Yaw and Mog

A thirsty ant crawled down to the edge of a stream for a drink, but just at that moment the current swelled and the ant was carried away. A dove who was flying by saw that the ant was in trouble, broke off a twig, and threw it into the water. The ant crawled onto the twig and soon was washed onto dry land.

Later that day, a hunter appeared with some sticks smeared with lime and started to set them in position to catch the dove. When the ant saw this, she bit the man sharply on the foot. With a shriek of pain, the hunter dropped the sticks and grabbed his foot. The dove, frightened by the noise, flew off to safety.

– Aesop’s Fables: The Ant and the Dove

There are those who criticise the rescue. Is it spite? jealousy?

French First Lady Role Questioned: The release of six foreign medics by Libya is a diplomatic coup for French leader Nicolas Sarkozy but the unorthodox role played by his wife in securing their freedom has sparked criticism at home.

“We resolved the problem. Period,” Nicolas Sarkozy said. “An affair that has lasted eight and a half years is not a conventional affair to be treated in a conventional manner. I thought that Cecilia could carry out a useful initiative, which she did with much courage, much sincerity, much humanity and much panache.”

Their release bore hallmarks that are becoming typical of Sarkozy’s presidency: Prioritize a problem, and take a hands-on approach to solving it.

When you, the petty French critic, do not have the ability and the means to meet certain situations effectively, you have absolutely no right to criticise. And if and when you will find yourself in a similar situation, I wonder if you will be picky about who should rescue you. Instead of rejoicing in your leaders’ abilities to find solutions to difficult problems, you must nit-pick. Shame on you.

Agacements après la visite de Cécilia Sarkozy en Libye (This article has been re-edited and no longer makes reference to members of the Socialist Party who were critical of the rescue).

“Mog?”

“Yes, Yaw?”

“I want to tell you an old Russian folktale about a turnip, from a book I read in a bookstore in Tokyo.”

“What’s a turnip, Yaw?”

“It’s a vegetable that grows underground. You know, Mog, you are nothing until you make something of yourself. Now listen to this story.”

It was a pleasant afternoon. Abayaw and Dulmog were lying on the grass by the river. Beside them were their basket traps and a catch of fish.

“There was once an elderly couple who lived with their grandson, a dog, a cat, and a mouse. One day, Grandmother decided to prepare a turnip for dinner, so she went to her garden to fetch one. But no matter how much she pulled, the turnip would not budge.

“‘Grandfather!’ she called out. ‘Come and help me with this turnip!’ So the grandfather came, and they pulled and tugged. ‘Grandson!’ the grandfather called out. ‘Come and help us with this turnip!’ So the grandson came, and they pulled and tugged. Still, the turnip would not budge. Then the grandson called the dog, and the dog called the cat, and the cat called the mouse. When the mouse came and they all pulled and tugged together, only then did the turnip finally come out of the ground.

“So what do you think of that, Mog?”

“Grandmother should consider growing vegetables above ground.”

“Mog! It means that even the smallest effort can bring change. It means that the only way we can succeed is that we work together. Be involved in making that change.”

••• fin •••

(For a complete and chronological order of this story, please see: Keepers of the Flame, by Daphne Haour-Hidalgo).