Revelation
Suddenly it had begun. That which only the few, the crazy, the dreamers, the hopelessly subversive, had even ever dreamed of. As always it was one small, simple event. A small, simple event that betrays the very nature of the present universe and disturbs the fragile lattice work of reality. And the whole of history is changed forever. They didn't know it. They didn't know at the time that their one simple action would start the revolution. Yes, the revolution. Only the crazed had predicted it and we, having better sense, did not believe them. But on this particular fateful day, it began in earnest.
It was of course, a seemingly simple occurrence. When the train pulled up to the platform upon which students stood with "exact change only" at ready, no one knew what would happen next. The train of course, had too few cars and the students too numerous. This was to be expected. It was also to be expected that they would file singly on, docilely depositing their change into the till, then vying with one another for seats and standing space. But this is not what happened. It can be argued that the trigger was the departing passenger, for indeed it was he that provided the simple opportunity for rebellion. But their had been many departing passengers before and many such opportunities. The difference was, this time they took it. When the side doors opened the students stepped up the downstairs, entered the exits, and not a single one of them deposited their exact change into the till. What was the driver to do? It was not one or two students who chose to depart from the rules. It was all of them, at one time, thinking and acting as one. And who is to say that the driver disapproved?
And while it may have seemed that it would remain an isolated incident, a strange happening in the night, for whatever reason, it did not. The next morning people arose to go to work, as they always did. It may have been that some of the students from the night previous were there and they started it. But this is not known for sure. Whatever the reason, the workers got onto the streetcars and the busses and trolleys downtown and did not pay. Nor did the drivers seem to be inclined to press the issue. But as the numbers were by no means few, they had little choice.
Had events remained isolated only to the public transit system the world would have changed very little. The government would have adapted, subsidizing public transport through new taxes. But that was not the case. Nor did it become the case that they simply chose to stop paying for things. For indeed they did stop just that but furthermore, when each worker reached their place of work they ceased to accept money. And though it started simply, in one particular spot, with one particular group of people it spread. And it spread rapidly.
The leaders and officials were at a loss. They did not know what to do to stop this from happening. And they also soon discovered that no longer were the people paying taxes, nor were they being paid, in fact they weren't even paid any attention. So they simply faded into the new world.
The hopeless subversives were at first thrilled at seeing their predictions come to light. But they soon were incensed, for no one needed them to lead. They were not needed to make a bloody charge against the established order. So unlike past revolutions the subversives weren't able to become the new established order. Nor could they be truly subversive as there was no order to be subversive to. Many of them became even more depressed and alienated than the former government officials who had lost their positions.
Nor did things fall to reckless wanton greed and rampage. People did not take what they did not need, nor did they hoard luxuries. They simply progressed with their lives, thinking little of the changes. As little as they thought about not paying the "exact change only" on the streetcar. As in that moment there was a feeling of kinship and togetherness. And no one felt they had to fear or envy or despise another. For they had in that one moment on a streetcar realized that they were all one and the same and they did not need all those extraneous things. Thus was the revolution won. If you can really call it that. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a realization. For that, is most certainly, what it was.