The Inauguration

Near the end of The Ark Lords, Commander Ursay not only helped save Rome and Rei, or at least get them off the Earth, he also demonstrated an uncanny ability to stay connected yet be himself. This is the essence of Rome's Revolution, bringing mankind, in the form of the Vuduri, back from the brink of mindlessness and returning to the world of autonomy. Eventually, Vuduri society is all the better for it. The Overmind of Earth recognized this and gave Ursay its full support, ultimately making Commander Ursay what Rei called the "President of Earth." But what does that really mean?

Before Rome's Revolution, even while the Vuduri were spiraling downward into becoming human automatons, there was no crime to speak of. There was no formal government. There was no legislature, no executive branch, no judges. All the Vuduri marched in unison and harmony. But something was lacking. In the end, Rome determined, with Rei's help, what they had lost was their humanity and that is why she forced her revolution.

But with greater autonomy, the greater good could only be achieved if the independent humans agreed upon goals and worked together toward them. So this became Ursay's role. With the help of the Overmind which became somewhat of a "psychic intercom", the Vuduri collectively agreed upon their common goals and Ursay became the one to coordinate actions aimed at those goals.

When he was "elected" although that is too strong of a term, perhaps appointed would be better, there was a tiny ceremony recognizing this fact. While it was attended by only a handful of Vuduri, because of the Overmind's watchful presence, the transition from a leaderless state to one led by a strong-willed but altruistic chief was recognized and ratified by the whole of society at that moment.

Life on the day after this inauguration was pretty much the same as the day before with one exception. The Vuduri had been leaderless the day before and their efforts were constantly second-guessed. On the day after, their efforts were examined and approved by this man and everyone felt more secure knowing there was a third party arbiter to make sure they were all pulling in the same direction.

I guess our country is the same way. While not everyone may agree with the policies or presentation of our elected leaders, there is some comfort in knowing we are being led and not just left to our own devices. That is called anarchy. Each person can share their goals and if the consensus is to work toward that goal, the higher ups will ratify it and support its motion.

Life goes on. Let's make the best of it.