Pull up a chair. Get comfortable. Listen carefully. Think thoughtfully.
I have a little story to tell you, a little tale to spin, a little lesson to convey.
| Once upon a time there was an emperor who loved being emperor. And who loved having The Latest Thing. But he also struggled with guilt over being the emperor and over having the latest thing.
But he certainly didn’t feel so guilty as to give up his emperorship and all his stuff. No, not that guilty. Then along came two people with a grand solution to his dilema, at least as it concerned his clothing. “Sir, in a kingdom not your own, many people have no clothes and little wealth. They would like to sell you some of the points they have earned for not having clothes. When you buy some of their points, you are putting on clothes (very important clothes, at that, and the latest trendy styles, too). “When people ask why you are running around without any clothes on, just tell them you most certainly are not. Tell them you have purchased Clothing Credits. Tell them you have become Clothing Neutral. You can even tell them you have purchased Conscience Credits. “(Tell them whatever you want. Just give us the money.)” So that’s what he did. And he ran around stark naked, pretending he was fully clothed. He felt good. And the people in his kingdom, wanting to keep their heads though he had lost his, admired his sensitivity. And his conscientiousness. And his Cutting Edge-iness. And his social consciousness. And his leadership. And his Never Mind Old-Time Common Sense. Until a child innocently ruined it all: “Daddy, why does the emperor not have any clothes on? And why is he so proud of it? And why doesn’t anybody tell him?” |
Disclaimer: I didn’t spend much time with the story concept nor with the writing thereof. Furthermore, if you think I was writing about carbon credits and being carbon neutral, I decline responsibility for the events in your head.