Fighting the wrong enemy [Archives:2005/875/Culture]

By Salwa Yehia Al-Eryani
for the Yemen Times
The mosquitoes in Yemen have a guest. A guest with awareness, intelligence and talent. They call it Boss. It gave them lectures, suggestions, advice, and methods as to how to live a better life in their environment. It also attracted their lazy attention to their enemy (mankind) who comes up with new weapons every short period of time, new weapons which are always more destructive than the ones before. It warned them that man is the most destructive, aggressive enemy. It taught them a creative way to live their lives free and unchained to any fears of being hit to death by a plastic racket or sprayed with a suffocating killing insecticide.

Then at the end of each lecture Boss reminded them that one can't do better than ones best and that being sprayed to death or hit with a plastic racket is the fate that we all shall meet. Yet a living thing must live a normal life and that a life can't be normal unless it is not imprisoned inside the cells of fears. A mosquito must experience success, health, happiness, freedom and the available amount of safety. Mosquitoes should not be attacked and killed in massacres just because they suck a drop of human blood. So what if they do that? As far as I know, the Boss said, humans are not much harmed nor do they lose anything worth mentioning. Mosquitoes must live and prosper too you know. It is a right for all creatures. Why do humans want to take away this right from us?

These clever lectures led many young mosquitoes to attack humans with more hatred and violence. The boss was then considered as a spiritual symbol. Other mosquitoes began to suck blood for it and bring it until its place. The Boss stopped flying and forgot all about biting. It gained more weight and became too fat to fly! As a result of these concerted attacks the humans too began to get fed up with the danger. They brought stronger insecticides and electrical rackets to hit the mosquito dead with an instant electric current. After a short period of time the house was empty of all mosquitoes.

Only the Boss was there trying with much effort to hide as it was unable to fly. As time passed it became hungry and couldn't feed itself. No one was there to serve it. The Boss wept. Whose Boss is it if there isn't any mosquito here? All of a sudden the Boss saw beneath it a shadow of a man leaning down on it. The Boss raised its face and found a huge man standing in front of it and raising its arm high with an electric racket in his hand. Oh! It is the fate we will all meet. The Boss was too fat to fly and too heavy to walk. The Boss asked the man with a weak smile how about some negotiations?

Boss said to the man-listen. . give me a minute to ask you the last question before I die.

I have gone crazy last week because of want? The man replied-Quick! What do you want. My wife has Malaria. We all have swollen red parts all over our bodies. This is all because of you, you dirty insect. Quick what do you want?

– I just wanted to ask you why do want to kill me?

Oh you dumb creature. I just told you, Malaria and swollen parts on our bodies. We have got enough to struggle in our lives and we do not need any mosquitoes! Quick what do you want?-

Yes, but you are still living and excuse me if I say that you are enjoying your life too. You human beings are earning money, building houses, buying cars, TVs , mobiles. You are also traveling. Your wife is raising your kids. She is buying herself dresses, perfumes, and jewelry. Your kids are playing, watching cartoons, being educated and when they grow up they are sent abroad to graduate from universities. They eat fruits and meat and sweets. You humans are enjoying your lives. You should not try to deny it because if you do so you will look like someone trying to cover the sun with his palm. So? Our bites are not damaging you THAT much. A drop of blood will not benefit you but it will support us to exist.

-You are harmful! We must all try to destroy your species.

-Honestly I am so astonished. You make me puzzled. Is it possible that you are not aware what so ever that those who harm you and suck your blood to drought are not us mosquitoes but your own mankind. Is it imaginable that you humans who have reached other planets are fighting us mosquitoes and leaving your own fathers and brothers and sons who are definitely stealing you with no trial or even objection? Is it probable that you really don't notice that those who deserve to be hit with whips of fire and sprayed with acids are your species??? Those who stole your resources and left you begging them for a pinch of what is originally yours? Those who grabbed hope from your hearts. Those who swept patience from your days. Those who forced you to live a life of stress, struggling depression and despair.

Those who suffer indigestion and you are looking for a piece of bread. Those who stole everything and their servants stole the leftovers and asked you to breathe only and be content! I can't see how you don't see and I don't get how you don't get it? How can you manage to live a life against mosquitoes and doing nothing to these wild beasts? I want to cry. Please allow me to do so. I really feel so sorry for you humans. What a pity you are fighting the wrong enemy.

The man was so embarrassed, the mosquito walked out of the room.
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