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by lifeisstillgood
4928 days ago
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The perfect name reminds me of the Douglas Adams story somewhere in his third Hitchhiker book - about the Reason. And sometimes, after some of the worst of these outrages,
the Dwellers in the Forest would send a Messenger to
either the Leader of the Princes of the Plains or the
Leader of the Tribesmen of the Cold Hillsides and demand
to know the reason for this intolerable behavior.
And the Leader, whichever one it was, would take the
Messenger aside and explain the reason to him, slowly and
carefully, and with great attention to the considerable
detail involved.
And the terrible thing was, it was a very good one. It was
very clear, very rational and tough. The Messenger would
hang his head and feel sad and foolish that he had not
realized what a tough and complex place the real world
was, and what difficulties and paradoxes had to be
embraced if one was to live in it.
"Now do you understand?" the Leader would say.
The Messenger would nod dumbly.
"And you see these battles have to take place?"
Another dumb nod.
"And why they have to take place in the Forest, and why it
is in everybody's best interest. the Forest Dwellers
included, that they should?"
"Er ..."
"In the long run."
"Er, yes."
And the Messenger did understand the reason, and he
returned to his people in the Forest. But as he approached
them, as he walked through the Forest and among the trees,
he found that all he could remember of the reason was how
terribly clear the argument had seemed. What it actually
was, he couldn't remember at all.
And this, of course, was a great comfort when next the
Tribesmen and the Princes came hacking and burning their
way through the Forest, killing every Forest Dweller in
their way.
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