Saturday 23 February 2013

The Storm

The storm swept in from the North, cloud boiling in the sky, the dark band of lashing rain visible as it soaked the hills below. The wind, at first just a cold squall,  built up  - all howling and moaning - until its strength broke branches, raised the grit from the track and blew slates from the sheep pen.

The two men stood on the crest - one short, one tall. Boots firmly placed in the mud of a soil bank.

"We can control this storm," said the taller man, "it need not damage us, we have the tools."

The shorter man pulled his coat a little more tightly around him, raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"We can," repeated the taller man, "we can divert the winds, capture the rain and guide the storm to benefit our lives. Great scholars have shown that this is so - we cannot waver from this path."

The shorter man smiled to himself and turned to face the storm.

"These powers to direct the wind, to catch the rain and to calm the storm," he mused, "did they not make the storm worse when last we tried to use them?"

The tall man snapped back; "that was 80 years ago! We have learned from the mistakes made then - we can turn this storm away."

The small man raised his hands, "if you are so sure then let it be - but might it be better to let the storm pass and repair the damage it does than risk it doing more damage because we intervened?"

The storm swept in the the North. The spells of control were cast.

And the wind ripped slates from the farm roofs, livestock were killed by falling walls and the floods swept through the town. People's lives were ruined and they turned to the two men accusing them of failing.

"It would have been worse if we'd done nothing," came the response from the tall man.

The small man stamped his feet to keep his feet warm, rubbed his hands together. And spoke:

"Did you really think men could stop the storm? We rage at the storm, throwing spells and curses its way because then we're seen to do something. Nothing changes. The storm still comes, the damage is still done. But we clever fools persuade ourselves - and you - that our actions will help."

"We are wrong. We cannot control the storm."

....

2 comments:

SadButMadLad said...

Definition of stupid: Someone who carries on doing the same things over and over again even when told that their actions are wrong.

Definition of George Osborne: Stupid

Frances Coppola said...

"waver" not "waiver".

Those who try to control the storm are part of the storm themselves. But they don't know they are.