Smartystan

Words whispered from tongue to tongue. Belinda created an algorithm that could zero in on how people spoke. The two doctors joined in by Strong contributing knowledge of game theory and Frampton making it possible for a pattern to make pharmaceuticals to take hold. All that combined to make Go the lead on this one. He took the data from the other three and made it a cohesive whole.

“Alright, I’m going to use all of this to see if the people of ability really look down upon those who are at the fifty percentile in knowledge or below.”

With great intrepidity, Go struck out with his smartphone and sent messages like an electronic postman. Folks looked at the notes on their mobile devices. Their faces spelled dismay. The swiped right, indicating they admired people of lesser abilities. In comment sections, The wrote in paragraph form their affirmation that merit didn’t always mean ethics. Go smiled at the hundreds of thousands of posts that the people of Smartystan offered.

“We’ve got this win,” Dr. Strong added. “But we’re going to still have to convince other people that this is a place where the individual can attain whatever is in their mind to achieve.”

“We still have snag,” Belinda said. “Some people trolled the system and voted to say that the ave guard is ‘beneath’ them.”

“So we get a few dissidents in the mix. It still doesn’t stop the influx of people crossing into the country. It doesn’t stop the thousands of people who will have babies here who will have the right to stay even if, in a few years, they don’t pass the test. That’s what we must focus on,” Dr. Strong asserted.

Dr. Frampton shook her head. “Absolutely. That’s the goal. I think we can sincerely say this is a step up from the doldrums of despair.”

“If we can just reach all of the people who put those bad vibes into the world, we’d be better off anyway,” Go replied.

The room soon fell silent. It appeared as if their tongue had rolled into the backs of their mouths. Not a word a scream escaped from their lips as they continued to look at the numbers. Then, Dr. Strong said, “Vestin, Channel 30 interviewed you….”

Go nodded his head.

“Let them get information on what we just did and see just how much the outer world and people who want to be transformed by this nation, to learn, to work, to play, to live. Let that carry on with the idea of making it here.”

The four of them departed after that last remark. One thing about them, they didn’t walk around like royalty in the country they essentially built. They could have, but they didn’t. Instead they walked with a gait of adventurers, seeking out new possibilities. Dr. Frampton’s eyes looked like jade and sparkled when the sun shone down upon her. Her flowing dark brown lochs contributed to a symmetric face and alabaster teeth. With every step, she seemed to lead the pack. Dr. Strong kept a steady speed despite his years. Belinda and Go seemed to pace with a purpose as well.

They walked from the laboratory to the library in the center of town. The building looked welcoming and imposing at the same time. Glass panels looked like a severe collection of different windows. The building looked like it could breathe. The steel that supported it gave it a spine. When the group walked into the library, no seas parted. A few smiles and winks and subtle salutes greeted them. The enormous building housed books that had been generated using Belinda’s learned machines. Dr. Strong and Dr. Frampton’s own offerings lined the shelves. Go motioned towards a conference room. They all piled into the space with glass windows and wooden supports.

“Now, we have to consider the newest thing on the tab,” Go said. His youthful energy allowed him to launch right into the next phase of the novel nation. It took no time for him to project from his phone a way for everyone to succeed at whatever ability they could demonstrate. Belinda already started on the idea of making places like the library more accessible.

“What we can do is permit people who are not as advanced the possibility of visiting these locales. We could have some kind of honor test. Instead of aptitude, it would measure morality,” Belinda put out there. She almost wanted to say, “thoughts?” but knew better of it. She stood on her word and just wanted to let her compatriots know that, essentially, this was where the entire mechanics of the idea was headed.

“Yes, but how are we going to implement an idea like that? What would such a test entail?” Go asked.

“It’s simple; we’ll draw up a set of questions that pertain only to ethics. They’ll use their devices to video them saying their answers and how much emphasis and grit will determine how seriously they take the question.”

“I think it’s a splendid idea,” Dr. Strong said. “To prevent us from being a total meritocracy, we can have, of course, a separate way of rating people and giving off the right set of values. The people already here should take it as well.”

“I don’t know,” Dr. Frampton said. She looked down at her hands rubbing together.

“I think we’d get into even more trouble than we already find ourselves.”

“I think we should go ahead with it. Look at what happened a few hours ago, we’ve put a dent in the sensibilities of thousands. We can actually find a way to do this.”

“This is what we must do. If we continue down this road we will be met with opposition. Today was a bit of a walk. Let’s see what we can find on our own with the ACA and others trailing us. They’re not actually the problem. We are, though, the solution.”

Every one of them felt a sense of understanding. They all breathed.