Rules And Ruler(s)

I have got twelve inches, but I do not normally use it as a rule.

That was a typical joke that he used in his speeches, and everybody laughed. Not because they found it funny, but because they knew that was the rule.

Everyone was fine with it because it meant that they did not have to think for themselves, and that made their lives so much simpler, and that was fine and dandy for them.

This was better than the old days, although they could now also indulge in bullying others, animals, anyone who was slightly different, foreigners, women, or anyone they deemed inferior to them.

And he said they could because he said that HE had spoken to him and that it was OK, in fact, it was a rule that everyone should follow. Yes, his word was the rule, and everyone was happy with it.

Rules had to be followed, and anyone who did not follow should be punished, whether they were the same or different from everyone else.

This was today, with only the good bits from the past resurrected.

Rules are rules, and they are there to be followed. If you don't, you will be punished in any way that the punisher decides. Not following rules is breaking and showing disrespect for the law.

Then he said burn down the libraries, nobody needs to read books. I will tell them all they need to know. They knew the rules, and they followed orders. Bonfires burned throughout the land, because that was the rule.

One day, no one would have to read, although the situation was that no one was being taught to read. That was the rule, so no one did.

The rules did not need to be written down, because they could be adapted to whatever the situation might be. The rules became unwritten, but had to be followed; otherwise, defaulters would be dealt with.

Every day, he said that HE spoke to him and told him he was the chosen one, and had to disseminate HIS rules to his followers, although the reality was that they were really HIS followers. The followers believed every word and followed every rule to the letter, although ironically, they could not read a word, because they did not need to.

The ones who were not followers had to be taught that they must follow his rules, and if they did not, retribution would follow, because his rules were HIS rules.

The retribution may take the form of plague, sickness, hurricanes or floods, but the usual retribution was a beating or execution. The followers were happy with that because they knew the rules, they hadn't been brainwashed, their brains had sort of been switched off, not fully erased, but just functional enough to do his bidding.

In his white palace with his close cronies, he dispensed HIS wisdom, because he knew he didn't have to think. HE dictated his every move, which he dispensed to his followers through his many challenges.

Society was crumbling, but no one noticed because he told them that everything was going to HIS plan, even though HE sometimes moved in mysterious and inexplicable ways.

Plague and vermin became more common, but nothing was done. Blame was placed on those who were different or did not follow the rules. Everyone believed and followed his words. The rules were simple, and the main rule was BELIEVE him AND FOLLOW his LEAD.

Sometimes though, some cognitive thought crept into the minds of some followers, and the thought led them to the question:

So, in the end, whose rules did they follow?

The ones from him or the ones from HIM?