Chapter 1 - Box

“How do sovereign nations become socially, politically and economically relevant? That is, what is the common facet of society that makes them internationally relevant?”

Nobody answered. This was the first lecture and nobody, not even the stereotypical brownnosers with their hands normally waving about like Dutch windmills in gale force wind were about to offer up their opinions to have them rejected by this well renowned professor. Most of them still have months of incessant badgering to tackle, it would be imprudent to have their egos deflated this early in the semester. The lecture space sat approximately 300 and not one individual in the room had feigned, even vaguely, thought. It was quiet and a seemingly reverent atmosphere, so he continued the monologue, enjoying his deep sea-glass voice.

“Can anyone tell me? All relevant nations have constitutions. What is a constitution you ask?”

Looking around, one could tell that the students were shrewd enough to realize that the new faculty member wasn’t looking for a textbook glossary regurgitation but possibly a metaphorical account. The large lecture hall was again quiet. The only sound wafted lightly from the front of the room in the form of a squeaking stage, where Professor Maginot anxiously shifted his weight from left to right. Maginot was an average sized man, measuring a satisfactory 5’10” and a sufficient 175 pounds. His physician warranted that all that averageness made him above average physically, so he gave him an exceedingly clean bill of health. Maginot had a fairly normal hat size, in the 7 and ¾ range, with a length from chin to crown that would be considered by all but the most deluded, as conventional. Nearly 40 years old, Maginot was in his academic prime. He had the not-quite deep set wrinkles in his face to prove it along with shadowy brown hair that covered his ears to boot. The only thing other than his bill of health that was at all irregular were his green lighthouse eyes that seemed even in dark rooms to gleam and reflect light. His father would’ve said he felt like a million bucks in his checked tweed suit, and Maginot could’ve let the pervasive silence continue to prompt a response from an audacious brownnoser, but the excitement of divulging his recently published theory, to naïve students, at his new university, proved too much.

“Constitutions are instruments established to ensure domestic tranquility through the well ordered pursuit of box!”

Most academics would’ve considered this giddy response juvenile, the watermark of a junior faculty member, especially considering the subject matter. But John Maginot’s study was groundbreaking, he had even been awarded numerous doctorates by prestigious online universities. This meant he had credence and could exude as much childish enthusiasm in his lectures as the brownnosing students had in their responses.