Daily Archives: December 6, 2010

The Parable of the Boy and his Fighting Fish

There once was a boy who owned a magnificent Fighting Fish.

“My, my,” the boy exclaimed, “This is the most wonderful fighting fish in the world!” He admired his fish from all angles, thinking nothing could ever top his most marvelous possession. That is, until he noticed the fish’s reflection in the bowl — and an idea came to him.

“What if,” he thought, “I had two fighting fish. That would be twice as good! It would be so easy too! All I would have to do is get another fighting fish and put him inside of the bowl.”

So with much joy, at his brilliant idea (and also joy at being so brilliant an originator of ideas), he set off to buy another fighting fish.

“This fish bowl,” he declared, “will be the best fish bowl ever!” And so, he dropped the second fish into the bowl.

The fighting fish fought. And fought and fought. “Oh no!” the boy cried out. But they paid him no heed. They fought and fought. Until both fish were no more.

The moral of the story: You are an idiot if you think your feature would be so easy to add to the program I’m working on.