I read this Turkish proverb my friend posted the other day. I told her I was going to use it in some way bc it struck me…but I wasn’t sure how I’d use it. Here’s how the original proverb read (perhaps it’s familiar to some of you):
“The forest was shrinking, but the Trees kept voting for the Axe, for the Axe was clever and convinced the Trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.”
Think of the lessons there – trickery – to get folks to believe you are one of them…so you can take advantage, to the point of accomplishing your own goals/even if it leads to their ultimate destruction.
It’s a great proverb bc it’s real…it happens often – “but I’m one of you, let me in, & let me ‘help’ you & your people.” Words & actions that make others feel comfortable, only for the deceiver to do what’s best for the them.
Sadly, this is so much of what we see in our world right now – politically, socially, entrepreneurially. “Let me lure them in, so I can get them to do XYZ.” This saddens me so much.
Social media alg@rithms are based on this model – let me lure you in w my words & pics, so I can make you feel part of “this” & get you to act how I want.” Whether that’s buying something, supporting something, getting enraged about something, signing a petition for something.
So I changed the proverb. Made it a SameHere proverb. Maybe I/we don’t have literally license to do so, but it kills me to see the above.
Changed it so the Axes figured out they were nothing WITHOUT the Trees. You can’t make more Axes, if you don’t have trees to produce your handles. Working together bc we need each other. Coexisting & finding the good in one another. Supporting one another. Even two things that would on the surface appear to be at odds: Axes & Trees.
But social media hates these kinda posts…bc they are uniting. The level of suppress!on recently from uniting posts has been laughable. Posts shown to only 500 of 22k of you.
Doesn’t matter. I/we won’t stop putting good into these spaces. Uniting ppl. That’s the only way this world heals. Hope those of you who get to see this will continue to join us.
