Hmmm, what lesson is little Jimmy going to learn today?
Little Jimmy is just an average kid. But he is about to have a very sad day.
“Mom, I’m going outside to play.”
“Not so fast, buster. Put your helmet on.”
“I’m not going to ride my bike. I’m just going outside to play.”
“It doesn’t matter. You still have to wear your helmet.”
“But why, Mom?”
“Because it’s not safe out there anymore. It’s for your own good.”
“But Mom, the helmet makes my head hurt. It gives me a headache.”
“Well then, we’ll have to take you to the doctor to see if he can give you permission not to wear your helmet.”
“Okay, I like Dr. Jones.”
“Oh no, we can’t go to him. He’s not our doctor anymore.”
“Why not?”
“He said some things he’s not supposed to say. So he’s not allowed to use his training anymore.”
“Oh, alright! I’ll wear the helmet. I’m going to play with Billy.”
“No, you can’t play with Billy anymore.”
“Why not? Billy is my best friend!”
“Billy’s Mom doesn’t make him wear a helmet, so it’s not safe for you to play with him anymore.”
“But I’ll be wearing a helmet, so I’ll be safe even if Billy isn’t.”
“No, that’s not right. It’s not safe unless you’re both wearing helmets.”
“I don’t understand, Mom.”
“You’re not supposed to understand. Just do what you’re told, young man.”
“This sucks! I guess I’ll go to the Rec Center instead.”
“Okay, but you still have to wear your helmet and you’ll need a ticket.”
“Why do I need a ticket? I thought we had a membership to the Rec Center.”
“We do have a membership. But you still have to have a ticket so they know it’s safe to let you in.”
“I don’t understand, Mom.”
“You’re not supposed to understand. Just do what you’re told, young man.”
“Ah geez, I guess I’ll just stay inside and watch TV.”
“That’s a good boy.”
Little Jimmy has learned to play the modern version of the game of Snakes and Ladders. If, you wear your helmet, you can climb the ladder to your happy place. If you do not wear your helmet, you will slide down into the pit of venomous vipers.
But how will little Jimmy learn to protect himself from snakes if he is never exposed to them? And how will he learn to be a healthy and functioning adult if he is taught to fear his shadow?
~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week
Tags: COVID-19 · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · pandemic · Snakes and Ladders · vaccine passportNo Comments