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Intolerance

A Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Fable*

Posted on February 18, 2026February 19, 2026 by John Lubans

 “A HEN who had lost her sight, and was accustomed to scratching up the earth in search of food, although blind, still continued to scratch away most diligently. Of what use was it to the industrious fool? Another sharp-sighted hen who spared her tender feet, never budged from her side, and enjoyed, without scratching, the…

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Ambrose Bierce’s “The Grasshopper and the Ant”

Posted on January 30, 2026February 3, 2026 by John Lubans

One day in winter a hungry Grasshopper applied to an Ant for some of the food which they had stored. “Why,” said the Ant, “did you not store up  some food for yourself, instead of singing all the time?” “So I did,” said the Grasshopper; “so I did; but you fellows broke in and carried…

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Henny, the Stranger Hen: A Story for Humans (2)*

Posted on January 17, 2026February 7, 2026 by John Lubans

I’ve written of roosters and wild turkeys to illustrate human behavior, especially in the workplace. While humans display compassion more than most in the animal kingdom, there are times when we are less than compassionate in how we treat the less able or the strange. I have another story. This one is about how a…

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A Fable for Intolerant Times: Tom’s Tale*

Posted on September 22, 2025November 6, 2025 by John Lubans

Once in winter, a flock of wild turkeys made its circuitous way across farmlands and through forests. There were two dozen, young and old. One turkey, Tom by name, somehow mangled his foot and could not keep up. He called to the flock and asked them to slow down, but no one responded. When the group…

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John Lubans

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