I.18 A lesson in history

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History classes at St. Albert's often tended to depress me. It was like that today. Mr. Haskins was talking at great length about the heroism of the British soldier in World War I.

Even with my limited knowledge of history I knew that there had not been much room for heroism in either of the two World Wars, much less in the great wars that were to follow. Millions of people had died horribly, many of them civilians. People like Mr. Haskins knew little of what had actually happened, and nothing of the horrors that lay ahead for the human race.

The break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war had created a brief period of optimism and hope. But all too soon the combined impact of globalization and deregulation of the markets had eroded people's trust in democracy and led to a rise of populism worldwide, resulting in the return of nationalism and of religious fundamentalism. Slowly but inexorably all over the world liberal democracies had died, to be replaced by authoritarian states and autocracies, run by self-styled great leaders or chairmen of politburos. In an era appropriately referred to as 'The Darkening',  propaganda and disinformation spread by media that were no longer independent but under tight control by the nation states had only stoked the fires of nationalist and religious hate. A multitude of localized wars had erupted like wildfires and finally could no longer be contained. Ultimately, it had been the uncontrolled use of 'dirty' nuclear weapons that had sparked the Cataclysm, killing off the majority of the world's population and making large areas uninhabitable for centuries. Civilization had only barely survived that dark age.

But we had gotten up again, hadn't we? Humanity had had its Second Renaissance, culminating in the foundation of the Alliance. So why did it depress me so much to listen to Mr Haskins carry on endlessly about British heroism in World War I? Maybe because it was all just a big fat lie.

"A big, terrible lie," I muttered to myself.

I noticed that the classroom had gone silent. Mr Haskins had paused in his monologue, and even the whispered conversations among students seemed to have ceased entirely.

"Would you care to elaborate on your statement, Hart?" Our history teacher's voice was deceptively calm.

I felt my ears grow hot. "I was merely referring to the fact that there was not much room for heroism for soldiers fighting in the trenches during World War I."

"Is that so? No heroism at all? So what I have been telling you is ... what did you call it? A big, terrible lie?"

Clearly, I had gotten myself deep into trouble here.

"I am not saying that you have deliberately been telling us lies, sir. You are merely teaching what you yourself have been taught. It is entirely not your fault."

I knew immediately that saying this had been a mistake. Mr Haskins' face had turned bright red, and he looked just about ready to explode.

"This is without doubt the most disgraceful and disrespectful behavior I have ever encountered in a student at this school," he thundered.

He walked up to my desk until he was towering above me like some kind of righteous avenging angel.

"Hart, you are going to pay a visit to your tutor right away."

He walked back to the teacher's desk and began to write on one of those dreaded yellow slips of paper.

"I don't think that this will be really necessary, sir," I interjected.

"Kindly leave it to me to decide what is necessary and what is not." Mr Haskins appeared to have regained his composure, at least to some degree. He gazed at me shrewdly. "You are from the States, aren't you, Hart?"

"Yes, sir."

"I imagine you have never attended a boarding school before, have you?"

"No, sir."

"Do not get me wrong. This does not in any way justify your impertinent remarks  or your disrespectful behavior in my class. But it might be construed as mitigating circumstances."
He crossed out parts of what he written and added a new entry before handing me the yellow sheet of paper.

"Take this to your tutor, Hart. Now go. And do not dawdle. I expect you to be back before the end of this period."

"Yes, sir."

Outside the classroom, in the corridor, I took a deep breath, wondering how I could possibly have gotten myself into this kind of mess.

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A / N : So Cathy got herself in serious trouble in this chapter.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I will be happy to read your comments and feedback.

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