LaRouche PAC hereby introduces Harey Tales, an occasional post capturing the views of Hares with respect to those deranged Malthusians claiming unceasing love for them.

The Hornet & the Honeybees

“Flopsy, can you answer a question for me?”

Flopsy looked up from his reading, pushed his spectacles down, and gazed over them at his friend.

“What is it now, Wopsy?” 

He said this with a little irritation, for Wopsy had been peppering him with questions for the past hour, mostly on arcane and absurd subjects.

“Can you explain to me what the word ‘Victory’ means?”

Flopsy raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was a different sort of question! So, he rid himself of all impatience, rubbed his ear, and replied:

“I am delighted you asked that, Wopsy, but you should know that this is not a subject as simple as it might appear. There are many different types of victories. For example, there are victories in competition or sports, although these are the simplest and least interesting. They seem to involve throwing a ball through a metal hoop or knocking a ball into a hole in the ground; —for some reason balls seem to play a big role in these things. There is also, of course, Victory in War, a serious subject and probably more to the point of your question. But even beyond these matters there is the realm of moral victories and even philosophical and scientific victories, though these are more subtle. I would have to know more. What is it that provoked you to ask this question?”

“Well, I’ve been hearing about this woman named Ursula, who claims she is the leader of all of the humans in Europe.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of her. . . or excuse me, I should probably say that ‘I have heard of them.’  I think that is how these creatures prefer to be called now. What of them?”

“Well, she has come out saying that Europe has won a great victory in the war it is waging in Ukraine, and she has thanked the President of Russia for starting the war.”

“That does seem very odd.”

“That’s what I thought, and I couldn’t follow her reasoning at all. She claims that the economic collapse that has resulted from the war has been a victory, because it has allowed her to impose a policy of what she calls ‘Green Energy.’  But apparently this newfangled green stuff doesn’t produce enough electricity to keep things going, so everything is shutting down and the people are suffering. I don’t understand this at all; it seems like she’s just taking a terrible defeat and calling it a victory.”

Flopsy, who had been listening closely and nodding, replied, “There is a great deal of truth in your analysis, dear Wopsy. Did she. . . I mean they. . . oh, dang it! Let’s use proper pronouns. . . did she say anything else?”

“Well, she said that last year Europe produced more electricity from wind than from gas . . .

“It sounds like she might have a digestive problem,” interjected Flopsy.

“Yes, well there was a lot more of that kind of stuff. So, what do you make of it all?”

Flopsy thought and considered all of what he had heard. Finally, he began:

“Among the animals, there are many rivalries and even bloody battles. There are the lions and hyenas, and the cobras and mongooses, and other such examples. But what you are describing is different. It seems that what this Miss Ursula is pursuing is a very sinister notion of ‘victory,’ and it reminds me of the story of the Hornet and the Honeybees.”

“What is that?”

“Well, hornets are most vicious creatures.  They have no empathy for anyone but themselves. One of their favorite pastimes is to wage wars of extermination against the harmless and beneficial honeybees. They are bigger, stronger, have defensive armor and possess weapons to kill the honeybees at will. They invade the honeybees’ hives and destroy everything. They cut the bees’ heads off with their mandibles. One hornet alone can kill twenty bees in a minute.”

“Oh, that is awful!”

“Yes, it is. Well one day a particularly arrogant giant hornet, apparently believing himself Zeus incarnate, invaded a beehive all on his own. He advanced forward, but the bees did not fight back. First, they retreated, and then, suddenly, they all rushed forward and surrounded the hornet. Many lost their lives, but the rest swarmed around the hornet and began secreting honey until the hornet was fully encased in the sticky goo. Then they flapped their wings and vibrated their little bodies. This had the effect of heating up the honey enclosure, and the hornet perished, cooked alive. Perhaps your Ursula might consider this to be a case of ‘beehive warming.’”

“Well, good riddance to hornets, I say.”

“Most certainly”

“But how does this story answer my question?”

“Think about this, Wopsy! For a would-be tyrant—like the hornet—death and destruction are their goal. In Ursula’s case, the goal is not victory over Russia, but victory over the people of Europe themselves. Kill and subjugate as many as possible. But is that a real victory? Can such a victory even be called a victory? It would seem that she. . . or they. . . or it. . . has not learned the lesson of the noble honeybees. They joined together and won a true victory over the deranged hornet. Soon, other hives followed their example, and the honeybees have been saved.”

Flopsy paused, caught his breath, and continued:

“But there is a more important point to consider. We hares are peaceful creatures, as are the deer and the squirrels.  But there are also many examples of creatures who possess deadly power and aggressive natures who have become friends with others much weaker than themselves. Take, for example, the Egyptian crocodiles and the plovers, or the Colombian Tarantula and the Humming Frog. The more powerful could easily slay the weaker, but instead they live in harmony. The one even protects the other. They benefit each other.”

“So, you are saying that Victory is not the same as winning?”

“In some respects, it is the opposite. We are all God’s creatures and must find a path which is salutary to all. Permanent enmity never has a good end.”

Wopsy shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts: “You have given me a lot to think about, and I owe you something in return. Would you come to my house for dinner tonight? My new friend Flipsy is baking a rhubarb pie, and she is very handy.”

“Wopsy, that is what I call a real victory.”