Ludlow Fligg Dances the Minuet

Ludlow Fligg was different. He had his own slant on life. While everyone else busied themselves with trifles, assuming that everything in the world was fine and dandy, Ludlow had a distinctly contrary view. It had become increasingly apparent to him that, in nearly all instances, the general conditions around him fell dangerously short of what they could be and should be.

"It is my considered opinion that, in truth, on balance, for certain, and taking all pertinent elements into account, this world is, quite clearly, on the wrong track," Ludlow stated, whenever he was moved to express what he thought of the current situation.

One of Ludlow's primary concerns was that nobody wanted to dance the minuet anymore. The minuet was, he contended, the most lovely, the most graceful, and the most worthy of all courtly dances. Ludlow believed, firmly and resolutely, that regular dancing of the minuet represented the only path forward, offering the perfect solution to the many problems that plagued humanity.

"For instance, if all young people dedicated themselves to dancing the minuet at least twice a day, they would have less time in which to pursue any troublesome activities," Ludlow declared.

After Ludlow had concluded that getting other people to dance the minuet was a lost cause, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He committed himself to dancing the minuet in a solitary marathon, for as long as was necessary, vowing not to stop until the world had taken notice. To keep it interesting, he would vary his marathon by throwing in a few tangos.

"I shall dance the minuet as it ought to be danced, with a high degree of dignity and a full measure of graciousness, and in doing so, I hope to change the world," Ludlow announced.

Ludlow danced and danced, for hours on end, day after day, for a week. Having thoroughly worn himself out, he finally ceased. Unfortunately, no one took any notice whatsoever, and the world was not changed, not even a little. Although it seemed that Ludlow's marathon had failed, he took it in his stride. He reasoned that getting plenty of exercise was always a good thing.