originally a holiday story...
#85

A tale of two brothers

Once upon a time there were two brothers, born to the chief of a large and powerful nation. Although the brothers were born at the same time, they were very different in manner and character. The eldest of the brothers was named Pacco. He grew quite large and strong. He excelled in the virtues of building and hunting and the skills that made the nation grow rich and powerful. Macco, on the other hand, was smaller yet shared the great strength of his brother. Macco excelled in very different ways, however, choosing to pursue a quieter, more artistic and philosophical path.

As the years passed Pacco gathered a huge following of people in the nation. They adopted his ways of doing things. Soon most huts were built like Pacco's. Hunting, riding, and many other skills learned by youth came to be known as Pacco's way.

All the while, Macco's talent and unique way of doing things garnered little following. Those few who followed Macco and adopted his ways discovered much pleasure in Macco's way. They were filled with the joys of learning while understanding that everyone in the nation could accomplish great things of beauty. They were enriched in skills that allowed them to build, ride, and hunt more easily. Macco youngsters discovered that they too could do things that only their elders could accomplish before using Pacco's ways.

When times and events came to the nation that required new plans and important decisions, Pacco was always able to sway the powers of the nation into doing things his way. By this time, his following was very large and quite complacent in the knowledge that all peoples followed Pacco's way. Although Maccos pointed out better ways of doing things, the Paccos were slow to listen and slower yet to understand these new ways.

Macco's followers became resentful of Pacco's following. They did not understand why they could not influence the direction of the nation. They thought their ways were better and soon became outspoken and vengeful.
Meanwhile, Pacco began seeing the pleasure and ease with which Macco's followers conducted their ways. He began seeing children excelling in ways that only his best followers could accomplish. His followers saw this too and began to cry out "Why can't we do that?"

Pacco became envious and set about a plan to imitate Macco's ways. Pacco knew that although his followers were strong and powerful, they most likely would not discover his deception. He also knew that they were already so entrenched in his ways that they would be forced to follow anything he would suggest. Pacco changed his ways to look more like Macco's.

Pacco's followers now believed that they had the best of both ways. This delighted him while he became even more smug, fat and rich. This enraged Macco's followers [rather than be pleased that they had finally influenced their nation]. How dare they copy their ways!

Maccos launched into a frightful attitude of evangelism. This in turn enraged Paccos and soon both sides began to chastise the other, conducting aimless and hurtful crusades of rivalry. Each side conducted jealous and greedy campaigns to enlist followers from the other side -- causing the others to become enraged at the apparent insurrection. Those were ugly times for the nation; ugly and very much unlike the true morals and ideals of the nation.

Then one day a person named Ugacco spoke out: "We are all people." Paccos and Maccos alike were able to build and hunt and ride -- they could both be artistic, musical, and philosophical. Paccos enriched the nation with strength and power yet had now grown into the ways of Macco. Maccos had enriched the nation with art, humanity, and empowerment, yet had adopted the skills of the Paccos to survive. They both should have been happy.

"You are acting like children," Ugacco said. "Let us all exist together and let each continue to follow their chosen path... in peace. Rather than squabble over the rights and wrongs of the other, let us work together to build a better community."

To many this seemed an intelligent and more pleasurable path. They became followers of Ugacco and came to be known as the helpers. But it did not help. The Pacco vs. Macco wars raged on with no apparent resolution. They continued acting like selfish, spoiled children. And the nation faded away, wasting their time in shame and unpleasantness. The End.

Do the Paccos or Maccos still exist today? Do you know of any?

Fred Showker

Fred Showker is director of The Design & Publishing Center on the web at http://www.graphic-design.com/, and is a co-founder of both The User Group Forum on America Online, and The User Group Network at http://www.user-groups.net/. He has been a user group activist and supporter since 1984.

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Fred Showker, nationally recognized designer author and speaker, is a 25-year veteran of the graphics industry, with his own firm Showker Graphic Arts & Design. Heís an associate editor for the Mug News Service (MNS) as well as Home & School Mac. You can see Fred in action at any of his Design & Graphics workshops around the country sponsored by Dynamic Graphics Educational Foundation, InHouse Graphics, PrintFest and others. You can chat with him directly on America OnLine, where he is ìAFA Shwkrî, a forum assistant in the User Group Forum (UGF), or in eWorld as co-host of the WORKING SOLO forum.
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