The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner
Aesop's Fables
A TRUMPETER, bravely leading on the soldiers, was captured by the enemy. He cried out to his captors, "Pray spare me, and do not take my life without cause or without inquiry. I have not slain a single man of your troop. I have no arms, and carry nothing but this one brass trumpet." "That is the very reason for which you should be put to death," they said; "for, while you do not fight yourself, your trumpet stirs all the others to battle."
I'm musing today on those who instigate and incite for nefarious purposes.
At any given point in our lives, we could be a soldier or the trumpeter. The trumpeter isn't necessarily a bad guy. This person is capable of stirring others to action, through words or music or both. Catching on to that kind of enthusiasm can spur us to act on behalf of others.
Perhaps our war is justified in some way. The trumpeter is the one who, above all the noise and din of battle, can keep the soldiers focused on the task at hand. The trumpeter is the impetus for the body of an army, or any group, really.
Yet, notice this particular trumpeter. He is not defiant against his captors. He cares nothing for the lives of the soldiers in his company- this particular trumpeter is the type who likes to 'motivate' others to act, then sit back and watch the drama unfold. but takes no responsibility for his actions. This is a person who, when caught in the act, will look out for number one. This is the one we need to be on guard against.
I've seen a few of them in my time. I once encountered one of these trumpeters who was insidious, almost beyond comprehension. She used words to create strife among friends within her circle, created dramas based on absolute lies, and because she could hide behind a computer screen and play innocent (much like our trumpeter in Aesop's fable tried to do), she got away with a lot. She took advantage of people's trusting nature, and played up the fact that English wasn't her native language, and that she was from a different culture.
She attempted to destroy reputations of good folks who'd done nothing to harm her, and incited people to turn on one another. Her motivation? One can only speculate. Perhaps she liked being the center of attention, or that she liked the feeling of being able to manipulate others (power over). Perhaps she thought she could create fodder for her fiction (she is a 'writer'). What's clear, though, is that her trumpeting was designed to incite strife within her circle of "friends" and to sit back and watch the drama unfold.
The scary part is, that unlike our enemy soldiers in the fable, the folks around her didn't stop to notice that she was lying, or instigating these things. Her fellow soldiers never questioned her, despite the fact that some of them had known her declared enemies much longer and better, and should have seen through the facade. As she noticed others around her were listening to her song over the voices of reason, she began playing all kinds of tunes.
She laid claim to being a ghost writer for True Blood. She claimed to have earned 6 bachelor's degrees at the expense of the military (who pays for 1), that she had a contact at Homeland Security who was looking up people and tracing them back to their houses for her. She claimed that an actual published author had plagiarized her work and that she was involved in a lawsuit against this person.. the songs got louder and the lyrics even more outrageous... and people followed her like the pied piper. Very few ever stopped to review the stories, or have her investigated. The more outrageous her lies, the more they were incited to act on her behalf.
Unlike our story here, the kind of war waged was not a physical battle in which prisoners are literally taken and killed. Nonetheless, there are casualties of the kind of wars waged by lies and bullying and attempted character assassination. As I've said in recent posts, it's all Mulengro*.
These trumpeters are Masters of Mulengro. They incite, rather than inspire. They create chaos, not camaraderie. They play as loudly as possible, in the hopes that the listener will not hear the voice of reason. When they are confronted, they turn on their own, and will throw even those who believe themselves to be closest to the trumpeters under the bus to save their own backsides. Mulengro is a sickness. Those who have reached this point are, in my opinion, beyond cure. They should simply be eradicated from your life.
Human beings are social animals. Even introverts need some type of interaction with others. Capital punishment, in many indigenous cultures, is to be ostracized- cut off from the rest of the tribe. Much like a quarantine, it keeps those who are not infected from the disease.
I caution you today to be wary of those with whom you associate. If you begin to hear the call of a trumpeter, be very sure you understand the clarity of the song. Be inspired in ways that don't bring unnecessary drama in your life. If you're going to go to war, be sure you know that your cause is worthy of your time and attention. Use the rule of thumb that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is- it takes very little time to investigate the truth, and in the longrun, it will save you time and lots of trouble.
By all means, avoid the 'inciteful' trumpeters. Their song may sound sweet in the beginning, but will bring you nothing but a headache in the end.
Aesop's Moral of the Story: He who incites to strife is worse than he who takes part in it.
How about you? Have you ever encountered one of these trumpeters? How did you handle him/her?
Sláinte,
Kallan
*Other Links on Mulengro:
http://mypaganworld.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-spiritual-warriors-guide-to-know.html
http://mypaganworld.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-spiritual-warriors-guide-first-name.html
Aesop's Fables
A TRUMPETER, bravely leading on the soldiers, was captured by the enemy. He cried out to his captors, "Pray spare me, and do not take my life without cause or without inquiry. I have not slain a single man of your troop. I have no arms, and carry nothing but this one brass trumpet." "That is the very reason for which you should be put to death," they said; "for, while you do not fight yourself, your trumpet stirs all the others to battle."
I'm musing today on those who instigate and incite for nefarious purposes.
At any given point in our lives, we could be a soldier or the trumpeter. The trumpeter isn't necessarily a bad guy. This person is capable of stirring others to action, through words or music or both. Catching on to that kind of enthusiasm can spur us to act on behalf of others.
Perhaps our war is justified in some way. The trumpeter is the one who, above all the noise and din of battle, can keep the soldiers focused on the task at hand. The trumpeter is the impetus for the body of an army, or any group, really.
Yet, notice this particular trumpeter. He is not defiant against his captors. He cares nothing for the lives of the soldiers in his company- this particular trumpeter is the type who likes to 'motivate' others to act, then sit back and watch the drama unfold. but takes no responsibility for his actions. This is a person who, when caught in the act, will look out for number one. This is the one we need to be on guard against.
I've seen a few of them in my time. I once encountered one of these trumpeters who was insidious, almost beyond comprehension. She used words to create strife among friends within her circle, created dramas based on absolute lies, and because she could hide behind a computer screen and play innocent (much like our trumpeter in Aesop's fable tried to do), she got away with a lot. She took advantage of people's trusting nature, and played up the fact that English wasn't her native language, and that she was from a different culture.
She attempted to destroy reputations of good folks who'd done nothing to harm her, and incited people to turn on one another. Her motivation? One can only speculate. Perhaps she liked being the center of attention, or that she liked the feeling of being able to manipulate others (power over). Perhaps she thought she could create fodder for her fiction (she is a 'writer'). What's clear, though, is that her trumpeting was designed to incite strife within her circle of "friends" and to sit back and watch the drama unfold.
The scary part is, that unlike our enemy soldiers in the fable, the folks around her didn't stop to notice that she was lying, or instigating these things. Her fellow soldiers never questioned her, despite the fact that some of them had known her declared enemies much longer and better, and should have seen through the facade. As she noticed others around her were listening to her song over the voices of reason, she began playing all kinds of tunes.
She laid claim to being a ghost writer for True Blood. She claimed to have earned 6 bachelor's degrees at the expense of the military (who pays for 1), that she had a contact at Homeland Security who was looking up people and tracing them back to their houses for her. She claimed that an actual published author had plagiarized her work and that she was involved in a lawsuit against this person.. the songs got louder and the lyrics even more outrageous... and people followed her like the pied piper. Very few ever stopped to review the stories, or have her investigated. The more outrageous her lies, the more they were incited to act on her behalf.
Unlike our story here, the kind of war waged was not a physical battle in which prisoners are literally taken and killed. Nonetheless, there are casualties of the kind of wars waged by lies and bullying and attempted character assassination. As I've said in recent posts, it's all Mulengro*.
These trumpeters are Masters of Mulengro. They incite, rather than inspire. They create chaos, not camaraderie. They play as loudly as possible, in the hopes that the listener will not hear the voice of reason. When they are confronted, they turn on their own, and will throw even those who believe themselves to be closest to the trumpeters under the bus to save their own backsides. Mulengro is a sickness. Those who have reached this point are, in my opinion, beyond cure. They should simply be eradicated from your life.
Human beings are social animals. Even introverts need some type of interaction with others. Capital punishment, in many indigenous cultures, is to be ostracized- cut off from the rest of the tribe. Much like a quarantine, it keeps those who are not infected from the disease.
I caution you today to be wary of those with whom you associate. If you begin to hear the call of a trumpeter, be very sure you understand the clarity of the song. Be inspired in ways that don't bring unnecessary drama in your life. If you're going to go to war, be sure you know that your cause is worthy of your time and attention. Use the rule of thumb that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is- it takes very little time to investigate the truth, and in the longrun, it will save you time and lots of trouble.
By all means, avoid the 'inciteful' trumpeters. Their song may sound sweet in the beginning, but will bring you nothing but a headache in the end.
Aesop's Moral of the Story: He who incites to strife is worse than he who takes part in it.
How about you? Have you ever encountered one of these trumpeters? How did you handle him/her?
Sláinte,
Kallan
*Other Links on Mulengro:
http://mypaganworld.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-spiritual-warriors-guide-to-know.html
http://mypaganworld.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-spiritual-warriors-guide-first-name.html