“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” -C.S. Lewis
Not far from here, there was a garden encircled by a stone wall. Lacing through the middle of the garden was a healthy, productive Grapevine. In this garden, songbirds laid their eggs in nests constructed from pieces of vine that they had clipped with their sharp beaks.
The mother and father songbirds both worked hard, protecting the eggs that housed their baby birds. They would keep the eggs warm until they hatched, and then they would continue to provide warmth, love, and food until the babies grew old enough to fly away and eat the grapes on the vine without help.
Now there was in this same garden, a Fox and a Snake. Fox was tricky and fearful, but Snake was cunning and evil. Although the Grapevine had never failed to produce enough grapes to feed all the animals in the past, Fox was afraid of scarce resources. He worried that someday there would not be enough grapes. The old Snake was everyone's enemy, plotting in the hope that he could one day utilize Fox's fear to consume the songbirds.
Now, Snake was more crafty than all the animals that lived in the garden. One late night, while the garden slept, Snake brought Fox some fermented grapes to eat. While Fox ate, Snake uncoiled an evil plot.
The songbirds knew that Fox and Snake were not their allies, but they did esteem their worldly wisdom. They knew that Snake could perceive when frosts were coming and that Fox was full of gossip about events happening in distant fields. So when Fox and Snake went to the songbirds heralding impending destruction, they listened from a distance at what they had to say.
Snake explained that an expected frost would kill most of the Grapevine, while Fox warned that there would not be enough grapes to sustain the flock in the spring. The songbirds knew that the Grapevine had never failed to provide everything needed for nesting and food. Even in the cold months, the birds could eat the plentiful insects in the fallen leaves and fruits. However, Fox and Snake spoke with conviction, so the songbirds listened to them. A seed of anxiety was sown.
Time in the garden continued as it had. The sun rose in the east and traced a happy arch across the sky, before melting into the arms of the soft summer nights in the west. The enlivening afternoon rains fell on all the animals whether they were wise or foolish, evil or good. In all this abundance, the songbirds forgot to remember to be afraid of scarce resources.
By and by, Snake warned the songbirds again that if they did not leave the garden and go into the fields, there would not be enough food. While the songbirds continued as they had been, laying eggs and building nests to protect them, they were uneasy. Snake knew that, if he wanted Fox's seeds of anxiety to sprout into fear, he would need to water the threat with more deception.
Again, evil enlarged in darkness. At night, while the songbirds were sleeping with their eggs, Fox disguised his voice to sound like an owl. He ventriloquized, "Who? Who -who? Who will adventure with me to the hills? Who will go out into the fields to gather better food?"
Some of the father songbirds heard the owl call and left. Some of the fathers left because they were impressed by the wildness of the mysterious owl. Others left because they believed that they would have better opportunities if they abandoned their eggs. Some fathers deserted because they saw the others forsaking their families and felt compelled to imitate. But still, the mother songbirds remained with their eggs, alone in the quiet darkness.
Although the tricksters had caused significant damage, they were not satisfied. Their ultimate goal was to own the entire Grapevine for themselves. Again, in the night, under the deep shadow of the stone wall, they applied the final coating of corruption to their deceit.
Fox found...
