Some say fire is
bad, but it does not cease. How can this be? Will it not change its ways?
Some say, perhaps
we can talk to the fire, reason with it. But it rages on.
Maybe we could
retrain the fire or send it to a half-way house. After it has taken from us, we
will pay anything so it takes no more. Fire continues and grows larger.
“It must be the
flammables who make the fire rage.
Yes, yes, it must be their fault. They’ve been overbearing and prejudiced. Why,
the fire had no choice but to try to consume them. After all, did they ever
even have the fire over for dinner? No, they
were not very fire-sensitive, not conflagrationarily-correct. They even tried
to restrain and contain the fire! Yes, it’s their fault. Shouldn’t the fire have the same rights as anybody else? Let
it go free… and pay it damages!”
Fire leapt up
anew.
The cries of
those enlightened, desperately
clinging to the hope that nothing they do- or don’t do- has consequence grew louder. They must live on.
A few mourned the
flammables and wanted to douse the fire. “Reactionary, fascist, intolerant
pigs!” screamed the tolerant, fire-sensitive, conflagrationarily-correct. “You’re
not on our level, for we are open-minded. We feel the fire’s pain.”
Soon, matches
were passed out in public schools so that fire’s origin and very roots could be
better understood. A symbolic display of unity with the much maligned and little
understood fire. And those who passed out the matches went home and laughed, for they knew that they held the power over both the
flammables and the fire. They were more enlightened than the flammables, and
were the fire’s only real friends. Yes, they had true power.
The fire, aided
by the fire-sensitive, conflagrationarily-correct, finally consumed most of the
flammables. Then, realizing it was rapidly running out of fuel, turned on its supporters.
In disbelief, the
fire-sensitive, conflagrationarily-correct cried out, “you stupid, two-faced
fire; after all we’ve done for you- how could
you? There are more uncaring, intolerant, fascist flammables left. Take them.
They deserve it! They never cared to know you. Not like we did!”
But fire did not
discriminate, and they, too, were made to perish. It seemed that fire had
consumed nearly all that God and nature had wrought.
With the
exception of a few brave flammables who refused to give in, and sought refuge
in the Sea of Galilee.
There was nothing, then, left to fuel the
fire. Fire, unable to support itself, quickly retreated and abated.
The remaining
flammables would soon unite. With conviction and love, and an unending hope for
a better tomorrow, minus not fire, but fire’s supporters, they would
re-populate this fragile orb.
(This tale was
spawned by a quote from Winston Churchill. When asked about his views on
morality and behavior, the Prime Minister said, “I refuse to be impartial as
between the fire brigade and the fire”).
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