The Kingdom: A Short Story

In a faraway land, many years ago, there was a kingdom. The kingdom was many millennia old, thanks to its geographic position. It was situated next to the sea, allowing for trade with other nations. There were abundant forests, for lumber to build great cities. There were quarries and mines, to extract stone and valuable ores. There were many rivers and lakes, providing fertile land to grow crops. There was a large animal population, providing meat, dairy products, and hides. The region was surrounded by vast seas and towering mountains, protecting it from foreign invasion. The kingdom grew to be the most powerful in history, boasting an enormous fleet of ships, which protect their shores and trade routes. They expanded across the world, creating colonies far and wide.

The kingdom was led by an old, wise king, who led the empire to heights never seen before. However, the king, like all kings, grew old and died. Before he passed away, the old king requested to his young, faithful servant that his infant nephew become king, since he did not have a son. The servant agreed, and the king died.

But the servant was deceitful. Instead, the servant proclaimed that the old king had declared him to be the chosen heir, and the infant nephew was brought up as a military commander who followed the servant. The servant was selfish and brash, putting his ideas and priorities over that of his kingdom's. Without any experience and refusing to listen to advisors, the servant ruined the nation's relations with other countries, started many wars, and destroyed the kingdom's global standing.

The people of the kingdom did not stand by, though. Within a year, they began to lead a great rebellion against the servant. The entire nation rebelled, at least, except for the military. The servant promised great riches to the military if they helped him. And help him, they did. Coup after coup after coup, the military stamped down resistance against the new king.

Years went by, with no end in sight. The kingdom had become a dictatorship. The former servant now had complete control over the empire. If the people showed even a spark of defiance, the military would come. Soldiers and commanders have become the wealthiest positions in society.

But then, it happened. The mines began running out of ores. There were starting to be no more riches left to distribute. Next, the land ran out. In their haste, the kingdom had conquered the entire world, and now had nowhere left to gain more. Then, a great drought hit, and the rivers and lakes began drying up. The crops and animals began dying. The servant no longer had riches to provide for the military. The military began to mutiny.

The servant started losing control. First, it was the outer colonies, which were the farthest from the Capital's grasp. Next, the inner colonies, the most populous parts of the empire. Then, the homeland. It looked like the revolution was spreading everywhere, and all the servant could do was watch.

The military joined the rebels. Together, led by the former king's nephew himself, they stormed the Palace, brought out the King, and executed him. The nephew then declared himself king.

Instability within the kingdom continued, though. The outer parts of the world were out of the sphere of influence of the King. Then, a few months later, the nephew was assassinated, with no heir. A huge power vacuum ensued, and the kingdom collapsed into civil war.

Fun ending, right?

The Earth is the kingdom. The people are the trillions of animals on this planet. And the servant, that arrogant, headstrong, and dishonest servant, is us. Us as humans. We have done more to harm the kingdom and its people than anything that was once part of that kingdom. Hell (excuse my language), this story isn't about a King, it's about a Kingdom, and that King is only a small part of the story of the Kingdom. Us humans have been here for a tiny span, compared to the entire history of the Earth, and the Earth will have a long history after we're gone. The only question is, will we choose our legacy to be one of selflessness, or selfishness?

So please, I think it's about time that we humans choose to abdicate, to put a stop to the senseless eradication of so many living creatures. If we can recognize our mistakes, admit them to be ours, and step forward to repair them, only then can we rebuild our beautiful kingdom, our wonderful blue marble, to what it once was, and what it could be.

This story was inspired by Prince EA, whose video is linked here. I recommend reading QM's blog about global warming; he goes much further in detail towards how we can stop it, and how we can reverse what we have done in the past. After that, do something about it. Don't wait for someone else to do it for you. Things as simple as writing letters to our elected officials, joining an environmental organization, or just picking up trash off the streets can do a lot. This site will literally save plots of rainforest if you click a button. If you have the money, donate!! If you can afford to go on a vacation outside of your local area at least twice a year, you have the money. There are so many organizations you can donate to; just search them up! Another thing you can do is switch from Google to Ecosia. Ecosia plants trees while you search, and Google... doesn't. These are really small things, but if we can all do them, then it'll become something bigger. Don't wait. It seems like almost everyone "cares" about the environment these days, but doesn't actually do anything to help it. If someone asks you what you've done to support the environment, you want to tell them "I did" rather than "I will", right? So do something. Thanks for reading.