"As the Big Event Draws Closer The People of Chelm Begin Asking Questions" - A History Lesson From Chelm Part II

This post is a continuation from my story:
The Dangers of the New Highway System - A History Lesson From Chelm Part I

"As the Big Event Draws Closer The People of Chelm Begin Asking Questions" 

A History Lesson From Chelm Part II

By: Dovid Teitelbaum

Please note: All characters and events appearing in this work are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people or events is hashgacha pratus.


As the big day drew nearer things started heating up. Now although the wise men of Chelm were behind this event, not all the people were. It’s not that they didn't care about the dangers of the highway, it's just that the common people had other concerns too. You see, while the great sage was dealing with the highway crisis all the other issues of Chelm got pushed to the side. And there were many issues. The school system was failing. There was alcohol abuse. The local economy was in shambles. And so people felt the large money for the event could be used for better purposes.

But more importantly, there was abuse of children going on in the city and even allegations that some of the wise men were involved. Just like those highway casualties, the stories were buried. The Chelm Press was run by the wise men and they published the stories they felt were important. For some strange reason they focused exclusively on the highway problem. And even though for every highway casualty there were 10x more within the communal system, those stories were never reported.

Every school in Chelm sent out copies of the great sages’ letter and some even demanded that all parents attend. It was very unusual for there to be such force. However, many of the schools were run by the wise men and the schools that weren't were pressured into coercing parents.

You see Chelm today wasn't like it was in the old days. There was a time in Chelm when the wise men were respected and the people listened because they wanted to. But things were different now. The great sage was getting old and he no longer had the strength of prior years. The new generation of wise men were not the same as the old. They were less respected and less known. But more importantly, the people of Chelm weren't all of the same opinions anymore. The simple people of Chelm weren't so simple anymore, due in some measure to the highway.

The highway caused a generation gap between the young vibrant community and the older crowd who saw no use for it. And so all the older generation heard was the dangers, which they kept repeating to each other. Despite their lack of intimate familiarity with the subject, they still voiced their opinions. Since they were respected they had an audience. There were also many who didn't own a car and never even drove on the highway, who just accepted every negative claim as fact.

With all the problems surrounding the highway--and let’s be clear, there were many--there was another side to the coin. As people met around the malls and parks it became a big social gathering. For the first time in Chelm the people from around the city began to communicate with each other. They began to express their feelings and started realizing that what concerned them concerned others as well. The Chelm papers and Chelm schools didn't have a monopoly on information anymore and this bothered the wise men greatly.

So to boost the big event, the wise men decided that they needed to remind the people about the dangers. Every time an accident happened it became top news. Nobody even questioned why it happened. Instead the focus was that the highway caused it. Some news items were even fabricated for this purpose! But when the wise men were questioned they excused it by saying that it was all for a good cause.

Yet ironically during all this time the highway kept growing. More malls opened and more entertainment centers emerged. But not just that. Universities were built along the highway and hospitals too. Factories were built. The same highway that was destroying was now building and the same highway that brought danger now brought healing.

Nobody quite knew what to make of all this. That it seemed beneficial was even more disturbing to the wise men. How was it possible that the same highway was both destructive and productive at the same time? How can something be used for both good and bad? This was just too much for a Chelmite to digest.

But after all this time and discussion, still nobody was told what this event was about. Who were these wise men? What was their full agenda? What went on at their meetings? Why did each advertisement say something different? What was this magical solution the organizers were going to present? And why was so much money being invested for this event when it could have been be used for better purposes? Yes, for the first time in Chelm people began to ask questions. People started questioning if there really was a solution. But they were wrong. There was a solution. Just not the kind of solution they were expecting!

To be continued... CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL

Part III "Something is rotten in the city of Chelm" (A brief explanation of the electoral process in Chelm)
Part IV “Sometimes Things Need to Get Worse Before They Get Better”, (where the Chelm Mafia take over and then how a young 10 year old child saves the day!)


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