Hi Dan, what are you doing this weekend?”, this time it is Ringano who calls. Over the months, Daniel and Ringano have built up a strong bond since their Soho adventure. “No, no plans yet. Why?”, Daniel asks expectantly. “It’s summer time man. Don’t hibernate yourself. Let’s go the Hyde Park. They say its an interesting place.”, Ringano proposes. “Ok. Sure. Meet you in the Students’ Lounge in half hour.”, Daniel replies. Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London and is most famous for its Speakers’ Corner. The Speakers’ Corner is upheld as a demonstration of free speech and anyone can come unannounced and talk on almost any subject. The atmosphere there is most colourful and lively, because the speakers are most likely to be heckled some die hard regulars.
The British people are now talking politics more than ever. The UK general election has just finished on 18 June 1970. They have a new Prime Minister. The Conservative Party under the leadership of Edward Heath has wrestled victory from the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. This recently concluded election was also the first election in which British people from the age of 18 could vote, after the enactment of the Representation of the People Act 1969. Some political analysts contributed Labour’s defeat on an unexpectedly bad set of balance payments figures released in the polling week. While there were others who went to the extent of blaming it on the loss of national prestige after the England football team’s defeat in the World Cup! England was World Cup champion four years earlier in 1966.
“Is that you?”, Daniel asks with a surprised look on his face. “Yes, this is me man. You see what you get.”, Ringano replies. Daniel is surprised to see that his friend has is spotting an Afro hairdo and with a mustache to go with it. He is wearing a polka dotted long-sleeved shirt and bell-bottom trousers, looking every inch a free-spirited happy go lucky hippie. “Hey, I can hardly recognize you at all. Your appearance has changed overnight!”, Daniel marvels at his transformation. “Are you trying to make a some sort of a statement or what?”, amazement giving way to puzzlement. “Not really. Just want to live out my imagination here. I will be going home after few years. Can’t do this at home. My father is a very strict with me and is always watching me. Better make hay while it is sunshine. Just let me be ok?”, Ringano answers. They board the tube going to Oxford Circus. From there they intend to take a leisurely walk to the Hyde Park. The train finally stops at the Oxford Circus tube station. Daniel and Ringano leave the train and begin to take the escalator up to the exit. They both stand on the right side of the ascending escalator, holding onto the moving railing. Daniel is standing a few steps behind Ringano. Out of the blue, he sees a rough, untidy, thin looking man walks past him and suddenly falls on the step of the moving escalator, just beside behind Ringano. He acts like he has dropped something and bends down trying to retrieve it from the step with his left hand. But, his right hand is quietly and expertly slipping into Ringano’s back pocket. He fishes out Ringano’s wallet and starts running up the escalator stairs ! He is a pick pocket! “Hey, stop, Pick pocket! Help!”, Daniel screams without hesitation. Ringano turns and realizes his wallet has been pick pocketed. He is especially worried because he keeps his passport inside his large wallet. Instinctively they give chase. The thief jumps over the ticket barrier without surrendering his ticket to the waiting collector. Daniel and Ringano also follow in pursuit. Soon they are out of the tube station and into the Oxford Street. The ruffian navigates to the left and heads into a narrow lane. “Ringano, you follow him. I will take the other lane. We will corner him in between”, Daniel instructs. And true enough, the pick pocket soon finds himself being sandwiched between Daniel and Ringano at the opposite ends of the lane. “Give back my wallet, you scum bag!”, Ringao snares at him. The thief reaches inside his pocket and instantly dishes out a dagger. He stares at Ringano and starts running with his dagger pointing at Ringano. Ringano stands his ground, trying to meet his attacker head-on. The thief swings his dagger at Ringano, trying to stab him. Ringano tries to avoid the swinging dagger by stepping backwards and swaying sideways. Daniel then runs towards them from the other end, at the same time, trying to figure out how to disarm the thief. He notices some old furniture lying beside some dustbins lining the wall of the lane. Instinctively he picks up the leg of a broken wooden chair and races towards the attacker. And just as the attacker is about to stab at Ringano’s stomach, Daniel arrives and swings the solid timber on the attacker’s arm. The thief reels and screams with pain and instantly drops his dagger. Sensing that he could not take on the two of them, the thief reaches for his jacket pocket, and duly takes out the stolen wallet. He throws Ringano’s wallet to the far corner of the lane, trying to distract them. “Let’s get him Dan”, Ringano says, still fuming from rage. “No. He has some accomplices around. He is not worth it. The sooner he gets out of our sight, the better.”, Daniel reasons. And instantly, the picket pocket slips past Ringano, running out into the street and disappears into the crowd.
They are shaken by this ordeal but not deterred in wanting to go the Hyde Park. They continue walking without talking, their minds are still occupied by the incident happened moments earlier. Soon, they reach the Hyde Park. Hyde Park has such a vast expanse of green stretching from the Speakers' Corner to Knightsbridge, Kensington Palace to Mayfair. People of all nationalities and walks of live come out in droves to bathe in the sunshine and to enjoy the events taking place in it. The atmosphere is so uniquely expectant and the place is buzzing with vibrant activities of all kinds. Nearby, there is a peace rally with supporters shouting anti war slogans in loud unison. An old man with long beard and shabby clothes is seen carrying a signage pole that displays “Repent. The End Is Nigh!”. “Bloody religious freak”, someone in the crowd murmurs. “Look at him. Is he capable of anything at all, not to mention the mighty call of religion?”, his friend beside him chips in. “He is not the freak. The guy who pays him to do this is the real freak”, yet another friend offers his judgement. There are families having picnics on the summer grass. In the horizon there is a cricket match going on. Children are feeding the birds on the side and the swans in the lakes. Artists are seen sketching away their drawings in deep concentration. Lovers are rowing romantically on the lake. Finally they reach the Speakers’ Corner. Daniel has read from his university’s journal that the Speakers’ Corner is symbolic of London and famous thinkers like Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell had spoken at the Park. Many socialist leaders, thinkers, economists, poets, political activists and just about anyone who is passionate enough would choose the Speakers’ Corner to put their ideas and ideologies across to the general public. Daniel and Ringano are pleasantly amazed in seeing so many speakers today taking their stands and talking on their passionate subjects. One can spend the whole day listening to these oratorical speakers from all walks of life, races and nationalities. It is a kaleidoscope of traditions, culture and humanity.
“Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, listen to me. Repent now. For the world is coming to an end!”, prophesies one speaker. “Shut up and go find yourself a woman, you wanker!”, retaliates a hacker in the crowd. “There is too much pain and suffering in this world today. There are wars being waged by mankind against one another; there are too killings and there is too much sin on earth”, he continues unperturbed. “The Good Book has promised you salvation. The Savior will come to judge the living and the dead. Repent, brothers and sisters. If you want to go to the Kingdom of Heaven, repent!”, he proceeds to knell down in silent prayer. “Go there yourself my friend. You will be alone up there!”, someone in the crowd shouts mockingly. They walk to the next speaker.
“If you think the effects of the Industrial Revolution from the 18th to the 19th century on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in Great Britain and then the world over were profound, this is nothing compared to the next revolution and it is coming sooner than you think!”, another prophecy of a different kind “What revolution am I talking about ladies and gentlemen?”, he asks the gathering crowd, trying to fan their interest. “It is not a political revolution, neither is it a social revolution nor a cultural revolution. I am talking the advent of the Information Technology Age, ladies and gentlemen. The army men of the Western world will attest to that!. The army men in America and Europe have used information technology to collect data, intelligence and confidential military document to conduct and win wars. They have amassed valuable data, unique digital information, out of this world technology and powerful computing knowledge, gained over years of research, tests and experiment in the war zones. When there are no more wars to fight, these men would come out of the military and they would all become very rich by selling their knowledge and know-how to the business and industrial world. The Information Age revolution is set to take place, ladies and gentlemen. It will unleash its power and might that will revolutionize everything in all our daily lives. No one can escape its onslaught; its effects will be felt by the human race globally. It has a much wider and deeper impact and implications than the Industrial Revolution. It will be characterized by the ability of businesses as well as individuals to have instant access to data and knowledge that would have been impossible to find previously and they would transform such information for their own use and benefits. It will mark a new chapter in human history and every aspect of daily life as we know it will eventually be influenced by it. It would change the way we communicate, the way we conduct businesses and the way we live. Get used to numbers for everything. Your name is not important anymore. Bless the souls of your poor ancestors in the graves. Their ancestral names would be nothing but reduced to mere numbers!”, the bald looking bespectacled gentleman is offering an insight into what he thinks is to come. “You cannot imagine the speed in processing and the amount of information the computers can store and produce! Computers will take over the brains of human beings. You don’t need to study for a Phd in mathematics or finance. The computers will perform all the complicated calculations. They can compute model answers for any hypothetical situations We will no longer communicate through letters, telegraphs or speak through the telephones. We will speak through the computers. You do not need to stand in long queues for booking anything anymore; you order everything through the computers. Get prepared for the onslaught of Information Age, ladies and gentlemen. Don’t get wrong, ladies and gentlemen. I am not prophesying Doom’s Day. There are many good things coming out from the new age. Instant information, transparent transactions, reduced physical labour, tremendous cost savings and so on. But it also ushers in many bad things because the very good things arising from it can also be used to commit wrongs. Unfortunately, the world as we know today is ill prepared for such a revolution. We will think like robots, and we will behave like them. Robots feel no pain, they feel no shame and they are incapable of feelings as humans do. Traditional values and the family structure will break down. The world will be in chaos, ladies and gentlemen”, the man looks sad and dejected, firmly in a state of his own belief. No one heckles him. The crowd is silent for a change. They then proceed to the next speaker. “Convergence is the way of the future world, ladies and gentlemen. The world will converge. Citizens of the future world are going to be one great big family of greedy, filthy and predatory capitalist vultures! The supplies of spices, commodities, natural resources in the old world have dried up. Slavery has long been abolished. Gone are the days of the British Empire, The Spanish Inquisition, The French Expansion and The Portuguese Explorations. The Americans are the people of the new world; they do not conquer by territorial acquisitions. Their conscience is dictated by the Statute of Liberty, their Constitution and their tainted history. Dominance through territorial occupation is no longer the ambition, but it is through the power and might of innovations and capital of business and finance. Communism is the last straw in the menu of human ideological divide. The Russians and the Chinese are communists by necessity, which was born out frustrations in the unjust social and political systems of their countries. Their countries were ruled by corrupt governments operating in outdated social and political systems whose leaders eventually bankrupted their countries. They are sheep in wolf’s clothings. It is in the genes of every human being to better the lives of their own, as well as their loved ones. The Russians and the Chinese are no exceptions. When a man sees his neighbor drives a car, he also wishes to own one. When he sees his neighbor owns a big luxurious house, he also dreams of owning one, one day. When his neighbor takes his family for a holiday abroad, he desires to pamper his family too. Thousand of years of capitalist past cannot be wiped off overnight by a few men in shabby suits and caps and shouting slogans to keep their new found ideology alive. The Chinese give names like ‘Wealth’, ‘Progress’, ‘Tiger’ ‘Power’, ‘Able’ to their sons and to their daughters they give names like ‘Beauty’, ‘Gold’, ‘Jade’, ‘Fragrance’ . Names like these are symbolic of capitalism. Capitalists adore such names. Russia and China and will one day come out to be the biggest capitalists the world will ever know. Developing and underdeveloped nations will one day become developed. The capital market as we know it, cannot be sustained by the West alone. Each country will be inextricably intertwined with one another, one way or other. The world will converge. A new world order shall take place with legislations, laws, enforcements, standards and procedures of different countries converged into single global standards. Get ready for it ladies and gentlemen. I have written a book entitled ‘The Book of Convergence’. It will guide you how to meet the challenges ahead of you. Those of you who are interested can purchase a copy. Just go down the road, the lady at the stand will sell you a copy. If you buy it today, you will be given a 25% discount!”, he says it with firm conviction.
“I need to speak”, Ringano whispers to Daniel, his interest aroused. And with a swift, he is on the rostrum. “Ladies and gentlemen. I am from a small country in the southern part of South America. A country called Sulupi. I am sure many of you here have not even heard of it. The speakers today are talking about abstract things. They talk about information revolution and the convergence of the global capital markets. Such things are your inventions, your innovation and these things we cannot comprehend. So what is different from the your past?”, Ringano asks the crowd. “You colonized us by occupying our lands in the past and now you want to colonize us by introducing technology and capitalism. My country is rich in resources, but we are still poor. Why? It is because you come to our country with your money and technology to exploit our resources. You set up companies and buy support from corrupt government officials to mine our gold and rich minerals. You then transport them back to your Western countries and turn them into pieces of fine art. You then sell them at exorbitant prices with fat profits, while you pay our laborers pittance. If you believe in what you preach, you should then teach and train our people to be self-reliant. Most of us students from our countries would not go home after our education in this country. Why? It is because our knowledge is too advanced for our systems and we cannot apply the knowledge that we learnt from you in our own lands. We would rather look for jobs here. Shame on you!.” And before Ringano could continue his speech, a hacker shouts at him , “Go home. We don’t need people like you here. You are draining our resources. You are a threat to our society. First you come and then your families would join you. You come into our shores in droves to seek a better live. We have to provide you food and shelters. We even have to look for jobs for you. The dole queue is filled with immigrants like you. Shame on you too.”, a frustrated British shouts back at Ringano. “Booo. booo,, let him speak, let him finish”, some find the heckler’s outburst offensive. But, Ringano feels that he has spoken enough, he has spoken at the London’s Speakers’ Corner. He steps down to join Daniel.
“Hey, I didn’t know you are such a good orator and you speak so passionately about your country”, Daniel opens up the conversation on the way home. “Yea, I supposed studying sociology at the LSE gets into you”, Ringano replies.
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