Walking along the diag today, I saw some workers cutting down a tree

[sniffnoy]

and this is what popped into my head:

"You like trees, you say? No. You don't like trees. You like trees that stay within reasonable limits and don't endanger anyone. But there's no such thing as a tree that stays within reasonable limits. Oh, there are trees that happen to stay within reasonable limits, sure, but how can you ensure this beforehand? You can't -- a tree is a mindless thing; it knows nothing of your notion of reasonable limits. And it it did it wouldn't care and you couldn't bargain with it. No matter what you do, it will always threaten to outgrow your reasonable limits, and then what will happen? It'll come down to leaf cutters and chainsaws, that's what. Trees don't understand any language but force. They're barbarians. What would make you think it's a good idea to deal with them?"

...this may be the result of too much time on LW. Or maybe Durkon might say something like that...

-Harry

Comments

[joshuazelinsky.livejournal.com]

An odd combination of OOTS and LW. The obvious metaphor is an AGI as a very fast growing tree doesn't seem to really work. How much sleep did you have when you had this train of thought?

[sniffnoy.livejournal.com]

I was entirely awake, I assure you...

[sniffnoy.livejournal.com]

I should probably note, I come up with silly monologues like this rather more often than I write them down...

[grenadier32.livejournal.com]

I confess, I really don't understand what this monologue would be trying to convince someone.

[sniffnoy.livejournal.com]

Dude. Trees are bad news.

[(Anonymous)]

May be bad news but good shade:
Today when I started my car,
the thermometer indicated 115 degrees (Fahrenheit).
Do you know what this means?
Oh if I could have a tree, a well grown tree,
to put the car under it!