The Parable of the Other One

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, now that the housing industry is finally rebounding, what protections do we have against another mortgage-derivatives bubble?”

Josh spoke thus:

A couple were driving down a country road at dusk.

“Watch out!” the passenger called out, pointing ahead and to the right.  The driver slowed instinctively.  “It’s a deer,” the passenger said.

Ahead and to the right, just on the other side of the roadside ditch, a young deer’s head could be seen rising above a low shrub.  It’s camouflaged hide made it almost invisible against the tall dry grass growing at the road’s edge.

“Well spotted!” the driver said.  The driver began to accelerate.

“Wait!” the passenger called out.  The driver slowed the car.

“What?” the driver asked.

“Where there’s one, there’s usually another,” the passenger said.  The driver looked carefully at the roadside in search of a second deer.  The driver saw none and accelerated once again.

A few miles down the road, the passenger called out again.

“Deer!” the passenger said.  The driver slowed.  This time the deer was to the left, nibbling at a roadside lavender bush.

“Well spotted!” the driver said.  The driver began to accelerate.

“Wait!” the passenger called out.  The driver slowed the car.

“What?” the driver asked.

“Where there’s one, there’s usually another,” the passenger said.  This time the driver looked carefully to the left and to the right.  The driver could see no second deer, and the driver accelerated again.

A mile down the road the passenger called out again.

“Deer!” the passenger said.  The driver slowed.  As the driver slowed, a deer came leaping from behind a tree, scrambled awkwardly on the tarmac of the road, and continued to the other side of the road.

“Well spotted!” the driver said.  The driver began to accelerate.

“Wait!” the passenger called out.  The driver slowed the car.

“What?” the driver asked.

“Where there’s one, there’s usually another,” the passenger said.

“Two times you’ve said to wait,” the driver said, “Twice you’ve said where there’s one, there’s usually another, and both times there hasn’t been another.  I’m not waiting.”

The driver prepared to accelerate.  Before the car sped up, another car without its headlights on suddenly rounded the upcoming bend.  As it did so, a second deer dashed into the road, and the oncoming car smashed into the deer, crossed in front of the driver and the passenger and crashed into the ditch.

The driver slowed to a stop, and the driver and the passenger rushed to the aid of the people in the crashed car.

“Didn’t I tell you?” the passenger said, pointing at the crashed car, “There’s usually another.”