Thought of the Day 09.04.08

Imagine two men living in a desert for years and years. With real food so scarce, they are eventually reduced to eating dirt, which miraculously manages to sustain them. Naturally, eating dirt leads them to discussions about which dirt is better than others, and they even learn where to find the good dirt to eat and which dirt to avoid. Over time, they become connoisseurs of dirt, not always in agreement, but certainly very refined in their skill at enjoying this ridiculous diet.

Now imagine that they are not alone, but that thousands of people are with them in the desert who treat them with great respect for this keen ability. One day, a man walks into this community offering filet mignon to everyone for free. At first people were reluctant, but some taste it and are delighted, wanting more.

In response, the ruling dirt experts have him killed. They were far too invested in debating the virtues of various kinds of dirt to allow someone else the embarrassing audacity of giving their people real food.