By Suzy Kassem
There once was a village where the king had ordered all his people to only work and live at night, and sleep throughout the entire day. For years, the people lived alone and isolated in darkness, because their selfish king happened to be an insomniac, and did not like his physical flaws to be revealed under daylight.
If any of the villagers dared to open their eyes during the day, the guards were ordered to immediately execute the person right away. So slowly over time, the children started getting sick and the old began dying. But the king blamed these events on the candles that were brought in from a nearby village. And with this poor excuse, the king had also found a way to eliminate anybody seeing his flaws in the nighttime too.
Eventually, a young courageous doctor spoke up and dared to say to the king, "Without the rays of the sun to light up our souls and heal and feed our bodies, we will all die." But the king had the doctor executed immediately.
Over the next few years, the villagers spent most of their time digging graves for those who opposed the king, instead of building more gardens .
One day, another brave soul told the king, "If we go against the way of nature, the normal cycle of life, we will all die." And like those before him who had spoken up against the king, the man was quickly executed.
Another decade went by, and many other women and men dared to voice their concerns about living in utter darkness. And again, each one was immediately executed.
Then one day, the king suddenly died in his sleep. At the announcement of the news, the gates of the village flung open with joy and overwhelming relief.
The villagers danced and celebrated under the sunlight. And that night, they threw the biggest feast surrounded by the light of the most magnificent decorative candles. Yet to the surprise of many, the event quickly escalated into a riot. Villagers began arguing over the king's belongings and swords were being waved between friends, neighbors, brothers and sisters.
Within the first two hours of the celebration, the village had been overtaken by theft, rape, and the violent annihilation of the weak, old and poor. Nobody understood what could have gone wrong. Was life truly better under their selfish king?
No. It was not. But all the good people who had dared to take a stand for what they believed was right, were now all gone.
Copyright 2011, Suzy Kassem. All rights reserved.
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