The Parable of the Central Planner

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, why is the partisan rhetoric so wild and divisive in Washington and in the press?”

Josh spoke thus:

A central planner was explaining how to avoid trouble.

“You have to keep them busy,” the central planner said, “If they’re not busy, they’ll have time to cause trouble.”

“So is it just busy work they need?” the junior minister asked.

“Busy work is a trick,” the central planner said.

“Isn’t it all just busy work, in the end?” the junior minister asked.

“Don’t be philosophical,” the central planner said, “Be practical.”

“So what do we have them build?” the junior minister asked.

“What do they want to build?” the central planner asked.

“I don’t know,” the junior minister said.

“So ask them,” the central planner said.

“But what if what they want is useless?” the junior minister asked.

“Have them build it,” the central planner said.

“But they’ll be wasting their time, if it’s useless,” the junior minister said.

“What they build is immaterial,” the central planner said, “The value is in the building.”

“Because the act of building gives them dignity?” the junior minister asked.

“Because the act of building keeps them busy,” the central planner said.

“And when they’re done building and they realize that what they spent their time and energy building is useless, won’t they catch on to the trick then?” the junior minister asked.

“What trick?” the central planner asked.

“The trick that the only reason they were building anything was to keep them busy,” the junior minister said.

“Don’t tell them,” the central planner said.

“Then what do I tell them?” the junior minister asked.

“Tell them to tear it down and build what they want instead,” the central planner said.

“But what they want to build could be as useless as what they built before,” the junior minister said.

“What they want to build will be as useless as what they built before,” the central planner said.

“Isn’t that wasteful of resources?” the junior minister asked.

The central planner replied, “Not as wasteful as a war.”