How Uncle Seymour Brought Peace to the Forest

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Once upon a time there was a giant of a bear who roamed the forest. Everyone called him Uncle Seymour.

Because he was so big and strong, Uncle Seymour did whatever he wanted. He ate his fill of fish to the point there wasn't always enough for everyone else. He pooped where ever he wanted and he often thrust his body around and destroyed the shrubs, with little regard to the environment.

In response, one day a pack of mountain lions got together and they brutally damaged Seymour's den and in the process, killed some of the little critters that were like family to Seymour. The whole forest was sickened by this terrible act.

When Seymour saw what they had done, he reared up onto his hind legs, thrusting his huge body upright to its tallest height, which cast a long, dark shadow. He pounded his chest with his front paws and in a roar that echoed throughout the forest, he bellowed, "You'll pay in blood for this and you'll be sorry you ever angered me!"

Anticipating his response, the mountain lions hid and Seymour couldn't find them.

Instead of harnessing the sympathy the whole forest felt for him so he could isolate the mountain lions, Seymour reacted with rage.

He looked around and he saw the pesky beavers building their dams upstream. "Those beavers threaten our existence," he hollered to the other bears. "They could restrict the water supply which is vital to us and they could cut off our supply of fish."

However, most of the other bears, although upset by the brutal loss the mountain lions had caused Seymour, didn't see the connection to the beavers and they said, "Please calm down and take your beaver grievances to the Conference of Animals. This Conference was created years earlier in part by Uncle Seymour to help resolve issues and keep the peace.

But Seymour wouldn't listen. "It's too late," he howled and urged the other bears to join him in preemptively attacking the beavers. Only one other large bear did, and they were joined by several small bears.

Uncle Seymour and his friends invaded the beaver territory, killing many of them as he destroyed some of their dams. The beavers were in chaos but Seymour assured them that under his watchful eye, everything would now be fine.

But some beavers rebelled against Seymour and his friends and began killing the cubs that Seymour had sent to do his fighting for him.

As the situation grew worse, Seymour kept sending more cubs but all that did was to kill more beavers and kill and injure more cubs. Some of the beavers continued to fight and they were joined by more beavers.

And the conflict spread as the beavers became emboldened by how effective they were in fighting giant Uncle Seymour and his friends. But soon, some of the beavers couldn't get along together and began fighting one another, killing the cubs that got in the way.

Trying to maintain morale, Seymour didn't allow the bears and the other animals to see the dead or seriously injured cubs. Instead, he told them that everything was going well. (story continues here, at http://saneramblings.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=31)

This story is by my friend Dick Kazan. His web site "Ramblings of a Sane Man, a Collection of Peace Writings, Candlelight Vigils, and Other Random Thoughts", can be found at http://www.saneramblings.com

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1. Kick, for peace in the forest! N/T

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2. How Uncle Seymour Ruled the Forest

Once upon a time a giant bear known as Uncle Seymour ruled the forest.

One day a pack of mountain lions who hated Uncle Seymour's rule brutally damaged his den and killed some of the little critters closest to his heart. Emotions ran high.

As Seymour prepared to attack the mountain lions, the animals closest to him supported him and trusted him. But the mountain lions hid and Seymour couldn't find them. In his rage, he attacked the pesky beavers.

This seemed odd to most of the animals closest to him and in order to get their support, he convinced them the beavers threatened their existence. So in a climate of fear and anxiety, they cheered when he killed many beavers and shared in his glee when he proclaimed his great victory.

But some of the beavers fought back and by word of mouth it became apparent to Seymour's supporters that things were going very badly. Yet Seymour assured everyone all was well and no-one challenged Seymour as to whether this was true.

Nor did they challenge him when he refused to listen to them and escalated the war. "I'm the boss!" Seymour declared as he rose onto his hind legs and beat his chest with his front paws.

"What right does Seymour have to do this," asked the wise old owl. "Why doesn't anyone confront him." And quietly, he began an investigation.

"Doesn't his war violate your most sacred beliefs," he asked the doves, who are the forest's religious leaders. "Yes," responded an elegant dove with white glossy feathers. "But Seymour would get upset if we said anything and we don't want to make him mad." As a result, most of them remained silent.

Disappointed with this response, the wise old owl then went to Seymour's major opponent, the Big Kahuna and asked, "Why don't you challenge him?" And the Big Kahuna replied, "Opinions are fickle and if I challenge him, it will look like I'm unpatriotic and that I support 'Quit and Hide.' That could destroy my political career."

But isn't stopping this war more important than the risk to your political career," asked the wise old owl. "You're right," replied the Big Kahuna with a shrug. "Maybe I'll cast a symbolic vote."

Disgusted, the wise old owl visited the mocking birds, which the entire forest depends upon to report the news. "Why haven't you told all the animals the ugly truth of what's happening with the war," he asked.

"You don't understand," replied an old gray mocking bird. "For us to report the news, we need access to Seymour. If he doesn't like what we report, he won't give us access and our careers are finished. None of us wants to risk that."

Continued here: http://saneramblings.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=33

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3. How Uncle Seymour Mortgaged the Forest

Once there was a great bear known as Uncle Seymour who dominated the forest. He had riches beyond belief and nearly everyone wished they could be like him.

But as time passed, Uncle Seymour became arrogant and got into battles with other animals, as he tried to force them to do what ever he wanted. The cost of these battles was enormous but Uncle Seymour had the riches to pay for it.

Then one day, a pack of mountain lions destroyed his den and killed little critters that were close to him. An enraged Seymour couldn't find those mountain lions and so for whatever his reasons, he attacked the beavers.

In launching his attack, he assured the forest of victory and convinced most of the animals that in defeat, the beavers would pay for this war.

"But why are we attacking the beavers," the wise old owl asked. "And what happens if you fail in this attack," he questioned Seymour. "Who will pay for it?"

Seymour ignored the wise old owl and after ferocious fighting over a long period of time, failed to defeat the beavers. And the cost of the attack rose far beyond anything he ever presented to the critters in the forest.

"Please stop this war," the wise old owl pleaded to Seymour. "You're causing death and destruction and you're fighting a war we can't afford."

But Seymour wouldn't listen and to continue the fight, borrowed heavily against all the riches in the forest. And fearing other potential wars, he began spending wildly on security. He felt relieved that no-one held him accountable.

As the wise old owl watched this, he remarked sadly, "When humans do this, they go bankrupt. Eventually, so will we." And that's what happened.

You can imagine how shocked the animals were when they learned the riches were running out.

"Who will teach us the valuable lessons of our forefathers," asked a cute little chipmunk. But the resources left were insufficient to properly educate him or the other animals.

"Who will pay for my medical care," asked the tiny sparrow with a broken wing. But no-one had an answer.

Finally, an elderly gray raccoon spoke up. "Who is going to take care of me in my old age," he asked. "For many years, we in the forest put aside nuts and berries and we counted on that being there for us," he said. "Now it's all gone."

Continued here: http://saneramblings.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=120

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4. All those stories hit the nail on the head! Thanks Dick, for writing them.