Athena
“Remember what I told you: you are only an observer. Stay in the back and don’t say a word.”
“I heard you the first three times.” Finn had a handful of grapes in his hands and was throwing them in the air, catching them with his mouth. “Do you run these classes every day?”
“No, only twice a week. The other days I prefer to go out and meet my local community. But the spiritual enlightenment classes attract people from all over the world.” I pointed to the Virtual Reality devices on the table. “I’m setting you up with a generic avatar. In general, it’s frowned upon because we all like to know who we are in the company of, but if anyone asks you will tell them that your VR device broke.”
“Okay,” Finn said. “Just make sure that my avatar is handsome.” He crossed his arms as I pulled up different options for him to choose from.
Hans had his own device ready but leaned in and said, “Finn, if you’re not saying anything, you could go as a woman.”
At first Finn gave a grimace, but then his eyes crinkled with humor. “Ha, wait a minute. You’re right, Hans. But if I’m going as a woman, I want big tits and a deep cleavage.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I want to test if it’s really true Motlander men are asexual.”
Hans frowned. “What makes you think that we are asexual?”
Finn raised his eyebrows in an are-you-kidding-me expression. “Maybe the fact that you don’t have sex.”
Hans protested. “That’s not true, I’ve had sex monthly since I turned twenty-two.”
“Oh yeah, and how many women have you slept with then?”
Hans raised his chin. “That’s not something I’m willing to share.” But that comment only made Finn laugh.
“In other words, zero,” he said.
“Remember my instructions: take a seat in the back and just be quiet,” I repeated, before we activated our mood readers and entered the virtual reality.
The tranquil atmosphere of the meadow theme was perfect, with the natural slope that made it easy for the audience to hear and see whoever was speaking under the old oak tree that stood with a beautiful crown large enough to provide shadow from the sun.
People were joining and quietly finding a spot to sit in on the soft grass. Hans stood in the background looking like himself, but with a different outfit on. Next to him stood Finn, but in the appearance of a blonde woman with long hair and very large breasts. Everyone would know Finn didn’t really look like that because of the G hovering above his head that told everyone the blonde was a generic avatar. Not that it was necessary, since no real woman would be staring down at her own breasts with such fascination. I signaled to Hans to get Finn under control when he started feeling himself up.
When it was time to start, I spread my arms and spoke in a loud and clear voice. “May peace surround you all. I am honored that you are all here, and as always let’s start with a moment of silent appreciation.”
The audience bowed their heads and closed their eyes for ten seconds in respect and appreciation.
“Today I thought we should talk about our neighbors to the North. Now that it is no longer forbidden to mention them, and we have five of them visiting our country at the moment, it seems like a relevant topic.”
Many nodded.
“We all grew up hearing stories about their strange ways, but only a few of us have met one of them in real life. I know that some Motlanders are unhappy about the Nmen being here, while others find it exciting.
“For me,” I said and spread out my arms, “I find this a great chance for spiritual growth for them and us. If our two nations are to unite at any point in the future, it will require a substantial amount of diplomacy, not to mention compromises on both parts.
“My question for you today is this, do you think we should work toward a union with the Northlands?”
A few people raised their hands and I pointed to an older woman that I knew. “Yes, Theresa.”
“Nmen terrify me,” she admitted and folded her hands in front of her. “I’ve heard so many horrible stories, and to see that someone like Pearl Pilotti, whom I’ve always respected and admired, would advocate for them makes me doubt everything I’ve learned.” Theresa was looking around at both me and the audience around her. “It’s hard to see how a nation with such vast difference in values from ours could ever change, and what scares me the most is that some of their values might rub off on us if we integrate. I think many of us would rather die than to see men back in power.”
“It is a frightening thought, if history were to repeat itself,” I agreed.
Theresa nodded and it made her short haircut bob up and down. “On our side of the border we’ve had peace for almost four hundred years. On their side, it’s been nothing but violence and war. History has proven men incapable of keeping peace long-term; they are too power hungry by nature.”
Knowing that it had to be hard for Finn to listen to this, I made an attempt to defend the Nmen. “I believe there’s been no major wars for the last thirty years in the Northlands,” I pointed out. “Things seem more stable now.”
“Yes, but maybe that’s part of their strategy to get us to open up, and once we do, they’ll try and take over,” Theresa said and sat down again.
An elegant man to my left drew my attention and I stepped over to connect with him. “What is your name?”
His long straight hair was parted down the middle of his scalp in a precise zigzag pattern, and he had a beautiful necklace on that went all the way to his navel.
“I’m Miles,” he said and stood up.
“I invite you to speak if you have something to add,” I said.
He bowed his head to me in respect before he straightened up and began talking. “I don’t mean to sound negative, but these past weeks people’s excitement about the Nmen is getting out of control. Our cultural differences are too deep for a union to ever work.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, their radical opinions and their old-fashioned hierarchic system are incompatible with our way of life. To be honest, I’m disturbed that we are talking about the Nmen as if they have the potential to ever be included in our society.” He spoke with a soft voice, but his words were harsh for a Motlander. “I’ve seen them on the news,” the man continued. “And even for an open-minded person like me, it’s impossible to overlook how primitive and unsophisticated they are. Some of the answers they give are painful and make them look like complete imbeciles.”
I drew my hands behind my back, considering my next words carefully. “We and the Nmen are very different in our political views and how we see the world; that is true. But I would like to challenge your judgment that they are imbeciles. It’s a harsh judgment to cast upon one million people without your having met a single one in person.”
“I want to say something!”
Recognizing Finn’s deep voice, I was afraid to look up, but Finn refused to be ignored and came marching up to the front row to confront Miles. The bizarre combination of his feminine appearance as the blonde avatar and his masculine walk was only underlined when he stopped and took a firm stand with a frown. “Why don’t you just admit that you feel threatened by the fact that the Nmen are real men?”
Miles widened his eyes in shock from Finn’s rude comment, but Finn wasn’t done.
“It’s not your fault that your forefathers gave up their man card 400 years ago and you have become this…” Finn waved his hand up and down in front of the man, “this sad imitation of a male.”
A collective gasp went through the audience, and I sighed.
“What an absurd thing to say,” Miles exclaimed and gave a small laugh. “It’s not in my nature to use strong words, but in this case I will say you are being ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous?” Finn scoffed and crossed his arms, which only pushed up his enormous breasts. “Is that the strongest word you can use? Then how about when I call you a mothe…” He was cut off when I quickly placed a firm hand on Finn’s shoulder to stop him.
“Let’s not resolve to name-calling. I understand this is an emotional subject for many and you seem to have warm feelings for the Nmen, which we can all respect.” I was trying to signal to Finn to calm down, but he didn’t take my subtle hint.
“That’s right,” he sputtered. “And I’m not just letting this… ehm…man call Nmen idiots.”
“I would never use such vulgar language,” Miles said in an offended tone of voice. “I said they were imbeciles.”
“And I say that you feel threatened by them as a male,” Finn claimed.
“Why in the world would I feel threatened?” Again, Miles gave a small chuckle, clearly uncomfortable with Finn’s rude accusations.
“Because the women around you are waking up, and realizing that there is more to life than kale, yoga, and endless meditation. The women of the Motherlands have systematically emasculated their male population to the point where there is no polarity or sexual attraction between the genders anymore. And now, the Nmen show up with alpha traits and the women start throwing off pheromones that confuse you.”
With a dismissive swing of his hand, Miles fought back. “Our women aren’t interested in Nmen, they are much too evolved for that.” He turned to the audience for their support. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Most people looked stunned by this unprecedented exchange of harsh words, and most of them looked down as if they wanted no part of it, but one woman stood up. She was looking at Miles. “I am just as puzzled about what is happening as you seem to be. I have friends who won’t stop talking about that young Nman who climbed a flagpole.”
Finn turned to her. “His name was Marco.”
“Yes, I believe you are right,” she said and nodded.
“What about the handsome guy with the beard? Are your friends talking about him too?”
“Oh, you mean the teacher, what was his name, Archer?”
“No, he only had stubble. I meant the other guy. The one that all the women were flocking around, Finn.”
If rolling my eyes would’ve been appropriate in the Motherlands, I would’ve done so, but instead I chuckled on the inside when the woman shook her head and wounded Finn’s ego.
“No, my friends haven’t mentioned him, but they are very excited about the five men who are visiting us at the moment. I only mention it to point out, that although it mystifies some of us, you do have a point, and my friends are all giddy and excited.”
“But surely, your friends are anomalies,” Miles claimed. “No modern woman would want a man who dominates her. The mere thought is laughable.”
For some reason that comment hit me hard. I’d met Christina, who was married to an Nman, and she had been willing to risk a lot to help me escape from the Northlands. To hear her described as a weak and submissive woman was upsetting. “Again, I think we should be careful about judging a situation that we don’t know first-hand,” I told Miles. “I’m sure that you are aware that a few of our females have married Nmen, and from all the articles written about these women, nothing suggests that they would let themselves be dominated.”
“Well, all I’m saying is that with the Nmen’s level of testosterone, I think we can expect to hear sad stories of abuse,” Miles said and looked around to gather support.
“Abuse?” Finn took a step forward, his expression hard. “Nmen fucking worship their women.”
Again, the audience gasped and this time protests arose with mutters about improper communication.
“A good debate should always be kept civil,” I said and, looking straight at Finn, I raised my eyebrows. “Thank you for sharing your perspectives. May, I suggest you take a seat before someone reports you for improper communication.”
Finn scowled at the audience as if he dared them to even try, but to my relief Hans came forward, telling Finn in a calm voice that they had to go.
Once they exited the virtual reality, I addressed Miles, who was still standing in front of the audience with me. “I apologize that the debate got a little out of hand.”
“Thank you. To be honest I’ve never met such a rude person,” he said. “And I didn’t want to bring it up before, but her voice was clearly that of a man.”
“Yes, I noticed,” I said with a small nod.
“So maybe his harsh words directed at me were more like a self-reflection on the fact that he feels threatened and confused,” Miles said, his shoulders relaxing.
I raised a brow and tilted my head, curious to understand his logic. “You think he felt threatened by the Nmen?”
“Yes, it seemed like a very sore area for him, and I think all of us men can relate to his confusion and pain. Nmen behavior goes against everything we’ve been taught about being soft, caring, and nurturing. And for some women to find them appealing, well, it’s practically a personal insult to us good men.”
A few other men in the audience chimed in with supportive comments.
Recognizing the support he was receiving, Miles smiled and spread out his hands. “With everything you have taught us in these spiritual enlightenment classes, Athena, I think we can all empathize with his lack of self-control and manners. Even the best of us can feel unbalanced and say things we regret.”
“Thank you, Miles.” I gave him a warm smile. “I salute you for being brave enough to admit that the Nmen’s more traditional masculinity challenges you.”
He frowned, but softened when I added, “It’s a sign of great maturity to be open to another’s point of view, in particular when it’s being delivered in a confrontational manner.”
“Thank you. I have to admit that I felt provoked when he said that our forefathers gave up their man card. It’s not true; if anything we upgraded it to a premium card.”
I angled my head with interest. “So please share with us how you stayed calm despite feeling provoked. Others might learn from your technique.”
Miles smiled. “Actually, I used what you taught us about remaining sane in stressful times.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, first of all I thought of what you said about his attacks being an invitation to a fight, but that it’s my choice whether I want to participate.”
“Excellent. You resisted the bait. Well done!”
“And then I used those words you taught us to say in our heads. So, when he said that Nmen were real men, I just said to myself, in your opinion.”
I turned to the class. “Those are powerful words, but remember that they are best used internally. Said out loud they can be an explosive fuel to a disagreement. We use the words to distance ourselves from the other person’s argument and remind us that what our counterpart is saying isn’t the final truth that we have to share or agree with. They are entitled to have their opinion, as much as we have the right to disagree.” Turning my head to Miles again, I nodded in a sign of respect. “Thank you for your valuable input; please take a seat again.”
He returned to his spot on the soft grass and we continued discussing the subject of the Nmen for another half hour before I spread out my arms and gave my closing remarks.
“This has been a very honest and passionate debate that I suggest we all take some time to reflect upon. It has brought up the relevance of knowing how to handle conflict in our lives. Therefore I suggest that we push forward Saturday’s planned subject of nature’s impact on your mental health, and instead do a session on conflict resolution and how to set personal boundaries.”
People in the audience signaled agreement by nodding and smiling. As usual, some of them came up to me to discuss their own feelings relating to today’s subject. One of the women shared that her mother was terminally ill and she was struggling to stay positive. We shared a long hug of empathy and I gave her a time for a grief consultation with me for next week, before I exited the virtual reality setting.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay quiet?” I asked Finn when I removed my VR equipment.
“Like I’m just going to let someone diss my people.”
“You were very disrespectful, and I hope you do better next time.”
“Next time?”
“Yes, we’re going to visit my best friend Karina and her children. I thought you would be interested in meeting a real baby.”
Finn’s eyes lit up. “In virtual reality or in real life?”
“In real life. They live five minutes from here; just promise me that you’ll keep your swearing under control.”