Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Tyrant?
Once upon a time, there were 3 little pigs that escaped the clutches of a maniacal tyrant. Upon casting their chains away, they set up camp a few towns over.
Soon, plans were being made for a more permanent housing solution. While drafting these plans, a group of pigs approached them. It turned out these pigs had escaped earlier and had been living "free" for quite a while.
The first pig was lazy. He was content that he had escaped slavery, and believed that he was free. He was loud, and he missed the friends he made . He chose to build his home from straw. Straw would provide adequate warmth and cover from the elements, and it could be done quickly. The pig was convinced that this house could be built near his once prison, and it was unfathomable that he could be enslaved again. He could see his friends everyday. He wanted to forget every bad memory he had of being a slave, and pushed these memories aside with ease. He cherished the good memories however.
The other refugees warned him that he was being foolish, and he refused to listen.
The maniacal tyrant saw him squatting near the prison, laughed, knocked over the grass hut with his bare hands, and the little pig was enslaved by nightfall.
The second pig was smart enough to realize that he needed to take some extra precautions to avoid being recaptured. He had watched as the first pig failed miserably, and understood his mistakes. He had listened to the others to an extent, and decided to build his house of sticks and hide it deep in the forest where the tyrant couldn't find it with the other refugees. He knew the tyrant would be looking for him, and he was proud that he had outsmarted him.
However, after a few weeks of hiding, this pig became restless. He began venturing out and realizing how great freedom was. He began testing the limits of his freedom, and soon enough, he was sneaking back to his old prison to see the first pig. The other pigs all told him he was being foolish, yet he continued his ways thinking he was free. The other pigs told him that he needed to fortify this building just in case the tyrant comes knocking. He scoffed. They offered give him the tools necessary to do it. He ignored them.
One night, on one of these runs, the tyrant found him. He chased the second pig back to his hidden house. The second pig went inside, locked the door, and hid. The sticks used to build the house began snapping. As each small stick snapped, the house became weaker and weaker. Quickly, the tyrant had broken through and the second pig was enslaved again.
The third pig built a brick house alongside the other refugees' site. The houses were connected like a honeycomb. The third pig made many great friends here, and was given the tools and the plan to make his house stronger. Individually, this house could withstand the tyrant for years. But the tyrant could eventually break through. Collectively, these houses was impenetrable.
The tyrant would circle the walls of this community whispering lies and trying to coax out the weak. Occasionally, he would test his strength on a wall. But one of the rules of this community was to inspect your house daily. Those that did had time to repair any cracks. Those that didn't found the tyrant upon them.
The third little pig lived a long happy life. He was mindful of the lurking tyrant outside, and never forgot he was there. He was happy.
