CHAPTER 3: The Age of Hypocrisy (2)

Muttered Holmes.

< It is a story about a crossroads of lonely souls who meet while walking the path of life, beings who may walk the same path but are eventually caught up in the torrent of fate and scattered.>

< The colonel couldn't kill me, he was a coward. There is no way a person who walked into the abyss because he couldn't let go of that warm but fleeting obsession would have that much courage. Just living the right path requires an enormous amount of courage. He would not have had the courage to kick away a gift sent by God; a gift filled with God's blessings.>

Holmes leisurely fills his pipe with tobacco in a chair on the second floor of Mrs. Hudson's boarding house. Watson appears to be wondering what he should say to this unreasonable friend of his who made such a big deal out of the incident.

The scene of that boarding house was already playing in his head.

"Do you remember that story from last time? The scarlet thread of murder is revealed to the world among the many emotions that are twisted like a ball of thread."

"Wasn't it information, not emotion? And even though the man was leading his tattered body…"

"If the incident back then was a ball of thread, then this incident… Yes, it's like looking at a kaleidoscope with no end in sight, with countless fragments of memories reflected infinitely by countless mirrors."

The last rays of sunset that were streaming through the window of Mrs. Hudson's boarding house go out, and moonlight begins to fill their place.

Holmes, who was looking at the window in confusion, a familiar figure in an all-too-familiar landscape, but feeling rather more and more distant from reality that day, feeling as if he were dreaming, ruminates on this incident.

"It may not be scientific, but when I first met her, I thought her eyes were like the moon, and when I saw her that day, the moon was burning, caught in the light of the setting sun, a moonlight that seemed to burn the world down. Like this?"

"Holmes, I am always amazed, but do you also perhaps have the talent of a poet?"

Watson sticks his tongue out. Of course, Holmes is insensitive. His doctor friend still doesn't know him very well. He is a person who published two books involving poetry during his college days.

******

"This is it for now."

I put down my pen. No matter how much I tried to write more, the internal protest was unbearable.

"Anyway, it's a big deal."

Materials are slowly running out.

I'm continuing the series by almost creating something based on the Sherlock Holmes I know, but the subject matter is also a problem.

Maybe that's why the frequency of me reading newspapers seems to have increased these days.

The newspaper was naturally a London newspaper.

Various accidents, various news and editorials, such as...

< We will help the Belgians who are calling for independence... France suggests intervention in the Netherlands>

< Sewage dumped into the Thames River... Is this okay?>

< London Bridge construction delayed again...>

Salmon still live in the Thames River.

'Living' is possible.

Of course, knowing that the water in the Thames River would dry up within a few years, London was already as good as a dead city.

Even though I made a lot of money, there is a reason why I didn't buy a house in London and instead bought a mansion in the suburbs.

Because I didn't want to live there for a long time.

Even at this point, when the industrial revolution has not yet reached its peak, if you look at the air in London and think about the fine dust in Texas in the 21st century, the fine dust in Texas is like an angel.

While staring at the newspaper, one phrase caught my eye.

< The Poor Law, does it provide relief to the poor? Or does it mass produce parasites?>

The Poor Law, isn't it a government subsidy to prevent poor people from starving to death? Are they debating whether to abolish it?

Oh well, even in the 21st century, there were politicians who made outrageous remarks such as saying that if government support continues to be provided to the common people, they will become parasites of the national finances, so would that really be surprising in the 19th century?

< According to population theory, if no restraint is placed on the population growth trend, the world's population will increase exponentially, doubling every 25 years... Human food supply increases arithmetically, while human consumption increases exponentially, this inevitably causes a shortage of resources necessary for survival...>

Population theory, population theory, ah, is this the Malthusian trap or something?

Malthus Trap.

Thomas Malthus' anonymously published economics book, Population Theory, the full name of which is [A Theory of the Principle of Population, and Its Effect on Future Social Improvement by G.W. Godwin and M. Condorcet.]

And this is what he argued in "Discussion, referring to the speculations of other authors." To put it simply, population growth must be suppressed because one day food production will no longer be able to keep up with population growth. Since there is a limit to the unit product per land, the rate of increase in food is arithmetical, but the increase in population is exponential, so if food production increases by 1. 2. 3, 4, or 5, the population will increase by 1. 2. 4. 8. 16.

The core of the argument was that if this is left unattended, humanity will inevitably be destroyed. The only reason this problem has not become a reality until now is because disease, famine, and war are killing countless people and adjusting the population. The quality of life is still at the lowest level, the population continues to increase, and eventually the population decreases on a large scale, and the population control cycle repeats infinitely, which is why it is called a trap.

It was not completely wrong, as historical examples included the Black Death, the Great Irish Famine that had not yet occurred, and the case of Easter Island. In fact, if you look at China's history, it showed a typical Malthusian trap until it entered the modern era, and the cause of the French Revolution was fundamentally famine. There are even attempts to interpret the massacres that occurred after the advent of modern times from that perspective, and even attempts to explain Korea's low birth rate through the Malthusian trap.

Therefore, Malthus's argument was that in order for everyone to survive, the population of low-income families must be reduced, marriage and childbirth could be delayed or prohibited, and furthermore, war or famine could be used to artificially eliminate them. The reason why there were no poor laws in England was because the British government of the time accepted Malthus's theory. If you provide welfare to the poor, everyone will eventually become poor, and although their fate may be pitiful, it is something that cannot be helped. Of course, the poor laws have not disappeared yet. If you think about it, it's natural.

I've never been particularly interested in the Poor Law, but now public opinion on the abolition of the Poor Law is slowly creeping to the surface, right? Considering how slug-like the government is when it comes to making, amending, or abolishing a law, even if it is abolished, it will probably be a few years later. But that's not what's important now.

My nose smells a good idea. What if the Malthusian Trap became a reality, and humanity was trapped on an overpopulated Earth in the 21st century. A world where it is difficult for even the wealthy to eat real meat, where most people live only on porridge made from seaweed, and where death congratulatory money is paid by the government.

Hell for the royalties. Machine guns are fired without hesitation at people protesting to lower prices, a jar of strawberry jam is sold for as much as a diamond, and even the middle and upper classes eat mostly hard biscuits and water, meat stew, and salad without any dressing. This is an era where even the highest-ranking people don't get to eat with excitement. A new food that will save humanity from starvation would then be released, but the truth that it was made from ground human flesh is revealed to the world at the end of the work. < Soylent Green is People! Soylent Green is People!>

I could almost hear the sound of pounds pouring into my ears.

***

I immediately contacted the publisher.

We decided to meet at an upscale French restaurant in downtown London, and soon I found myself chatting with the editor-in-chief.

"This novel is called Soylent Green."

The editor-in-chief looked perplexed.

"Oh are you conscious of the public opinion about the repeal of the Poor Law?"

"Not at all."

"But people who see this will connect to it. It could also be used politically."

The editor-in-chief spoke with a serious expression.

"It is very common for politicians to misinterpret completely unrelated statements. There are quite a few examples, and the author's remarks could also be like that."

I nodded and cut the appetizer terrine into bite-sized pieces.

"Personally, I think the repeal of the poor law is a foolish decision. Rather, we need to increase the population. Population is the power of a nation, and there is still undeveloped land everywhere. Should I think about sending settlers to colonize before thinking about killing people? If the pie is small, we need to expand the pie. I mean, we need to get out there before this happens."

"Outside."

"Outside Britain, outside Europe, outside the continent."

I struck before the editor-in-chief could open his mouth again.

"I'm just warning you about what the experts say is an inevitable future. I will also suggest solutions. It's enough if progress is made. All we need to do is develop technology, farm more land, expand the world, and go beyond the Earth to relieve population pressure. More colonies are the solution to all these problems."

To be more precise, it's a plagiarism from a future movie story, but don't sweat the small stuff.

"Humanity must move forward. Not only that, we need to develop science and technology, advanced technology, more territory, these are the pieces of the pie. We should think about expanding that pie, not killing people. I will clearly include that message in my novel as well. Isn't there Canada, Australia, and Asia right now?"

It's a bit of an imperialistic statement, but whatever. After all, this is the age of imperialism, and there is no one who can take risks based on my remarks alone.

"That is correct."

The editor-in-chief also expressed his agreement without making any comments.

"We should venture outside, not sit here. Complacency means decline."

"… But like I said, they will quote the author's work without regard for context."

"Then let's at least give them a sequel."

The editor-in-chief's eyes widened.

"Are you already thinking about a sequel?"

"Well, if you quote out of context like that, I will publicly criticize you. I only argued for more investment in science and technology and more colonization, but I never once said anything about killing people. Rather than abolishing the Poor Law, we should reduce the amount of land wasted by sending the poor abroad. The large lands of the United States, the lands of South America, Australia, where there are too many people, which is a problem, and other places. Isn't there enough room for exploration? Worrying about the Malthusian trap now is like worrying about starving to death because there is only three days' worth of food in the house. Wouldn't it be more efficient to just go out and buy ingredients from the market?"

"Someday, the Earth would be overpopulated , but then, writer…"

"If the Earth is 'small', all we have to do is go into outer space. I believe that with appropriate technology and 100 years of time, Mars can be transformed into an environment where humans can live, and further into an agricultural planet that will supply food to the Earth. And even other stars outside this solar system" I interrupted.

Although humanity's view of the universe has not yet expanded beyond the galaxy, not only has the heliocentric theory been firmly proven, but there is ample information about stars and nebulae outside the Earth.

In other words, it is enough to say that there are other stars and planets habitable for humans outside of the Earth.

"I believe in humans. And I believe in human wisdom. Humans can survive without necessarily killing each other."

To be honest, I don't believe that at all.

As someone who remembers the mess that has been going on in the 21st century, I think there is nothing more empty than saying that I believe in human beings.

But, at least for now, this works.

Before World War I, the Belle Epoque, the Industrial Revolution, and the Victorian Era, is when technology was seen as the magic key to all problems.

However, even in the Victorian era, there were numerous problems, including the solemnity that pervaded society, imperialism and colonialism, moral corruption rotting from within, and the hellish gap between the rich and the poor.

But despite this, I was able to have hope for the future and dream of a bright tomorrow.

That was the difference between the 21st century that I remember and the British Empire in the early 19th century.

A world where the quality of life is obviously far lower, but where there is hope for a better future.

So, wouldn't it make sense to say that I believe in humans?

As I contemplated that, I put a knife to the main dish. The sauce and juice of the properly grilled steak were tempting me.

"But if people still don't want to listen to me, is the sequel really worth making?"

"Hehe, from my perspective, I don't know whether I should hope that people will listen to the author or not."

I laughed and put a piece of steak in my mouth.

Mmh. The taste of French Steak ain't bad.

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