Fables and proverbs are, by nature, a haunting art form to study. Small collections of words and stories make for powerful conveyance of self-evident truths, and the succint accuracy of the morals can be enough to send chills down one’s spine. For instance, consider Aesop’s fable of “The Swallow and the Other Birds.”
You see, the Swallow has the power of foresight and could see that the man who tended the field in which she and the Other Birds get their food was adding a new seed into the soil. She knew from experience that it was Hemp, and with this Hemp the farmer would weave a net to ensnare all the birds in.
The Swallow warned the Other Birds of what she knew, and suggested they dig every last seed out to prevent tragedy, but they did not heed her warning.
Before too long, the Swallow left for a new field and all the Other Birds found themselves captured by the farmer’s nets, and they learned too late to destroy the seeds of evil, or they will grow into your ruin.
As it is right now, the United States is one of the Other Birds, looking on with a conceited gaze as countries like North Korea sow the seeds of our potential destruction.
The melodrama of the metaphor can only be matched by the disturbing reality of the situation. North Korea has proceeded with its Intercontinental Ballistic Missile testing program, despite the United Nations regulations in place which forbids any such tests.
This comes weeks after Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, decided to also conduct hydrogen bomb testing underground, which was also against U.N. regulations.
Now, let’s be clear: It makes sense that countries want to become nuclear powers. There is a legitimacy to any country that can threaten an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) nuclear strike, even if they do not plan on carrying out any such threats. However, the more countries that have these capabilities, the more likely our world would face nuclear war, and not survive. North Korea has been run by the Kim dynasty, which have established a dictatorial monarchy built within a political regime. Starting with original leader Kim Il-sung, who in 1948 took advantage of the power vacuum left behind after Japan’s occupation during the war, North Korea has now been repressively controlled for 67 years. The state ideology of Juche, itself a product of Kim, allows for complete domination of the government by the Kims. As the country has increased its isolation to the rest of the world, and has subsequently fallen into famine, Kim pointed to Juche, roughly translated as “self-reliance,” as a means of perserverance for a better future. Multiple police organizations were created purely to keep the people in check, and they arrest anyone who dared to stand up to the regime.
Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il have both since passed, but current leader Kim Jong-un has shown that he is willing to test the patience of the rest of the world.
Initiating the country’s first ICBM test in 2012, North Korea has since shown rapid development in their nuclear capabilities.
The estimated strength of the hydrogen bomb tested earlier this month was seven megatons.
For perspective, the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki both had payloads of 15 megatons. What is important here is not the strength of the bombs that North Korea has now, but what bombs they could possibly have in two, five, 10 years from now.
North Korea has despised the United States since the end of the Korean War in the early 1950s.
If they could, they would set our country aflame and watch the smoldering mass from across the Pacific.
Our response to these recent tests needs to be strong because of the threat these weapons pose in the hands of Kim Jong-un and the North Korean goal of having the missle range to reach the United States.
Japan’s military is already on high alert, as is South Korea’s, and the U.N. is looking to increase sanctions on North Korea in response to these latest tests.
In effect, the Other Birds of the world are beginning to take precautions to avoid catastrophe.
Hopefully, the United States is able to contribute to this trend and heed the moral: Destroy the seeds of evil, or they will become your ruin.
Scott Vogel is a first-year student majoring in English. He can be reached at SV845618@wcupa.edu.