The Leapers have always been a group subject to oppression and scorn. Most consider them a nuisance at best and dangerous at worst. There have been numerous governments which have tried to eliminate the entire group outright. In fact, the distaste for the Leapers has been so great that in present times a vast majority of them are living in the desert- in exile.
It is the desert which is now the home to the worlds largest Leaper colony, six million strong. The desert land they were given was largely abandoned, thoroughly hostile, and completely unirrigated. Despite all of its difficulties, the Leapers actually survived on the terrain. After some time, the Leapers even built irrigation systems and developed a well organized infrastructure. The Leapers, despite having a land mass just 1/100th of their bordering desert neighbors, thrived. Much to the chagrin of their neighbors, the Leapers thrived. None of them actually expected the oft-beaten Leapers to succeed.
The Leapers organized their society in a way much different from their neighbors as well. Unlike their bordering colleagues, the Leapers were not given land that was rich in natural resources like oil. The Leapers were forced to use technology to seek new ways to grow their economy. They embraced the free-market and formed powerful allies through their trade and ingenuity. The Leapers were also the only democratic government in the desert with 22 other member states. Since democracy was shunned by the other states, they were a pox - a diseased people.
These other governments grew weary of the Leapers' success. “How could they succeed while my own country continues to decay?” they asked. “How can six million be more powerful than 300 million?” they asked. The questions however, were rhetorical, for the governments didn’t wish to seek the answers. All they really wanted was for the Leapers to go away. The Leapers, and not the internal problems of the Leapers boarding nations, were the root of the problem the governments suggested. The Leapers brought evil ideas to the region, such as democracy, Judeo-Christianity, capitalism, science and technology.
The fact is that the Leapers have been so misunderstood for so many years that the hatred for them is ingrained into the minds of nearly all 300 million bordering inhabitants. Even though the Leapers occupy less than one percent of the total land mass of the desert, that is still one percent too much for the blind hatred of the bordering populace. The struggle and wars between the two factions will continue so long as there is hate. The Leapers, however, are keenly familiar with hate. They have proven that it takes even more than genocide and forced exile to root them out. Even though they are out-numbered again in this latest war, history has shown that the Leapers have yet to lose. Let the Leapers keep their sliver of land, for it is the only thing they have left to surrender.
The above work is the opinion of the author,
and not necessarily that of the Prometheus Institute.
