A
famous communist leader, having been aided by western powers to amass a sizable
portion of a continent, gave his underlings a valuable lesson in power and
control. He asked them to convene at his palace. His lecture was going to be
taught just once – his time was too valuable to waste. The apparatchiks were
directed to bring a goose to the seminar.
Each
acquired a bird, built a sizable cage to house it, and proceeded to feed it
well. On a given day, all gathered in the grand ballroom of the palace,
carrying various cages.
Arriving
fifteen minutes late for good measure, the leader entered the grand ballroom
followed by a very thin goose. With each step he took, the goose reached in his
pocket, begging for grain. Magnanimously, and with studied aplomb, he fed it one
single grain from time to time.
The
underlings stood up and congratulated each other for being there, applauding
the presence of the great one. The dear leader asked them to open the cages and
to release the geese. As soon as the geese sensed that the cage had been unbolted
and they were free to go, the birds took off, ignoring their masters.
The
only bird left was the dear leader’s starving goose. Ever so attentive, she
looked up to him with a sad face, waiting for her master to dispense one single
grain of food.
“Do
you see what happened if you fed them too much? They forgot who you were and no
longer recognized you as their master. My faithful goose, fed just a few grains
a day, enough to keep her from starving to death, is the most loyal bird.”
The
abject lesson of near starvation and meager dependency was the dear leader’s recipe
to lead a nation of blind followers.
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