The Empty

I'm ripping my Rush CDs today and listening to some stuff along the way that I haven't heard in a while. One of these old favorites is "The Trees" and is one of those messages that is still relevant.

It is about equality, oppression, and entitlement. Here are the lyrics:

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw

This pretty much sums up my view that a lot of the efforts enacted by the US government end up limiting one group instead of enabling another group. Another angle to look at in this metaphor of the trees is how to come to a proper solution. The Oaks are by nature taller than the Maples. That cannot be helped unless drastic measures are taken by hatchet, axe, and saw :). Just talking about trees, one could suggest separate groves of Maples within the Oaks but that brings up the issue of segregation. Segregation is fine and dandy for trees, but people tend to frown upon it :). What's the answer? Let me know when you figure it out so we can stop all the fighting.