Community Magazine April 2013

26 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE This story had a happy ending. The parents managed to find safe havens for their offspring, far from the threatening adversaries, and there they settled and flourished, and produced families of their own. It sounds realistic enough. But imagine that the problem recounted above did not concern people, but instead a lower form of life – a peach tree. The parental trees had a problem: they had to guarantee the survival of their children. If they would drop their seeds in the close vicinity of their own boughs, the competition of limited nutrients and water would prevent them from germinating. There was only one option. They had to, somehow, ensure that their offspring traveled far away, and in distance would lie the possibility of survival. That sounds fine on paper, but how can you send your children far away when your feet are firmly rooted to the ground? Again, imagination is required. Imagine that we are now attending the annual conference of peach trees. This problem, the paramount and overriding concern of survival, is the main item on the agenda. The problem cannot be shelved or adjourned. It must be solved, and now! The chairman is eagerly awaiting suggestions, and they have to be practical! If the suggestions are unworkable, for even one generation, that would spell the end of peach trees forevermore. At this critical juncture, what would you suggest? One sagacious and wizened tree, widely respected for his wis- dom, raised a gnarled branch and requested permission to speak. “Since we ourselves are immobile,” he somberly reflected, “and are therefore severely restricted, may I humbly suggest that we devise a plan whereby we use members of the human race to act on our behalf. They have legs, and could do the job for us. My plan, although daring, even preposterous, is as follows. We have to tempt the humans into taking our precious seeds away with them. We should therefore cover the seeds with a most delicious package, which is attractive in every possible way, to guarantee its desirability. This package, which we shall call fruit, should have a pleasant, eye-catching color, perhaps yellow, tingedwith redandorange.The skin shouldbevelvetyandunblemished, and delicate aromas should further enhance its attractiveness. The flesh of the fruit should be edible to humans, and juicy, so that it may be eaten raw. Above all, it should have a pleasing taste, so that his first taste should not be his last. If we can achieve all these objectives, then we can be sure that the unsuspecting humans will clamor to take away our beloved children, clothed in fruit, to safety.” PARENT-PEACHES The Conference The situation was desperate. The family was huddled together, and the enemy was closing in. Survival! The children had to escape, to survive, to guarantee the continuity of their own special unit. No nearby hiding place was acceptable – the dangers were too great. The only chance was, somehow , to dispatch the children as far as possible in the hope that there, at a distance, they would find the peace and security that was so essential for the perpetuation of their dear family. TUVIA COHEN