It seemed to be a day like any other when it all started.
Slowly, the people became aware of something happening in the street. Two men stood in full view, glaring at each other. They had always had issues, niggling resentments, and suspicions. They stood like that for hours. It was embarrassing, so for the main part people ignored them.
The next day they could be seen standing in the same place, but now they were arguing. People wondered whether they had really been there all night. Some watched, some ignored, while others were becoming concerned.
On the following day they were still there. Now they were shouting abuse at each other. Word had got around and the onlookers grew in number. They all had their own ideas about what should be done about it. At the very least, it wasn’t good that this dispute was becoming more and more public.
The following day people woke to the sound of a lot of clattering in the street. The two men were now yelling and screaming, and throwing stones at each other. Passers-by had to be careful where they walked. Some voiced concerns about their children. There were still those who thought that it would just blow over in time.
The next day the men had clubs and knives and were beating and stabbing at each other. Both parties were becoming tired and were showing their scars. Each one had broken bones and bleeding from several wounds. This continued into the night and there was a common belief that it would only get worse.
Day after day this same scene played out, while each of the men grew weaker, but with no signs that their resolve to beat the other was diminishing.
One morning, after several weeks, the people went out to find the two still fighting ferociously. On this occasion a stranger stood watching the fight. The people saw this as an opportunity to get an unbiased opinion and a possible solution to their ongoing problem. He was asked if he could suggest what could be done to put an end to this unusual state of affairs.
The stranger smiled and said “It’s not so unusual really. Haven’t you noticed? There are entire countries out there doing exactly the same thing!”