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A Fable about Fortune

Because one soothed the spirits and the other cleared the mind, the Natives had placed two particular herbs foremost on the pathway to sacredness.

By and by, the blessed herbs encountered two apostles of Adam [dot] Smith. One, a rich Rock of a Fellow, was into brew. The other, of the Reynolds & Morris ilk, was into smoke.

Both assessed the qualities of the enlightening herbs. Oddly enough, while the brew-master saw threat, the smoke disciple was indifferent; he was that confident of his business model.

The far-sighted liquor dealer, though, took quick and politic action. He had one herb classified as "poisonous", the other regulated. Then he bade his buddy of the R&M set to take charge of the regulating.

Nowadays, bewildered and bewitched, the Natives pay dearly for their strictly controlled but necessary herbs.

Moral: To name a substance is to tame its soul.