The Ring of Gyges What Would You Do If You Have It 巨吉斯魔戒 - 你会用它做什么

            (Everybody wanted the Ring of Gyges, one that would make you instantly invisible. According to the myths, Gyges, a tyrant of Lydia, used this ring to plot and eventually overthrow the ruler at that time. For Owen, he is lucky, he accidentally found the ring......)

             It all began with a fall off a bike. Owen had just turned 12 and learned how to ride his bike with more confidence. However, he had been talking to a friend while riding and crashed into a tree. Owen’s face and knees bled profusely, as he picked himself up. It was probably his first major injury for as long as he could remember. 

            Owen was immediately taken to the medical clinic at the House of Youth, where he and all other teenagers spent most of their time. After his injuries were treated, he was asked to take a small, black pill for a week. Owen followed the doctor’s orders and took the pills. A week later, however, when he tried to relate the incident to his little sister, he could not remember a single part of it. 

            Owen, naturally, was confounded and curious. He knew that all of the key decisions were made by the Jurors, the governing body of the city-state. So, he was determined to find some answers.

            One night, when nobody was around, he slipped on his ring and snuck into the government building. Owen heard people talking from the upper floor. He could identify the Leading Juror speaking: “Jake, you know that we still suffer sometimes from the Great War. I just think it’s worth asking: what do you think about our decision to give people those mind wiping pills to make them forget the painful memories……”  

            Then, he heard another voice: “Leading Juror, I know what answers you want me to say. But, from my point of view, the people have the right to experience and remember pain. Without pain, there is no counterpoint to pleasure. Without betrayal, there is no intrinsic value in loyalty. Without cowardice, there is no admiration for courage. And without hatred, there is no purity of love...”  

Owen turned away, realizing what he was overhearing was very dangerous. The next night, Owen put on his ring again and went to the House of the Old. He knew the rules well, and he knew that although there were still negative memories in his community, the Old had to take a specially designed type of pill that could suppress those memories and sensations. But as he witnessed the Elderly taking the pills, he saw no laughter, no sight of relief, but only a deep silence as the memories were washed away. He began to think about that man’s words again. 

Suddenly, among the words of “people deserving the right to possess all memories” and “memories guiding us into the future”, Owen thought of what the world would be like otherwise: conflicts and wars, but also genuine laughter, color, smells, and taste. He felt renewed courage and determinacy. He left the House of Old and entered the government building again. Owen was clear on what his mission was, and he did not want to waste a single moment of precious time...

（所有人都想要“巨吉斯的魔戒”，一枚能让人即刻隐身的戒指。吕底亚僭主巨吉斯借助此戒指夺权篡位。幸运的是，欧文偶然发现了这枚戒指……） 

        这一切都源于那次他从自行车上摔下来。当时欧文12岁，刚刚学会了如何稳定地操控自行车。然而，他在骑车和朋友聊天时，却撞上了一棵树。欧文的脸和膝盖都流了很多血。他艰难地爬了起来，这可能是他有记忆以来第一次受大伤。 

        欧文立即被送到了“青年所”的医务室，他和其他所有的少年都在“青年所”里度过了大部分时间。在他的伤势得到治疗后，他被要求在接下来的一周服用一种黑色的小药丸。欧文遵照医生的吩咐，吃下了药丸。然而一个星期后，当他想把这次受伤的经历跟他妹妹说起时，却一点也想不起来了。

        欧文自然感到困惑和好奇。他知道，问题出在了那些黑色的药丸上。人们吃下什么样的药丸是由城邦的治理机构—“审判会”所做出的。他决心要找出答案。

        一天晚上，趁着周围没人，他戴上了魔戒，偷偷溜进了政府大楼。欧文听到楼上有人在说话，他能辨认出那是审判长。"杰克，你知道，我们有时还在遭受那场毁灭性大战的影响。我只是觉得值得一问的是：我们决定给人们吃那些特制的药丸，让他们忘记痛苦的记忆......，这个决定你怎么看？" 

        然后，他听到另一个声音："审判长，我知道你想要我说什么答案。但是，在我看来，人民有权体验和记住痛苦。没有痛苦，快乐就毫无真正滋味；没有背叛，忠诚就没有内在价值；没有懦弱，就没有对勇气的敬佩；而没有仇恨，爱情就没有炙热的纯粹......" 。

       欧文转过身去，他意识到自己听到的东西非常危险。第二天晚上，欧文又戴上戒指，去了“老年所”。他很清楚这里的规矩，他知道虽然社区里还有负面的记忆，但老者必须服用一种特殊设计的药丸，可以压制这些记忆和感觉。但当他目睹老者服下药丸时，他没有听到笑声，没有看到解脱的轻松，只有记忆被冲淡后的深深沉默。他又开始思考那个男人的话。

        欧文在头脑中努力尝试寻找回他受伤时那疼痛的感觉，他非常确定他不想遗忘它。“人们应该拥有所有记忆的权利”，“记忆指引着我们的未来”，那些话语在他脑海中一遍遍闪现。欧文一遍一遍想象着这个世界完整的样子：冲突、战争、仇恨、和平、慈善、有爱……。他感到重新获得了勇气和决心。他离开了“老年所”，又进入了政府大楼。欧文很清楚自己的任务是什么，他不想浪费一分一秒的宝贵时间......