American fable teaches valuable lesson

Breeze Perspectives

Late one night, Freedom burst through the front door in tears. America jumped off the couch to console her and asked what happened. "It’s terrible!" Freedom cried. "I was walking home when Terrorism crept up on me. He threw me to the ground and tried to rape me!"

America gazed in disbelief. How could Terrorism try to rape Freedom when it knew America was her big brother? So, he called up his friends, Government and Mass Media, and the three went to show Terrorism what happens when you mess with Freedom.

They returned to America’s house and carefully explained everything to his parents, The People. The People thought about the attack on Freedom and decided that vindicating her was very noble.

The following day, America and his two friends were walking home together when they saw Tyranny and noticed he was holding a shiny object.

Government, notoriously the most greedy of the three, wanted the thing very badly. Mass Media, who had built a reputation of being Government’s tool, agreed to help. But America was more hesitant. Government explained that they deserved the thing more than Tyranny, and that alone was enough to warrant action.

Mass Media suggested that they ask for help from their other friend, United Nations. Government considered it for a second before he decided against it. It might take a while before United Nations would agree to help, and he would surely want to share the thing.

When America came home, The People gasped at the unsightly bruises on his face. They opened their mouths to ask what happened, but Government jumped in before they could say anything. "It was Tyranny!" Government proclaimed. "Tyranny and Terrorism are close friends. They promised to do everything they could to hurt Freedom. We had to stop Tyranny before it was too late."

The People were shocked by the story, and they began arguing over whether the action was justified. Red was convinced of the need for force, while Blue wished America had made a more carefully thought-out decision. The two argued until they couldn’t stand each other anymore and separated.
As America sat alone, looking at the thing, he was unable to quell the regret he felt inside. All the shiny things in the world wouldn’t make him happier. His poor choices had led to the separation of his parents.

America had the power to stand up to Government all along, but he allowed himself to be manipulated. The worst part about the whole mess was the fact that he lied to The People. America knew he must confess the truth, even though he would feel tremendous shame once The People realized what he had done.

America needed to tell them that Government and Mass Media lied to their faces, and he would never invent a threat against Freedom to disguise his intentions ever again.

The most important lesson America learned was this: Friendships can dissolve, but your family is what’s important — and they should never be lied to.

Cory Reyman is a soon-to-be-undeclared sophomore finance major.