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I. Dream XD finds George on the path
DREAM: What are you doing out here by yourself? It’s dangerous to be walking this path alone.
GEORGE: Oh, Dream, it’s just you. I thought you were something else.
DREAM: You dismissed my question, George- what are you doing so far from civilization?
GEORGE: Well, I was collecting food for everyone; I’m headed back to the kingdom now actually.
DREAM: You were collecting food this far out from your kingdom? Why? Is there not enough close by?
GEORGE: I just… I needed some time to think, that’s all. I thought the walk would help me with that.
DREAM: What were you thinking about while you were out here? Was it something important?
GEORGE: I… no, it wasn’t important. It was nothing- forget I said anything. Don’t you have someplace to be anyway?
DREAM: Being a god leaves me with a large plate of nothing to do most of the time. The only fun I get is watching all of your petty wars take place, or the drama that you create from being unable to get along. There seems to be a lull in my entertainment, so it’s my duty to try and find something to fill my boredom; for some reason, I’m never bored with you, George.
GEORGE: Well, I’m bored of you, so please leave me be.
DREAM: Aw, but that’s no fun! Why don’t I guess what you were thinking about, and you can tell me how close I was? It could be like a game!
GEORGE: I don’t want to play any games with you, Dream. Just- just leave me alone!
DREAM: Were you thinking about your new kingdom? Maybe about its location and how easily it could be infiltrated by one of the other countries?
GEORGE: I already told you: I’m not playing your games.
DREAM: Then, maybe you were thinking about your friends! What about Karl? Or Sapnap?
GEORGE: I’m done talking, Dream.
II. A discussion on Clay
DREAM: What about Clay? There’s a lot that’s been happening to him recently. He seems to be the talk of the town.
GEORGE: I… I don’t want to talk about him right now.
DREAM: So, it was him! I had an inkling that this might’ve been about him, what with him being thrown in prison recently. He’s been imprisoned for doing a lot of bad things; it sounds as if you mortals have had enough of his games once and for all.
GEORGE: Please, stop, Dream.
DREAM: Why would you be thinking about that criminal? Why are you letting him occupy your thoughts?
GEORGE: Because… because I miss him. I haven’t seen him in so long, and I just hope they aren’t treating him too poorly in that prison- from how scary the outside looks, I can only imagine what it must be like inside. And maybe… maybe he’ll finally start to see that what he was doing was wrong and he’ll be able to leave. Maybe the warden will hear reason and let him be rehabilitated rather than keeping him locked in there for eternity.
III. The purpose of friendship and love
DREAM: Why do you miss him?
GEORGE: I’m sorry?
DREAM: Why do you miss your friend, Clay? The criminal? The one that abused and manipulated dozens of people, some even to the point of their own deaths. How can you miss him when he’s done so many terrible things?
GEORGE: I… I don’t know. He’s one of my best friends, and… and I still care about him. I don’t want him to be treated poorly; he deserves a chance to see reason and try to make up for his actions.
DREAM: Why do mortals do that anyway? All of you form these silly relationships with one another, some call it friendship, others call it love, and yet they always end up the same way. One of the mortals always leaves for some reason or another, be it a betrayal of some kind, be it death, or be it a faded connection. Your “relationships” always end in grief, or sadness, or anger, and yet you all still fall in love with one another and craft meager friendships that end in tragedy- why?
GEORGE: I…. I’m not sure. I suppose it’d be a rather lonely life if you had to do everything alone. You’d never have anyone to rely on or to trust, and you’d always be worried about who’s going to turn on you next. It’s a rather cynical way to live in the end; you need to have some kind of hope in the good of people, or else you’ll just be bitter and anxious the rest of your life waiting for the next person to ruin you.
DREAM: Why pursue love then? With your mortal friendships, I believe I can see what you mean, but love? You’re trusting another being with the entirety of yourself, with all of your flaws and weaknesses, with your hopes and dreams, with every disgusting and embarrassing part of yourself, even though you have the foreknowledge that the relationship will end with misfortune at the end of the day. Why would you put yourself through so much pain and suffering when the best possibility for you both is that you stay together long enough for one of you to outlive the other?
GEORGE: Well, what’s life without tragedy? What’s the point in living if there aren’t any risks to take? I think it’d be a very boring life if all you did was take the safe path every time, if you decided to isolate yourself from everyone and everything in the world. There wouldn’t be any fun in that, would there?
DREAM: No, I suppose there wouldn’t be.
GEORGE: Plus, I think the potential heartbreak or “tragedy” that could come from every relationship is what makes them that much sweeter. Every happy moment in your life is suddenly ten times greater when you’ve had something bad to put it against; you can’t really have the good times without the bad ones, after all.
DREAM: I guess not, no.
IV. Why do we care about the people who hurt us or others?
DREAM: Well, if you’re so fond of your relationships, why do you still care for Clay?
GEORGE: I’m sorry?
DREAM: Why do you still care for that man currently in prison for a long list of crimes he’s committed?
GEORGE: Didn’t I just tell you that he’s one of my best friends?
DREAM: Yes, you did, but how can you still care for someone who’s personally hurt so many people? He manipulated multiple people into destroying entire countries, he mentally, physically, and verbally abused and toyed with a single individual for months at a time, and he himself has taken the lives of dozens of individuals. How then can you say that you still care for this man after all of the horrible acts he’s done?
GEORGE: I… I don’t know, I just know that I do. He’s been my best friend for years, and I’ve always cared about him like I do any of my friends. I- I’m not really sure how to explain.
DREAM: Clay didn’t just abuse and hurt others- he personally hurt you as well. He gave you a kingdom and then he took it away from you under the pretense that he was “keeping you safe”, when in reality he was simply toying with your emotions like that other boy. He drew you close and then he pushed you away again and again until there was nothing for you to do but leave; he kept you taut on a string that he could pull at his liking. Though he never physically harmed you, you can’t say that you weren’t negatively affected by his words and actions. You say you care about this man when you’ve personally been emotionally and mentally damaged by him, and now you say that you can’t even give a response- try again.
GEORGE: I… I guess it’s just hard for me to cut someone like him out of my life all of sudden, especially someone who I’ve cared so deeply about for years. He’s always been a part of my life, whether I like it or not, and to suddenly have to push him away like that is hard.
DREAM: You say that it’s difficult to do so, but I know you’ve had no trouble doing that in the past. Why then is this man so different from the rest?
GEORGE: I don’t know! I don’t know, I just… I suppose… I suppose there’s a deeper part of me that just wants to believe he can be good again, that maybe this is all an act or something. I just keep hoping that maybe one day I’ll wake up and everything will go back to normal, that the Clay I know will come back, and then everything will be okay.
DREAM: Hoping is such a fruitless thing to do. There’s no point in holding onto a simple wish when it will more than likely remain a dream.
GEORGE: Maybe, but someone has to! If no one in the world holds on to any kind of hope, then what’s the point of the world? Someone around here needs to have a sense of optimism or else the whole world will fall apart.
DREAM: I… guess so. Having only cynics wouldn’t prove to be very wise, that’s for sure.
GEORGE: Exactly!
DREAM: But that also doesn’t remove the fact that he’s a criminal and abuser, even if he does return to the “Clay you knew.” He’s committed crimes, George, ones that are difficult to amend for.
GEORGE: I… I know that, I do, but sometimes it’s hard convincing myself it’s true. I’ve always seen him as this sweet, caring, and sometimes too arrogant guy who loves to play pranks on everyone, not this vindictive and controlling villain he’s turned in to.
DREAM: You can’t ignore that it’s still the same Clay, even if it’s simply a different side of him. Regardless of what you want to believe, this man committed numerous crimes, no matter how “sweet and caring” you may have once perceived him to be.
GEORGE: Yes, I know. I know that already. I know that he’s a criminal, but I also know he’s my best friend, and yet for some strange reason I can’t seem to differentiate the two. He’s both Clays at the same time, and I both long to see him and wish to never see him again. I love him and I hate him, and even the thought of him revolts me, and yet no matter what I just hope that he’s okay.
DREAM: You’re letting his life and his poor choices affect yours. You shouldn’t let him. Cut him out once and for all.
GEORGE: You think you’re the first person to tell me that?
DREAM: Then you should know that I’m right. Stop thinking about him. Stop worrying about his wellbeing. Cutting him out should improve your thoughts- it will help you be happier with what’s around you.
GEORGE: I know that! …I know that and yet I still can’t. He hurt me- he abused me- and yet I still can’t. I think I just… I think I just need to give him time. I can’t forgive him, not now, not yet, but maybe in the future I can. And- and I don’t think I’ll ever stop truly caring for him, really. I think it’s just in a different way now. I just keep hoping that he’ll at least make an effort to be better, that he’ll listen to reason, that he’ll apologize, and everything will be right with the world again. And if he doesn’t…
DREAM: If he doesn’t?
GEORGE: If he doesn’t, then I’ll still care about him, but from a distance. I won’t let him grow close, not like we used to be. I won’t let him hurt me again. I’ll tell him I love him, and he can hate me, and that’s alright. I’ll get over it. I’ll learn to accept that he’s changed.
DREAM: I don’t think that’s wise.
GEORGE: Well, I never asked for your opinion on my beliefs!
V. Can a terrible person be redeemed?
GEORGE: But I… I do have one question.
DREAM: So now you wish to hear what I have to say?
GEORGE: Just on this one topic. I need to hear what someone else has to say, someone who isn’t biased. Maybe you can help change my mind on the subject.
DREAM: Alright, what do you want me to answer?
GEORGE: Do you think that someone can be redeemed? Say the vilest of people exists, and he commits crimes unlike those you’ve witnessed here, he’s the absolute worst of the worst- what would you say?
DREAM: We’re still talking about your friend, aren’t we?
GEORGE: Just answer the question.
DREAM: Well… I suppose that’s a bit difficult to answer. Given how you mortals act on a daily basis, I don’t believe that there’s ever strictly good or bad in humans. There’s a sort of gray area that all of you appear to inhabit, one that some of you tend to remain in longer than others. Of course, each of you tends to lean one way or the other depending on the choices you make, be they good or evil, but even then, what constitutes a good or a bad act? Who gets to decide what is good and what is evil? An individual performing what you believe to be a morally evil act in your mind may appear morally correct in theirs; someone could murder with full intent to kill and justify it as a necessary means, one that was for the good of the world- if a good Samaritan killed a known murderer in cold blood, what sort of justice is to be delivered, if any at all? Would they receive praise or imprisonment?
GEORGE: Give me a straight answer, Dream.
DREAM: No, George, I don’t believe that someone can be redeemed after committing terrible atrocities. There’s a certain line that is crossed at some point in time, one that shifts the person from redeemable to not, where a person must face the consequences for their actions whatever they may be. There are certain individuals who are just too far gone with lust, greed, or power who can never return to the way they once were before, no matter how often they claim to have done so. Take your friend Wilbur for example. He started off as a man who created a nation built on the ideals of freedom and individuality, and yet he fell victim to his desires for power and control. He destroyed the country he formed, abandoned his family, turned on his friends, and begged to be killed for his crimes to be remembered as a martyr and not a traitor. In my eyes, someone like him- someone worse than him- can never be fully redeemed in the eyes of the people. His image and name will forever be tainted, no matter who he pretends to become afterwards.
GEORGE: You’re sure no one can ever be redeemed?
DREAM: Yes, that’s what I claimed.
GEORGE: Well, I… I don’t think that’s all true.
DREAM: You ask for my opinion and then you attempt to argue with me against it.
GEORGE: I’m simply giving a different point of view, that’s all.
DREAM: Then why did I bother giving my opinion at all?
GEORGE: Look, just hear me out alright? I just think that maybe sometimes there are some circumstances where a person can be redeemed even after they’ve done some terrible things.
DREAM: Explain.
GEORGE: Well, I guess I like to try and see the good in people. We all make mistakes, right? Some are just way bigger than others. Sure, I agree, sometimes we mess up so much it seems like we can never make it right again, and there are definitely some people, like Wilbur, who don’t care who or what is hurt in the process of whatever they’re doing. However, there are some people who try their best to fix their mess. Like Eret, for example. They worked alongside Wilbur to help build their country, the one Wilbur later destroyed, but they betrayed the very same country they built in order to become the king of another nation; they turned against them and worked to have each of them seriously injured and maimed, all so they would have their chance at glory, fame, power, and wealth. They got it too, and they didn’t care that they'd just betrayed their friends. But when their friends were in trouble later in time, they was there for them. They gave up everything to help them. They gave up their wealth and their crown all so they could be closer to them, so they could better help them in their fight. They realized that they'd been in the wrong before and asked for forgiveness, but they knew not to push them if they refused to deal it out.
DREAM: But Eret committed crimes in a manner almost identical to Wilbur. Depending on which side of history you’re on, on who you ask, Eret would been seen as nothing more than a traitor to their country, a turncoat to their people.
GEORGE: But they could also be seen as a good and caring friend who sought forgiveness for their mistakes.
DREAM: That’s where the stories begin to shift.
GEORGE: I’m just saying that maybe some people should be given a second chance, or a third even. We can’t live our lives in indignation, and we can’t stay cross with everyone who hurts us. I think if the person makes a serious effort to be better, to make up for the mistakes that they made in their past, then we should try our best to forgive them, or to at least accept that they’re trying their best to change. And maybe we can’t forgive them right away, and that’s okay, but I think after some time maybe we can at least make an attempt to start over, to forgive. Our lives shouldn’t contain a list of people to hate, or else our hearts will just be filled with that same hate; we’ll just be bitter and grow worse as we grow old if we continue the cycle of perpetual violence and hate that they started.
DREAM: Eret still committed crimes that some would call irredeemable, regardless of what I may believe. Others’ perceptions of them have already been conceived. To them, they're no different than Wilbur.
GEORGE: At least Eret had the guts to recognize that what they did was wrong and tried to make up for it, whether people were accepting of them or not! Wilbur just tried to off himself once he realized he was too far gone. Death isn’t the answer to our problems when we make mistakes.
DREAM: I agree, Wilbur was rash in his decision making, but that does not sway my beliefs. Neither of them can ever be fully redeemed in the eyes of the people.
GEORGE: Maybe so, but if even one person’s mindset is changed as a result of their actions, of them trying to make up for what they did, then I think that should count for something.
VI. What does it mean to be human?
DREAM: If you’re so certain in what you believe, George, then riddle me this- what does it take to be considered a human?
GEORGE: That seems like a loaded question.
DREAM: Perhaps, but you seem to have an opinion on every other question we’ve covered so far, so why can’t you answer this simple one? What’s the difference between you and me? From my understanding, there’s nothing stopping me from joining you in your little kingdom and calling myself a human; it seems rather easy to me.
GEORGE: What makes it so easy?
DREAM: All of you mortals are the same. You form base level relationships with one another, choose a pointless job to partake in until you die, and then, if you choose to endure life with someone else, you pick an individual to tolerate and “love” for the rest of your life. Most of you try to form some kind of legacy that will have you be remembered long after you’ve died, but the majority of you won’t make more impact than that of a humble bumblebee.
GEORGE: But even bumblebees serve an important role in the world. Without them, the world would be catastrophic!
DREAM: Maybe, but it would adapt, as you do.
GEORGE: I… I don’t think that’s supposed to be the point of living, just changing with the tides. You’re not supposed to just sit and let the world move around you- you’re supposed to be an active participant. Sure, adapting is a part of it, it’s what’s allowed us to live as long as we have, but that’s not the only thing you should do. You’re supposed to live.
DREAM: How?
GEORGE: What do you mean how?
DREAM: How do you live? You claim that I’m mistaken, so explain where I’m wrong. Tell me, how do you live?
GEORGE: Well… well, I guess the first thing would be to do what I said before, to be an active participant in your life.
DREAM: Yes, and from there?
GEORGE: From there… I would say you have to learn how to experience your emotions, and to not bottle them up. Humans are… we’re known for being emotional, for getting angry, or sad, or happy at the silliest of things, but I think that’s what makes us so special. We’ll see something really cute, like a puppy, and some people will get so overwhelmed with emotion that they’ll cry, or they may grow irritated at having to wait in a line for so long, but then their friend will say something, and suddenly their mood has shifted entirely. And that’s another thing, friendship! Humans are known for making friends with whatever they can, from other humans, to animals, even to their technology. We’re social creatures, and even the most isolated and introverted of people need someone to communicate with. We’ll form bonds with whatever we can simply to feel like we aren’t so alone in the world, which I think is… it’s nice, you know? Knowing you aren’t alone.
DREAM: I suppose that can be a good thing, yes.
GEORGE: And- and love is another thing. We love so many different things in the world, even some things that hurt us. We’ll love our friends and our families, maybe our jobs or our pets, and sometimes we’ll even find one person we love differently from the rest, someone we can share the rest of our lives with, that we can experience the world together with. Love is something magical that’s so hard to describe because of how strange it really is, because love can be messy, and gross, and damaging, but it can also be so sweet, and fulfilling, and beautiful. It’s something that I think only humans can really ever experience, and I think part of life should be getting to partake in some form of love.
DREAM: Why would you ever willingly enter into something that could hurt you?
GEORGE: It’s like a said before: to make everything that’s happy and good in your life that much greater. Once you’ve gone through the worst experiences you can, once you’ve undergone every horrible and terrible tragedy that the world can accost you with, the other parts of your life, the parts filled with good experiences, will suddenly shine through and have that much more meaning. Look, your life shouldn’t be limited to a set of controlled experiences; you should be able to live out every part of your life to its full extent. When you start to limit yourself to the world, that’s when you’re no longer living, when you stop being fully human.
VII. Closing Speeches
DREAM: I feel like there’s more to that answer than you’re giving me.
GEORGE: Probably. Humans are complicated; I’m not sure why you expected me to be able to come up with an answer that wasn’t missing something.
DREAM: You’re one of the smarter ones. I figured you’d come up with a decent enough explanation.
GEORGE: Thank you, I think? I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not.
DREAM: Still, I think despite what you’ve told me, I can’t agree with everything you’ve said. Like the Clay situation. I still don’t believe it’s wise for you to be allowing him to consume your thoughts, no matter how your perspective of him has changed. You’d be so much happier if you just forget about him.
GEORGE: I’m not changing my stance on that. I still do and will care about him, no matter what he’s done. He’s done some bad things, and he’s changed into someone I don’t recognize, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a change of heart again. Give it some time, Dream.
DREAM: Well, if you won’t let him leave your thoughts, then allow me to at least enter them. Give your mind something else to think about for a while.
GEORGE: Excuse me?
DREAM: You mentioned that he’s your friend, yes? Well, if we were friends, then wouldn’t you think of me too?
GEORGE: I suppose…
DREAM: Then, if we become friends, you’d spend less time thinking about Clay, and perhaps you’ll slowly begin to see how much happier you’d be without him. So, can we be friends, George?
GEORGE: I think you’re missing the point here…
DREAM: Can we be friends, George?
GEORGE: I mean… I guess? But this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop thinking about Clay.
DREAM: I didn’t think it would. Well, I guess I should be going. I’ve got some godly business to attend to; from what I hear on the wind, someone’s created a cult and is pressuring others into joining it. Although this conversation has been more than fun, I think I’d find more enjoyment in watching that chaos ensue. Good luck with your new kingdom, George! And tell your friends I said hello!
GEORGE: Alright, I’ll do that.
DREAM: Oh, and George?
GEORGE: Yes?
DREAM: Maybe consider visiting your friend in prison. Although I disagree with most of what you’ve said, I think it may be good for you to see him again, maybe just one last time. It might help you get some closure.
GEORGE: I’ll… I’ll think about it.