A Fairy Story – How were we supposed to know?

 

Once upon a time there was a tiny bacterium living in the blood stream of a little girl. They both were very happy together. He had everything he needed. He had all the nutrients he wanted and the tiny bit of poisonous waste he produced was as to a grain of sand in the Sahara.

So the little bacterium lived his life, albeit measured in seconds, in complete bliss and reproduced merrily.

Soon the bacteria were ten, then hundreds, thousands, millions and billions. Between them they consumed lots of nutrients and excreted lots of poisonous waste. But they did not care. There was plenty for all and the little girl’s body was like a huge ocean of food, infinite in its bounty and far too big for them to have an impact on.

Then some of the bacteria noticed that the temperature of the blood was rising and became worried. They thought the little girl might be becoming ill. Some of them thought it might be due to the poisons they were all putting into her blood. They called a meeting.

But one bold bacterium by the name of Neil pooh-poohed their concerns.

‘There is no warming,’ he announced. ‘It is a myth put out by scheming fools who want to control us. It is nonsense. Warming is natural. It comes and goes. It is all part of a natural cycle. It does not suggest illness at all.’

‘But look at the evidence,’ other bacteria argued. ‘We have never had warming like this. All the measurements tell us the same.’

‘Nonsense!’ Neil proclaimed. ‘They are lying! It is merely natural variation. Not everyone even agrees that this warming is happening. Show me one bit of evidence to show that there is a long-term trend! Those who claim the blood is warming are making it up for their own devious reasons!’

Neil glared round at them and stridently decried their concerns. ‘I believe there is no warming at all. And even if there is it is not of our doing!’

‘But Neil,’ the worried bacteria argued. ‘There are other signs that the little girl is ill. The levels of poisons in her bloodstream are very high and many cells are dying.’

‘Nonsense,’ Neil sneered. ‘There are trillions of cells. Cells die all the time. It is the natural cycle. They are replaced by new cells.’ Neil arrogantly stuck his metaphorical nose in the air. ‘Show me one bit of evidence to show that anything I have done has made the little girl ill! I have never killed a single cell in the whole of my life!’

‘But we are worried,’ the bacteria all clamoured. ‘If she is ill it could mean the end of us all!’

‘If you are so concerned,’ Neil blustered scornfully, ‘why don’t you get together with your like-minded chums and do something about it. As for me – I’ll go on as I am. I know that the little I consume and the impact I have is negligible.’

The other bacteria all looked at each other in dismay. They all knew how silly this was. Even if millions of them got together to do something it would make absolutely no difference while the billions carried on the way they were. The only hope of making a real difference was if they all acted together.

But it was hopeless. Most bacteria simply did not care. As long as they had all the things they needed they weren’t worried. Besides, the little girl was enormous. She was resilient. They did not believe that their inconsequential lives would make a jot of difference to her. They preferred to believe the words of Neil, and the many like him, rather than the dire warnings of the experts.

So the bacteria went on breeding, feeding and excreting poisons as if there was no tomorrow. The little girl’s temperature began to rise and rise and she became extremely ill and died.

Inside her cooling bloodstream all the bacteria faced death.

Metaphorically they threw up their hands in horror.

‘It wasn’t my fault!’ they all declared. ‘How were we supposed to know?’