What Is Your Favorite Story?

I would like to share one of my favorite stories with you. This story is  From the book, "I Walk By Faith", by Ardeth Green Kapp.

I love this story because it makes you think about how the media is molding our thoughts and behaviors. I think this is exactly the way they control us. I feel that this  story is worth reading. Please post your thoughts on it after you are finished. It really brings home the fact that we need to protect our families because nobody else is going to do it. I think we can have a great discussion on how the media and society is shaping our lives.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

THE TRAGEDY AT RAYAD

Once upon a time there was a little kingdom called Rayad. The tiny people who

inhabited this kingdom were called Rayadites. They lived happily, sharing and caring

about each other. Life was good to them. There were only a few things they needed to

watch out for, for instance, chocolate cake or wearing the color red. If any Rayadite

ever ate chocolate cake or wore red, his spirit would become weakened and he would

care less and less about himself and the rules of the kingdom.

Also living in this tiny kingdom was Zynock, an evil person who wanted to destroy the

kingdom and all of the people in it. He hated for them to be happy and loving, for that

made it harder for him to influence them. He knew what weakened their spirits and

made them easier to capture. But Zynock also knew that he could not just offer the

Rayadites chocolate cake and have them devour it -- they were not that foolish! Nor

could he make the most wonderful garment in bright red and expect them to wear it

immediately. The Rayadites wanted to be good and strong. They had promised each

other that they would help and strengthen each other in times of need. So how could

Zynock weaken this people? How could he get them to succumb to him so that he

could destroy them and thus the whole kingdom?

"Let's see," he said, "I can't get them to eat chocolate cake right off, but maybe I can

get them to develop a taste for chocolate."

That's when chocolate chip cookies were introduced to the kingdom of Rayad. At first

the cookies were ignored and scoffed at. Then some commercials and billboards were

produced that showed handsome, wonderful looking Rayadites eating chocolate chip

cookies. And nothing happened to them, except

they became more popular and sophisticated -- at least that's what the message

conveyed on the screens and billboards.

It wasn't long before a few Rayadites could be seen eating a chocolate chip cookie

every now and then, and they seemed to be doing fine. They were still loving and

caring and hadn't changed at all -- so it seemed. So more and more Rayadites began

eating the cookies. What they didn't realize was that the portion of chocolate chips in

each cookie had been doubled. They were getting a double dose of chocolate,

disguised in the cookie. You'd hear phrases like these: "That cookies is really good

except for a couple of places where it tastes pretty chocolaty. But don't miss the

cookie just for those two places. It's too good a cookie, and you can overlook the

taste." "I heard that one of our friends has eaten a chocolate chip cookies and she

says it's nothing to be afraid of. It won't ruin your life if you eat it!"

That was true: lives didn't seem to be ruined by chocolate chip. Things were pretty

much the same as usual. However, some of the teachers and leaders and parents in

Rayad suggested avoiding the cookies because tastes for chocolate were being

developed.

"Avoid the cookies?" came the cries of surprise. "What for?" "What's wrong with

them? They're not chocolate cake!" "How stuffy can you get?"

Some who refused to eat the cookies were even laughed at and made fun of. Zynock

himself started chuckling. He had no idea his plan would work so well. And Zynock

was patient. He didn't care how long it took to destroy Rayad, just so it was destroyed.

Chocolate chip cookies seemed to be moving pretty well. Zynock didn't worry about

the words of caution and counsel from the leaders, because his commercials and

billboards were so exciting and enticing. He had to make them that way, or the truth of

the leaders would have swayed the Rayadites

away from the cookies.

Now it came time to introduce a new product of destruction. No, not chocolate cake;

not quite yet. Rather, Zynock began advertising spice cake, white cake, yellow cake,

carrot cake, any kind of cake but chocolate - but all with chocolate frosting...rich

chocolate frosting. More commercials, more billboards, a few songs to hum and sing

all day about how wonderful chocolate cake would be, although they're not eating it --

yet! Get them thinking about it before they will actually succumb. Then in the kingdom

of Rayad, you could hear:

"Have you tried that yellow cake with the chocolate frosting?"

"Well, no. Is it good?"

"Oh, yes! Granted, it is chocolaty, but it's not chocolate cake. And it really doesn't

have much more chocolate than those cookies we've been eating!"

"But the cake doesn't seem right. I mean cookies are one thing, but cake!"

"Ah, come on! The important thing is the chocolate, and this is no more than you've

already been eating. Everybody's eating it. You can't pass it up and be the only on left

out."

In the meantime, the songs were subtly strumming away in the background, singing

the praises of chocolate cake. Right, the words were not good, but the beat and the

rhythm were so cool that many Rayads listened just for the music. After all, what can

music do?

Zynock began thinking again: "One thing that strengthens those Rayadites is when

they are together talking to each other. What can I do about that?" Than he reasoned,

"Well, it's all right for them to be together. In fact, maybe there is some way I could

use their gatherings and parties for my purposes. Aha! I've got it!"

So parties in Rayad began changing. Instead of the Rayadites talking to each other

and playing games so they could get to know one another and share their strengths

and talents, a new trend began. Everyone who was anyone had the new kinds of

parties.

"Have you been to a party at our Rayad friend's place yet?"

"No, I haven't."

"You should go. It's really cool!"

"Oh, what do you do?"

"Well, it isn't like any other party you've been to. It's pretty cool. All you do is go and sit

down and watch stuff on the screen."

"Stuff on the screen? Like what?"

"Oh, exciting, scarey stuff that's pretty good. There are a few scenes showing people

eating chocolate cake, but no 'biggy'."

"People eating chocolate cake, but ..."

"Oh, it's not bad, and besides, there's nothing anymore without a little bit of that. It's

just fun to get together with your friends."

So Zynock stood back and watched his plot unfold. "Let's see now. They're eating

chocolate and they're eating cake. They're listening to songs and watching movies

about chocolate cake. They're becoming weaker and weaker, although they're not

even aware of it yet because they haven't actually eaten chocolate cake. They are

falling into my trap! They think their leaders and parents are square and stuffy. It's

very helpful when their friends tell them what I want them to hear. Friends are my

greatest

asset!"

"Hey!" says a friend Rayadite, "Have you seen the latest movie?"

"No," comes the response. "I thought it was C-rated, for chocolate."

"No, it isn't. It's R-rated for Red. There's no chocolate in it."

And so Zynock continues his plotting -- his time a gorgeous garment, but not in

red...yet. It's a luscious pink color.

Posted by: danahuse on 7-21-03