Post 19.
A Parable
The Master of the village and forest wanted to reward his people. He put a fig tree in the middle of the village as a gift to His people, and then left to travel. This tree was celebrated. Now people had figs in addition to mushrooms, berries, and dandelions, which they had always foraged from the forest’s edge. The figs were freely available to all (Acts 4:35). The people of the soil and birds of the sky were well fed for many generations (Matthew 6:26).
One day, a Lazy Man decided he did not want to walk to the middle of the village to pick figs. The Adversary spoke in the lazy man’s ear: “I can teach you the secrets of trees, and you’ll never hunger again” (Genesis 2:17). The Lazy Man was eager to learn, and The Adversary taught him how to make cuttings, and how to grow new trees from the original source (Genesis 4:4). The Lazy Man rejoiced, and cut the lower branches from the fig tree. He planted the new trees in his yard, which he now called his orchard. Where there had previously been only one fig tree in the village, now there were five. The community celebrated the Lazy Man’s ingenuity, and declared him a community leader.
Many years passed. Children could no longer reach figs because the lower branches were gone, and had to ask their parents for help. With many cuttings removed each year by the Lazy Man, The Master’s fig tree failed to feed all the people of the soil or the birds of the sky. During on particularly long drought, the villagers came to the Lazy Man: “Oh wise community leader, how can we feed our families? The fig tree is dying!” The community leader said, “I have a plan. We need to fence off the forest, so that I can hire some of you as workers. The workers will chop wood from the forest, and start a fire in my orchard. They will use that fire to dry my figs, which I will distribute to those who work for me.” The village celebrated the Lazy Man's plan as industrious. The Lazy Man hired many workers to cut the forest, to dry the figs, and to distribute the food to the workers.
The Lazy Man hired much of the village for a long time. But after many years, the original fig tree died, and The Master’s forest became a barren wasteland. Some creative workers developed vehicles that would help other workers travel the long distances to distant woods; and others developed tools to make fig drying and tree cutting more efficient. Now one worker could accomplish the work of 10. But always, the bulk of the fruit of the labor was returned to the Lazy Man, for he was an industrious community leader who earned his wealth. Or so said the villagers.
In time, inefficient workers were fired, as the workers industriousness and creativity were turned against them. Not all workers were needed. At first, the Lazy Man’s solution was to limit labor to half the population. Only males would be permitted to work. It would be a sin for women to work other than mothering. But he still needed to fire more workers to maximize profit. So the Lazy Man declared darker skinned workers less deserving, and fired them. But still, firings could not keep up with worker innovations. Each year, more efficient tools were created.
One year, the 400 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. The following year, the 200 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. The following year, the 100 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. The following year, the 50 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. Finally, the workers were productive, and the Lazy Man became rich. But most of The Master's people became poor and needy.
The Lazy Man’s workers caught poor, hungry children, one day, climbing the fence to the orchard. The Lazy Man believed it was a sin to steal his figs. To punish these sinners, the Lazy Man went to the community, who knew him as an industrious community leader. He asked for a King (1 Samuel 8), and later a republic to legally punish sinners who trespassed upon the Lazy Man’s private property. The king worked for the Lazy Man, and knew whom he was hired to serve. The king hired police. The children’s hands were chopped off! Some villagers thought this was just, and others thought it was too cruel. But all were powerless to stop it. It was legal. Even with the hand chopping, with hunger and want so high, many villagers continued to climb the fence to find food in the orchard. The Lazy Man hired many workers to injure and later to kill sinners; and also hired young workers to attack nearby villages and steal their property. The Lazy Many became even richer.
Many villagers starved. The Lazy Man had some workers build universities to cultivate worker innovations. Job scarcity was declared the progress of man, and technological innovators were celebrated, even as the earth’s ecosystems and the community collapsed. Some villagers protested the Lazy Man’s destruction of the community and the earth, but were arrested by the Lazy Man’s police force. The Lazy Man told them: “Shame be on those lazy sinners who protest and who refuse to work! If they protest, or steal food from my property, they should be imprisoned!” The Lazy Man hired some workers from the university to design prisons, others to build them, and others to work as guards. The prisons housed the starving masses, and the Lazy Man also suggested workers build schools to educate children in the values of his private property. The prisons and schools ended the Lazy Man’s years of capital punishment, and villagers declared the Lazy Man a philanthropist. There was much suffering and grief in the village and the world, and though the Lazy Man had expropriated enough wealth to feed the poor of the world seven times over, he did not. He claimed very publicly (Matthew 6:5) that he loved and served The Master (1 John 3:17), and didn't want the workers to become lazy.
Upon returning to the village, what will The Master do to the Lazy Man? What will The Master do for his people?
DJS
References:
Billionaires Made So Much Money Last Year They Could End Extreme Poverty Seven Times
Eco-Literate Music Pedagogy
The Bible
A Parable
The Master of the village and forest wanted to reward his people. He put a fig tree in the middle of the village as a gift to His people, and then left to travel. This tree was celebrated. Now people had figs in addition to mushrooms, berries, and dandelions, which they had always foraged from the forest’s edge. The figs were freely available to all (Acts 4:35). The people of the soil and birds of the sky were well fed for many generations (Matthew 6:26).
One day, a Lazy Man decided he did not want to walk to the middle of the village to pick figs. The Adversary spoke in the lazy man’s ear: “I can teach you the secrets of trees, and you’ll never hunger again” (Genesis 2:17). The Lazy Man was eager to learn, and The Adversary taught him how to make cuttings, and how to grow new trees from the original source (Genesis 4:4). The Lazy Man rejoiced, and cut the lower branches from the fig tree. He planted the new trees in his yard, which he now called his orchard. Where there had previously been only one fig tree in the village, now there were five. The community celebrated the Lazy Man’s ingenuity, and declared him a community leader.
Many years passed. Children could no longer reach figs because the lower branches were gone, and had to ask their parents for help. With many cuttings removed each year by the Lazy Man, The Master’s fig tree failed to feed all the people of the soil or the birds of the sky. During on particularly long drought, the villagers came to the Lazy Man: “Oh wise community leader, how can we feed our families? The fig tree is dying!” The community leader said, “I have a plan. We need to fence off the forest, so that I can hire some of you as workers. The workers will chop wood from the forest, and start a fire in my orchard. They will use that fire to dry my figs, which I will distribute to those who work for me.” The village celebrated the Lazy Man's plan as industrious. The Lazy Man hired many workers to cut the forest, to dry the figs, and to distribute the food to the workers.
The Lazy Man hired much of the village for a long time. But after many years, the original fig tree died, and The Master’s forest became a barren wasteland. Some creative workers developed vehicles that would help other workers travel the long distances to distant woods; and others developed tools to make fig drying and tree cutting more efficient. Now one worker could accomplish the work of 10. But always, the bulk of the fruit of the labor was returned to the Lazy Man, for he was an industrious community leader who earned his wealth. Or so said the villagers.
In time, inefficient workers were fired, as the workers industriousness and creativity were turned against them. Not all workers were needed. At first, the Lazy Man’s solution was to limit labor to half the population. Only males would be permitted to work. It would be a sin for women to work other than mothering. But he still needed to fire more workers to maximize profit. So the Lazy Man declared darker skinned workers less deserving, and fired them. But still, firings could not keep up with worker innovations. Each year, more efficient tools were created.
One year, the 400 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. The following year, the 200 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. The following year, the 100 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. The following year, the 50 remaining workers were rated, and the least efficient half was dismissed. Finally, the workers were productive, and the Lazy Man became rich. But most of The Master's people became poor and needy.
The Lazy Man’s workers caught poor, hungry children, one day, climbing the fence to the orchard. The Lazy Man believed it was a sin to steal his figs. To punish these sinners, the Lazy Man went to the community, who knew him as an industrious community leader. He asked for a King (1 Samuel 8), and later a republic to legally punish sinners who trespassed upon the Lazy Man’s private property. The king worked for the Lazy Man, and knew whom he was hired to serve. The king hired police. The children’s hands were chopped off! Some villagers thought this was just, and others thought it was too cruel. But all were powerless to stop it. It was legal. Even with the hand chopping, with hunger and want so high, many villagers continued to climb the fence to find food in the orchard. The Lazy Man hired many workers to injure and later to kill sinners; and also hired young workers to attack nearby villages and steal their property. The Lazy Many became even richer.
Many villagers starved. The Lazy Man had some workers build universities to cultivate worker innovations. Job scarcity was declared the progress of man, and technological innovators were celebrated, even as the earth’s ecosystems and the community collapsed. Some villagers protested the Lazy Man’s destruction of the community and the earth, but were arrested by the Lazy Man’s police force. The Lazy Man told them: “Shame be on those lazy sinners who protest and who refuse to work! If they protest, or steal food from my property, they should be imprisoned!” The Lazy Man hired some workers from the university to design prisons, others to build them, and others to work as guards. The prisons housed the starving masses, and the Lazy Man also suggested workers build schools to educate children in the values of his private property. The prisons and schools ended the Lazy Man’s years of capital punishment, and villagers declared the Lazy Man a philanthropist. There was much suffering and grief in the village and the world, and though the Lazy Man had expropriated enough wealth to feed the poor of the world seven times over, he did not. He claimed very publicly (Matthew 6:5) that he loved and served The Master (1 John 3:17), and didn't want the workers to become lazy.
Upon returning to the village, what will The Master do to the Lazy Man? What will The Master do for his people?
DJS
References:
Billionaires Made So Much Money Last Year They Could End Extreme Poverty Seven Times
Eco-Literate Music Pedagogy
The Bible
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