The World of "Levels"
"Levels" is a story about a unique social experiment that rises out of the ashes of a world that has nearly self-destructed due to numerous wars, environmental disasters, and social upheaval.
The reader joins the story approximately three centuries after this ambitious effort is initiated by a small group of dedicated men and women determined to eliminate all of the bad behavior, institutions, and philosophies that they believe contributed to the downfall of previous societies.
War, crime poverty, hunger, greed, vanity, prejudice,and inequality no longer exist. But these are not the only things that have been eliminated. The institution of marriage, the family unit, long-term intimate relationships, and religion have also disappeared.
From infancy, the inhabitants of the world of "Levels" are mentored and closely monitored by authority figures known as the Revered Ones.
Everyone, regardless of their position within the social structure, has access to the exact same quantity and quality of food, housing, clothing, education, and advancement opportunities.
Even though everyone is treated exactly the same, everybody is not the same. Diversity is not merely tolerated; it is accepted as natural and beneficial to the society as a whole. Inhabitants are constantly reminded that being different does not automatically make a person good or bad, right or wrong - just different.
Social advancement cannot be achieved through wealth, influence peddling, physical attractiveness, or deceit. At each level, everyone is subjected to a series of orchestrated physical and mental challenges specifically designed to determine if and when the candidate has matured sufficiently to function effectively within and contribute positively to the next higher social level. Advancement is strictly voluntary and may be declined by the candidate at any time for any reason.
Each social level is a physical place that is accessed via machines called transporter units and only an elite few within the ranks of the Revered Ones know how to operate them.
The reader joins the story approximately three centuries after this ambitious effort is initiated by a small group of dedicated men and women determined to eliminate all of the bad behavior, institutions, and philosophies that they believe contributed to the downfall of previous societies.
War, crime poverty, hunger, greed, vanity, prejudice,and inequality no longer exist. But these are not the only things that have been eliminated. The institution of marriage, the family unit, long-term intimate relationships, and religion have also disappeared.
From infancy, the inhabitants of the world of "Levels" are mentored and closely monitored by authority figures known as the Revered Ones.
Everyone, regardless of their position within the social structure, has access to the exact same quantity and quality of food, housing, clothing, education, and advancement opportunities.
Even though everyone is treated exactly the same, everybody is not the same. Diversity is not merely tolerated; it is accepted as natural and beneficial to the society as a whole. Inhabitants are constantly reminded that being different does not automatically make a person good or bad, right or wrong - just different.
Social advancement cannot be achieved through wealth, influence peddling, physical attractiveness, or deceit. At each level, everyone is subjected to a series of orchestrated physical and mental challenges specifically designed to determine if and when the candidate has matured sufficiently to function effectively within and contribute positively to the next higher social level. Advancement is strictly voluntary and may be declined by the candidate at any time for any reason.
Each social level is a physical place that is accessed via machines called transporter units and only an elite few within the ranks of the Revered Ones know how to operate them.
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