A cab driver once told me a story…
The campaign was neck and neck. The Woman: wise and strong on defense. The Man: upper crust, good with horses, and a
navy man with a temper to shake the earth.
The city faced a tough choice. Both
candidates were capable, both willing, both willing to fight to the last man
for the loyalty of the people. Ultimately,
it came down to this: who offered the most.
The Man straightened his trident pin and struck the podium.
“I will turn this city into a military power. I know the sea and I will give you control
over every last drop. Men and women will
quake in fear when they hear of our city.
The world has never known and will never know a greater military
force. But I will also give you
trade. Dominion over the sea will make
you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. With
the sea, I give you the world!”
The crowd went wild.
The men of the audience stood hooted and hollered. They could not conceive of a better offer.
The Woman straightened her owl pin and motioned to the
window.
“Look to the next hill.
Do you see my groves? I will give
you the olive tree.”
The men began to laugh.
How could the olive tree compete with the sea?
The Woman struck the podium.
“I will give you the olive tree and it will give you more
than my fellow candidate could even dream of.
It will give you jobs. It will
give you fuel. It will give you
food. And with that, it will give you
knowledge and wealth beyond all imagining.
The work it will bring will breathe new life into the economy. The fuel
it will bring will light your lamps and thereby allow you to work longer and
study more; it will improve schools and prospects beyond. And it will feed you. With the olive tree, I give you wealth,
wisdom, and strength!”
The crowd was silent.
Tensions mounted. As the people
shuffled out of the auditorium to the voting booths, a murmur began. No one knew quite what to make of the
offerings.
As the votes were counted, the candidates waited each sure
that they had won. With every ballot
tabulated, allegiances swayed. No one
was sure who had won until the end of the counting.
Ÿ ¢ ¤ ¢ Ÿ
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