Why stop at the hut?

Looking at the photo of these two boys I ask myself, why stop at the tree hut? The Nelson City Council tore it down because if someone fell from it they might injure themselves. But the two boys are still in the tree well above ground. Why not chop down the entire tree? And any other council tree they might choose to climb and fall from. That is the logical extension of their initial action.

This reminds me about the notice that appeared on a tree in our street. Two boys had attached a basketball hoop to it before a nasty notice appeared warning them to remove the hoop or face a fine. The tree is 'protected'. Just like the Nelson boys are being 'protected'.

Protected. What an abused word. Try stifled, constrained, prevented, forbidden. My guess is around 90 percent of people do not agree with council's 'protective' actions. But there is also a lurking 10 percent of control freaks winning the day. How do we fight them? Usually they operate under the cloak of anonymity. Who are these people and what drives them? Do they see themselves as superior beings with greater foresight and therefore a duty to act? Do they regard themselves as selfless and altruistic in their concern for their fellow human-beings every safety? Or are they grumpy, miserable old farts and fartesses who can't abide the laughter and chatter of excited children?

What we desperately need more than anything else is protection from them - not ourselves.