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The Passion of Youth

Tom Ball

    The youth were fully grown and had artificial memories at age 4.
    She had radical ideas and was President of the USA. It was her idea to put the youth in power. Youths aged 14-17 to be exact. Everyone said it was preposterous, but she went ahead and ruled by decree. The Congress and the Senate were against her, but she had trained some youthful troops to arrest the elected leaders and had an army of 1,000,000 fighters. All the top generals were replaced by her youthful appointments. She herself was 28 years old but she had memory apps that blocked out her life after 17. And we all had eternal youth.
    She said, “The youth are vigorous and inspired and yet were innocent of the World’s evils.”
    And she wanted others to lose their post 17 memories and build a new World of Innocence.
    By 17 everyone had several Ph.D’s and many were good scientists. They said the best ideas come to 17-year-olds or those who have had memory elimination to make them 17 also. People often had a feeling of déjà vu but kept eliminating memories once a year on the eve of their 18^th birthday.
    And she said, “It was the beginning of a Golden Age of Art and Science.”
    As previously stated, children age 4, were all grown up, an adult’s body and a adult’s mind. And they performed scientific experiments, wrote books, etc. Our leader said they were a race of superhumans. The way of the future.
    But most people were out of it on neo-opiates and didn’t resist her. And she asked the people, “To put their minds in computers so as to be immortal truly beyond simple eternal youth. All the youth had been turned into prodigies,” she said. “And no one felt old.”
    And she prohibited older people from associating with other old people unless they agreed to erase their memories. Those who refused to eliminate their post 17 memories were themselves put in rehab. “It was fair,” the President said.
    And people who didn’t want to change memories were forced to wear a badge indicating our true age and so most people avoided us, as pariahs. Still we made great movies.
    And the people had nothing to do but have sex and watch movies. I helped make some movies about the youth.
    I refused to take memory blockers and joined with many troops who felt the same way and together we overthrew her regime. But curiously we decided to keep the badge of years on everyone’s chest. The oldest were ranked the highest. And we gave back the memories to all those who had them stolen by the dictatorial woman’s decrees.
    But automatic society continued. Automated food, drink and drugs all continued throughout the changes. And everyone could still afford an air car.
    And we wondered why people acquiesced to turn their backs on wisdom and the older ones. It had been youth gone mad.

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