Dorothy's Mystical Adventures in Oz Part 25

In front of the men, on a little round table, was a pitcher of what looked to Dorothy, like ice-cold lemonade.

As if reading her thoughts, one of the men said, "Come and join us for lemonade, my dear. You look thirsty -- all of you, please come and sit down."

The man brought out some more rocking chairs and said, "Welcome to Presidentland."

Dorothy looked up quickly. He had looked very familiar to her when she first saw him. Then it dawned on her. Presidentland! Of course! The man was none other than President Andrew Jackson! Dorothy gasped. She had seen President Jackson's face in an American History book. "But sir,"

she said. "I-I thought you were...."

"Dead?" interceded the man. Then he chuckled. "No, not at all, my dear young lady. Oh yes, my physical body died a long time ago. But no one can ever really die. That would be impossible. Each of us is part of creation; we are all part of the scheme of things. Nothing can destroy us, nothing. We can destroy the quality of our existence by our wrong thinking and behavior. In other words, that beautiful true nature of our being can be covered up until it is invisible -- both to others and to ourselves. This true nature cannot be destroyed, only temporarily buried in the murk of mortality until either someone rescues us, or we rescue ourselves. Usually it is a combination of both. Now, my young friend, let me introduce you to my a.s.sociates."

Dorothy turned to see the faces of none other than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Her eyes grew wide, and her heart skipped a beat as she whispered, "I am very honored to meet you, sirs,"

"Not at all," they replied. "The honor is ours," said Mr., Lincoln. "It is a delight to meet such a fine young lady and her equally fine friends." They shook hands with everyone.

"Please be seated," President Jackson said. He poured Dorothy a large sparkling gla.s.s of lemonade and began to explain why the three of them -- all ex-presidents of the United States, were together.

"We call this area Presidentland. It is not really a land and we don't all live here permanently. But we do meet here often. That is why we have homes here. We live with our families in our regular homes throughout the land. The full name of our little club here is /'Americanpresidentland/,' and it is a private club made up of United States Presidents. Of course, anyone can visit us, just as you are visiting us now. We are only private in the sense that we are generally alone in order to conduct the business that we must conduct among ourselves.

"The reason we meet so often is because of our dear love for our country and for mankind in general, we are anxious to help resolve the many problems that exist on the earth today, and especially those related directly to our beloved country. We work with many members of the government, as well as the current President. We will be holding a full meeting very shortly. You are all welcome to join us and to observe the proceedings."

"Oh, we'd love to, Mr. President," said Dorothy. "Wouldn't we, everyone?"

"Yes indeed!" said the Tin Woodman. Everyone nodded excitedly.

"This will really be a historic occasion, to say the least," said Dorothy.

"While we are waiting for the meeting to begin, if any of you have a question you would like us to answer, please do so," said President Jackson.

"I would like to ask what you think of the world today compared to your time," said Dorothy.

"That is a very good question," answered President Jackson. "We could all talk for days on that subject. Would you like to answer first, George?" he said to President Washington.

President Washington looked rather stern as he spoke: "The world has certainly changed since my day. But that is to be expected. Things cannot stay the same if progress is to be made.

"Unfortunately, nearly all of the progress being made is of a material nature. There is nothing wrong with material progress, of course. And science has certainly made some amazing advances since my time. The unfortunate part is that spiritual growth has not advanced at the same pace. As a consequence, the world is presently in a very unbalanced state. We are all quite alarmed by it. Something must be done soon to get people to change their ways -- to be more considerate of one another, to show more concern -- to have more love in their hearts.

"Our great United States of America must lead the way. We must be a Light unto the world. Yet presently we are much alarmed over the state of our nation. Before She can become that Beacon of Light, there are many things She must put in order. We have the best system of government in the world, but the government must be purified -- the people must be purified, and this can only be done by taking the little children and teaching them strong moral principles, the importance of honesty and integrity -- of love and compa.s.sion -- of fairness and justice -- of the value of human freedom, of G.o.d, and the nature of the universe. To instill in them a great love for all nature, for all mankind.

The adults must become examples to the children. When someone who is in a position of public trust -- such as a member of the government -- turns dishonest, and the public reads about it, they shrug their shoulders and say, /'Another dishonest politician/.' The children hear and see all of this. Then they grow up with a very negative outlook towards politics.

Many don't even vote, rationalizing that it doesn't matter who gets into power, for they will sell what principles they have for money.

"Politicians who do turn dishonest and lie to the American people have no idea of the damage they do to our beloved country. Needless to say, most of the people in government posts are dedicated, honest people, seeking only to serve. But it is the dishonest ones who undo whatever good the majority are able to achieve.

"Of course, a few are in politics for the power. Not to mention the lucrative lifetime pensions at the end of their service. They do not necessarily take money dishonestly, but they weaken the entire structure just the same, because their motives are selfish ones.

"People from all walks of life; doctors, lawyers, government workers, factory workers, people who work in stores -- all of these people are the strength of our society -- of our way of life. But if dishonest; even in the slightest; they drain this strength off and weaken our nation.

"Many people justify stealing from their employer -- from the government -- from the insurance company, by thinking, /'Other people do it, why shouldn't I/?' Or /'If I don't do it, others will,'/ or /'They can afford it. They won't even miss it/.' But these people are just as deadly to our society as the hardened criminal who cashes bad checks or pulls a gun. For they are not really stealing from their company or from the government or from the insurance company, oh no. They are stealing from their brother and sister -- from their fellow human beings. Because business must figure in these losses as part of the cost of doing business, the price of their products or services must increase accordingly to all the people who avail themselves of these goods or services.

"Thefts from government, for example, must eventually mean higher taxes.

So you see, any form of stealing, whether by a hardened criminal with a gun, or by a clever employee falsifying records, serves only to weaken the entire economy. Government funding of research for projects that are of interest only to a few is also a form of stealing, unless, of course, the results of that research will ultimately benefit the many. Gross inefficiency, through lack of concern -- all these things are forms of stealing. The greedy and the selfish who indulge in these activities serve themselves at the expense of their fellows. What they fail to see is that their gains are temporary -- they will eventually pay the price.

One cannot take from another, or hurt another in any way, without eventually taking from oneself -- for all are one."

"Well now, George," said President Lincoln, "I realize that this is all very interesting and a very important topic. But we must be watching the time." He turned to Dorothy, smiling. "You must excuse George. He really gets carried away at times. He would talk all day if we let him."

President Washington placed his hands on his hips, pretending to be indignant. "Listen to who's talking," he said. He whispered loudly into Dorothy's ear so everyone else could hear: "He only wants me to stop talking so he can talk."

"Now, now boys," interceded President Jackson. "No bickering in front of our guests. Presidents are supposed to be dignified."

President Lincoln turned to Dorothy. "I'm afraid all presidents like to hear the sound of their own voices. It's a built-in trait of all politicians and actors."

"Well, I think that's part of the charm of both politicians and actors,"

said Dorothy. "Most seem to have very vibrant speaking voices."

"If you have any more questions," said President Jackson, "we can talk as we walk to the meeting."

"Well," said Dorothy. "I was wondering which political party is the best for our country, Republican or Democrat?"

President Jackson chuckled. "Well now, the answer to that would depend on which president you talk to. But perhaps you'd like to hear what President Lincoln has to say on that subject. I'm sure he's most anxious to answer this one."

"Thank you, Andrew," responded President Lincoln. "You're quite right, I would like to answer this question. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic party would be good all the time, Dorothy. If one or the other is in power too long, the country tends to go too far in one direction. Balance is the key word. By alternating the power every few years a balance is maintained. That is why in so many other countries the ma.s.ses are unhappy. They have had one system of government for too long. That is why dictatorships are bad, or where the government is so powerful, so strong, that the people cannot vote for a change.

"You see, there are certain individuals who see themselves as a sort of G.o.d above all the people. They think they know far better what is good for the people than the people do. So they treat the people like children. And anyone who opposes them is treated like a naughty child and punished. In other words, the '/children/' are not allowed to disagree with them. That is why in many countries there is no free speech. That is, people have to be very careful what they say, or someone will tell on them and they will be punished. Even the newspapers and radio are all controlled by the government. It is hard for us to imagine -- but it is true. The factories, and the railroads, the electrical power -- all are under government control. Even the housing.

Needless to say, people are not very well off. That is to say, most of the people. The ones in power always make sure they feather their own nests. Yet these governments are generally founded on the principle that all are equal, and will share in the national wealth. It sounds a little bit like Oz, doesn't it? But unfortunately, the results are not at all like Oz. You see, Oz doesn't have any greedy people, or people who become overwhelmed by their own power, except for the wicked witches, of course. Also, if someone in Oz decides that he'd like a bigger house, or more land, he has only to ask. But in the countries we are referring to, the government sets rules and regulations in all things. A person is not even free to travel where he wishes. And the people in power are quickly filled with a sense of their own importance. It is very dangerous for any nation to allow a small group of their citizens absolute control over them. People cannot handle having absolute power over others. When one person can do anything he wants to another person without fear that he himself will be punished, it is very difficult to keep a balance.

This enormous feeling of power seems to bring out the worst of human behavior. Some of the worst atrocities mankind has ever suffered occurred under these exact conditions.

"When people in power know that there will be no repercussions for what they do, it is very few indeed who can remain dignified and just. It is under these kinds of conditions that people are thrown in jail without trial -- executed, have their property confiscated, or their families abused; et cetera.

"No group can be a law unto themselves. That is why our founding fathers wrote the Const.i.tution as they did. They knew the dangers of tyranny, for they had experienced it first-hand. So they built in safeguards.

Free enterprise must flourish. Individual initiative and hard work, honesty and integrity, must be recognized and rewarded. These are the strengths of our nation. Individual effort is the key to a nation's greatness. No laws must ever be pa.s.sed -- tax or otherwise -- that would inhibit individual ambition and initiative. And to paraphrase one of our peers: /Ask not what others can do for you, but rather, what you can do for others./

"And I might add, although G.o.d created all men equal; the right to enjoy that equality must be earned. One cannot be expected to shirk one's duties to self, to family, to country and still hold one's head high as an equal member of society."

As President Lincoln continued to talk, they arrived at what appeared to be a southern mansion with the traditional white pillars. As she drew closer, it became apparent to Dorothy that the building was an exact replica of the White House.

Dorothy noticed that other men were arriving too. It was as if an American History book had come to life. Their mode of dress ranged from the 1700s to the present. Many of the faces were quite familiar to her; others she recognized but could not quite place. Then it dawned on her; each of these men was, at one time, the President of the United States.

Several smiled and nodded as they walked by. Some stopped to say h.e.l.lo to Presidents Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson; others gathered in little groups to chat, while others went directly inside.

"Shall we go in?" said President Washington.

The interior of the mansion was most luxurious. The furnishings were mostly antique. Beautiful paintings and tapestries hung on the walls. As they walked, their feet sunk into deep soft carpeting. Here and there were little bowls of colorful flowers. The whole atmosphere was warm and friendly -- it gave Dorothy a most happy feeling inside.

They walked into a large room which had a long, beautifully ornate oak table in the center. Around the table were matching oak chairs with one at the far end slightly larger than the rest.

"As you can see," explained President Jackson, "one chair for each United States President -- past and present."

Dorothy appeared somewhat puzzled, and was about to speak, when President Jackson continued: "As you know, most of the American presidents have left their earthly bodies and now live here. However, at any given point in time there are usually one or more ex-presidents still in their physical bodies as well as, of course, the existing or current President. A chair is required for each of these people because, although they are still on the earth, they are able, while in rest.i.tude, to depart temporarily from their physical abode -- their bodies; and join us for our meetings.

"Incidentally, time is not the same here as on earth. For example, we could have a meeting here which lasts for several hours. But only minutes would have elapsed on earth. Peculiar, isn't it? You will understand why this is so at a later date.