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A Parable

A new soldier-- we'll call him "Tony" to keep the soul anonymous-- was drafted by the United States Army to fight one of the most difficult battles of his life. At once, this young, untried nestling was thrust into the fray, surrounded by the war machine at every glance and angle, with little more than sticks and stones at his disposal. It was not as though his commanders had not given him the appropriate fighting implements with which to engage the enemy. No, his resources were always known to him, offering to him the ostensibly glaring weaponry, useful for any pitched battle, large or small. It was, instead, a lack of experience with such tools that left him the impression that there was, in fact, nothing finer and more useful in a campaign than the selfsame sticks and stones he now held in his hands.

Convinced of such absurdity, this soldier's nights were filled with perplexed stares into the darkness, wondering why he fared so poorly in battle. It was perhaps no astonishment to him when another young soldier bunking with him referred to his implements as "outdated and useless." Tony, in fact, knew his weakness, but was yet unwilling to release the comfort brought by those sticks and stones, in exchange for what any ordinary man would consider a grander and more glorious chance at successful battle. No, this young soldier's problem was not resources, but a hardened unwillingness to change his habits.

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