[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Z284ever

Hey Joe, long time no talk!

Sorry you feel that way, but what exactly did you find irresponsible about it?

Out of respect, I won't nitpick...besides, there are far brighter minds than mine here to do that.

But after thinking your question over, and then reading through these most recent remarks...I know of a little story that I think fits well...

A young boy went walking in the woods one day. It was his favorite thing to do; the woods gave him peace and happiness. It was the colors of the trees, the sounds of the birds singing to the sky. Then, he happened upon a well of incredible ability: with just a sip, its water raised his spirits like he had never felt before. Shocked at this strange feeling, the boy ran home so he could think about what to do.

He concluded the well was harmless, but naturally, he wanted more. And he did get more. Visiting the wonderful well every day for several years afterwards, the boy became regarded as one of the happiest members of his village: no storm nor draught could seem to dampen his spirits. And the villagers would ask him for advise on how they too might be as happy as he. Now older, the young man answered their questions, and the people all listened; because logically, they thought, any advice from the happiest person in the village was good advice. The young man realized then, that the well gave him both joy and esteem. Each day, the young man walked straight to the well, finding shortcuts and quicker ways through the forest. Soon, he became so passionate, and so enfatuated with the well and its promise that the reason he used to walk in the woods as a child was soon forgotten...

As time past, the man grew older still, and the well served him loyally. He had begun to give small drops of the well's water to his followers. But this miracle was not to last. One day the well dried up. Obsessed, the man climbed into the well, so confident that there was water at the bottom, he didn't want to believe this was the end. But there was none.

To his credit, the man was inventive. In a panic, and desire to maintain his reputation with the villagers, he gathered up the mud from the bottom of the well and made pots out of them. He hoped that plain water, when poured into these pots would become as powerful as the well's own. So, when they asked for a taste of the beautiful well water, as the villagers had become accustomed to, he gave them water from the pots he made, instead.

No one ever discovered the man's secret, and even he, in his passion for the well, believed nothing to have changed. The happiness they felt was self-made, and some liked it better that way.

Oh....and I didn't appreciate the "lapdog" comment, myself. Most of us simply know our place.