copyright © 2003 by Robert L. Blau
    It was really a quite ordinary looking tree standing among other ordinary looking trees.  It was neither taller nor sturdier than its companions.  Its fruit, however, had peculiar properties not shared by the other trees, as the people learned long ago.  
    Whoever partook of the fruit of this marvelous tree increased in knowledge and understanding.  And so it was that the tree, which became known as the Tree of Knowledge, became the center of society.  The people would meet beneath its branches, enjoy its shade, listen to the birds who nested and sang in its branches, and, above all, share the wonderful fruit. Thanks to the marvelous tree, the People of the Tree, as they came to be known, became the most prosperous, civilized, and enlightened society of their time.
    As time went on, many of the People of the Tree began to take the tree for granted, or even forgot exactly why it was important.  Consequently, the People of the Tree were not as enlightened as they once were.  Then some people declared themselves the True Defenders of the Tree.  The True Defenders of the Tree said that the tree was too important to leave unguarded and that access to the tree needed to be carefully regulated.  "The Tree of Knowledge is what makes this nation great!" they said. "We have to keep it safe from the wrong kind of people.  We don't want knowledge falling into the wrong hands.  We need electrified fences!  And armed guards!"  The people who hadn't been partaking of the fruit of the tree thought this sounded reasonable, and they started supporting rules to limit access to the tree.  Before long, no one was allowed to pick fruit from the Tree of Knowledge without a permit.  But there were still many others who disputed the True Defenders' claims, so the restrictions stopped there.
    Then the barbarians came.  They killed many people and ran off again.  The people were shocked and terrified.  "Why has this happened?" they asked.
    The True Defenders of the Tree were on the spot.  "They hate us for our knowledge," they said. "Defend the Tree!  Our society depends on it!"
    The electrified fences went up.  The armed guards went into place.
    "Wait!" said some. "If our society depends on the Tree, shutting it away from us is exactly the wrong thing to do."
    "Barbarian supporters!" declared the True Defenders. "Lock them up!"
    "You can't do that," said the barbarian supporters. "Free speech is protected by law."
    "Not for barbarian supporters," said the True Defenders.
    "The True Defenders are so patriotic," said the people, "and we're awfully scared.  So let's lock those dangerous, unpatriotic people up."
    And so they did.
    "Ok," said the people. "Are we safe now?"
    "Not by a long shot," said the True Defenders. "The Tree is still at risk!  We must protect it by building a concrete wall around it."
    So the concrete wall was built.
    "Now are we safe?" asked the people.
    "Ok, so they bought that," said the True Defenders sotto voce.  Then, louder, "No!  The Tree is still vulnerable from above.  We need a dome!"
    "Will the sunlight be able to get through?" someone asked. "A tree needs sunlight to live."
    "Of course not!" declared the True Defenders. "If the dome is transparent, the barbarians can see the tree from the air!  (And tap that guy's telephone.)"
    So the Tree of Knowledge was completely encased in concrete.
    "Are we safe now?" asked the people.
    "No way," said the True Defenders. "You won't be safe until all of the barbarians respect the Tree of Knowledge the way we do."
    "So, are we going to send them seeds or cuttings?" someone asked.  Apparently, there were still a few barbarian supporters left.
    "Heck, no!" said the True Defenders. "We're going to conquer them and make them respect the Tree!"
    "So, will we bring them here to sample the fruit, or at least see the tree?"
    "What are you, crazy?  (Pick that guy up afterwards.)  We can't let barbarians near the Tree!"
    "So, how will we know when they respect the tree?"
    "Look, when we've conquered them, they'll have to respect the Tree, or we'll kill them.  (Pick him up and have him shot.)"
    "How long will it take to conquer the barbarians?" asked the people.
    "Oh, at least as long as we want it to," said the True Defenders. "Oh, yes.  We had to dynamite the Tree."
    "Why?" asked the people. "We thought our society depended on it."
    "And it does," said the True Defenders. "But we had to destroy the Tree to protect it.  As long as it existed, there was some chance that someone might get to it."
    "Barbarians?" asked the people.
    "Yes," said the True Defenders. "Or worse, you."
    "Oh," said the people.
    "I don't get it," said the barbarian supporter, who was being dragged off to his execution. "Now, you can't gain knowledge from the tree's fruit, either."
    "Are you kidding?" said the True Defenders. "Knowledge is the last thing we want.  Long live the Tree!"