Today's #flashfiction #HowToElectLeaders

“Let's split up gang!”

Captain Miller, Saving Private Ryan* #quote

Today I went to my writer's meeting much fun was had. Anyway onto the flash fiction!

How To Elect Leaders

        The country of Diceland had a long standing belief in its culture that certain, important decisions should be left to the roll of a die. Specially made glass dice clearer than the purest of water to show that no weights interfered with its roll. Entire ceremonies revolved around certain die rolls. And sometimes someone's prison sentence was determined by the dice. A vandal could watch as three six-sided dice roll. The added sum would be the number months in prison he would serve.

         Dice did not write the laws. Numbers couldn't make regulations on imports and exports of sugar could it? But the dice did determine the lawmakers. People would be assigned numbers and like a lottery they would be rolled for. A twenty sided die would be rolled again and again until a full number was made a person identified. A random janitor could be a head Judge.

        Yet despite the randomness of those selections the country felt success. How? Well, it had some economic resources like any successful country would, but its leaders did have a special quality about them. The people had an obligation to lead because of their culture. They would spend every waking hour trying their best to be whatever they were elected to be. Sometimes they would fail. Badly. But compared to politicians who may have no qualifications to lead and no desire to serve the nation they were better. And fortunately the die were no Church. No organization. Just an obligation. And that is what the leaders needed.

       Eventually Diceland did fall, as the dice didn't always pick enough people statically competent enough for the job. Eventually the odds failed and the rolling selected too many wrong people and the country fell despite the power of the people's obligation to their position.

       Maybe there will be a nation where the leaders will fall under both qualification and obligation.