The Codeless Code: Case 56 Bear Necessities
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Of all nuns at the temple, Yíwen and Hwídah were best known
for being inseparable; for wherever one went, the other went
also. So when one of their order was discovered to be
dangling precariously by ropes halfway down a cliff, Yíwen
and Hwídah went together to seek the counsel of the abbot of
the Elephant's Footprint Clan.
The abbot listened to the nuns’ account with his feet
propped up on his desk, polishing his spectacles with the
fringe of his robe. When the nuns finished the abbot pulled
a battered electronic tablet out from under a sheaf of
papers and launched an abacus program. Fingers poised above
the glass, he asked:
“Hours required?”
There was an uncomfortable pause.
“A hundred pardons, sir,” said Yíwen. “But are you asking us
to estimate the effort of the rescue first?”
“I believe that is his function,” said Hwídah, “for I have
heard him ask the same question of anyone who proposes
changes to our software.” She fixed her eyes on the abbot.
“A dozen monks and nuns, working for two days, should be
sufficient to re-cross the chasm, haul up the remains of the
bridge, and retrieve the unfortunate nun hanging off the
end.”
“I cannot release so many from their duties,” said the
abbot. “Proposals with a high level of effort require
approval by the planning committee. Come back in three
weeks.”
The nuns exchanged glances.
“A hundred more pardons for my insolence, sir,” said Yíwen.
“But in the interim, what shall we do about the imperiled
nun?”
“Fling cooked fish and water-skins across the ravine,” said
the abbot. “Some of it is bound to fly within her grasp.”
“I believe,” said Hwídah carefully and with evident
irritation, “that to perform this activity a scant three
times a day would waste many good fish and water-skins, as
well as increasing the workload on the kitchen staff, the
water carriers, the fishers, the tanners, and—of
course—whoever is tasked to stand at the edge of the chasm
and hurl comestibles until they find their target. The
cumulative cost in salmon alone is likely to far exceed that
of a timely rescue.”
The abbot smiled sadly. “When foraging for honey, the bear
will happily endure a bee sting every morning of his long
life. But he cannot survive a thousand stings if they come
all at once.”
When the nuns had left the abbot’s office, Yíwen asked:
“Does the abbot not know that it is the principal function
of bears to eat bees, and not flee from them?
To which Hwídah replied:
“Even so, the bear that cannot tell the difference between a
dozen bees and a thousand will perish from fear in a forest
dripping with sugar.”
