We Should Be So Wise

Authors don't generally comment on their own writing. I'm more amateur than author, so I will do it to make a point. The point is that meaning is elusive. 

When I wrote the previous piece entitled "No Worries", I had something in mind:
    Being thoughtful is better than the alternative.
While the story was writing itself, I looked on as other ideas began to condense around that theme.
    Acting reasonably is hard work.
    There is uncertainty producing anxiety at every stage.
    Avoiding effort and anxiety may be risky.

If you read the story as a piece of whimsy, you wouldn't get my meaning. Taken literally, it seemed to say:
    Being reasonable is not worth the effort or the angst. Stop worrying. 
    Trust your gut and take your chances.
    God has your back. 

I was writing ironically. I meant the opposite.
    Gather reliable evidence.
    Be on guard against biased intuition and easy answers to the wrong questions.
    Make the effort to plan and act reasonably, pay the emotional cost, and stay safe.
That is what humans do that frogs can't. I was quite serious. 

Reading such a dreary sermon wouldn't be much fun. Therefore I made fun of being frog-brained and trusted the reader to draw the right conclusion.

But there is more. Looking back at the story and expanding my perspective, I can see at least one additional layer of meaning, and there are probably others. Because we make decisions based on incomplete information and fallible understanding, the future remains uncertain whatever we do. Our best motivated efforts can result in unforeseen disaster. Who would have guessed that ordinary people trying to live long and prosper would one day be the cause of climate change and extinction of species? On one level, we wonder if we are smart enough to cross the road safely. Having got across with our children and cousins and 8 billion friends, we ask whether we can survive being so smart. 

When we think in these terms, the frog seems to have an advantage. It compensates for its tiny cerebrum, which does a poor job of keeping it safe, by participating without anxiety in a mindless cycle of regeneration and death while stabilizing rather than distressing the planet. 

We should be so wise.