This is typical mind expanding, delightful Kirby fare. I learned something heer: I assumed that gargoyles were mostly a feature of medieval French architecture, but Kirby informs me that they exist throughout the world. Wikipedia confirms this: ancient Egypt and ancient Greece also had gargoyles, typically in the form of lions.
Realism matters to Kirby. He had the instruction to come up with monster stories, so instead of endless Martians he looked for real monsters.
This is wonderful stuff as usual: some of the most dramatic locations in the world and spectacular world history crammed into just seven pages.
Kirby the Prophet is seen in the climax: how do you defeat such a heartless creature? You let his heartlessness work against him. Show his supporters that you can offer them a better life. The same principle works against all madmen and tyrants. But it turns the focus back to ourselves: we have to be able to offer a better life! If we are not much better then the real problem is not the tyrant,the real problem is us.
As another example, consider the war in Syria. Imagine if western economies were more efficient: that is, we could turn work into wealth. Economic efficiency refers to economic outputs compared to economic inputs. If we cannot turn work into wealth then we are extremely inefficient. A moderately efficient economy (one that could turn work into wealth) would welcome all workers. So there would be no refugee problem: anybody willing to work could simply leave a bad place.
If we were better nations, Syria would lose all its best workers. Thanks to compound growth, the difference between an efficient economy and a dictatorship would be so great that everybody except the ruling elite would leave, leaving the elite in a powerless position. So the real problem is that our own economies are not efficient, we cannot turn work into wealrh. We cannot show the gargoyles a better way to live.
As Kirby points out, the solution to tyrants is not to shoot them, but to make our own countries better.
Realism matters to Kirby. He had the instruction to come up with monster stories, so instead of endless Martians he looked for real monsters.
This is wonderful stuff as usual: some of the most dramatic locations in the world and spectacular world history crammed into just seven pages.
Kirby the Prophet is seen in the climax: how do you defeat such a heartless creature? You let his heartlessness work against him. Show his supporters that you can offer them a better life. The same principle works against all madmen and tyrants. But it turns the focus back to ourselves: we have to be able to offer a better life! If we are not much better then the real problem is not the tyrant,the real problem is us.
North Korea, Syria, etc.
We see this principle at work with modern day tyrants Take North Korea for example. They only survive because China is afraid of a united Korea. Why are they afraid? Because it is the nature of all nations, even so-called enlightened ones, to fight against their neighbours. The real problem is us. Remove that danger and China no longer supports North Kirea and North Korea crumbles.As another example, consider the war in Syria. Imagine if western economies were more efficient: that is, we could turn work into wealth. Economic efficiency refers to economic outputs compared to economic inputs. If we cannot turn work into wealth then we are extremely inefficient. A moderately efficient economy (one that could turn work into wealth) would welcome all workers. So there would be no refugee problem: anybody willing to work could simply leave a bad place.
If we were better nations, Syria would lose all its best workers. Thanks to compound growth, the difference between an efficient economy and a dictatorship would be so great that everybody except the ruling elite would leave, leaving the elite in a powerless position. So the real problem is that our own economies are not efficient, we cannot turn work into wealrh. We cannot show the gargoyles a better way to live.
As Kirby points out, the solution to tyrants is not to shoot them, but to make our own countries better.
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