Lupin Drive had never felt so safe and Billy Boulton was a real pussy cat in comparison to the mass murdering terrorist they told me about.  The Eggheads then went on about democracy and freedom and the way in which a thing called 'social media' was uniting people and communities around the world and causing them to challenge their leaders to change society.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind

They spoke of a man called Mahatma Gandhi who used a campaign of non violence to finally win his country's independence until he was himself assassinated by people who believed in armed struggle.

He once said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" which made me think about the man they had just killed.  "Social media" said the Eggheads, "lets the world see everything and nothing at the same time..."

I pondered for a while and thought of poor Patch, "Being half deaf," I responded "means you have to listen harder too." 

I thanked the Eggheads for their wisdom and made myself a comforting cup of tea and some toast.  Was this what the Big Society is all about then?  I was confused, it was one thing bringing down governments and fighting tyrants but becoming a volunteer for the Women's Institute was quite another thing in my book unless perhaps they had an armed wing?

This is Dick Everyman signing out...