Ostrich

Extrapolation

Like a quaking ostrich, sir, you stick your head in the sand and freeze. It's the broken logic of a frightened child, the fallacy of denial. If I cannot see you, surely you cannot see me? If I ignore you, surely you are gone? When I was a foolish child, I did foolish and childish things, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Are we not men? Must we cower, our heads buried, our hands engloved? No matter -- or rather, yes matter, for objects do not lose their substance just because our gloved hands do not feel them. Like a gun to the ostrich, a blow to the head will convince you that heft exists independently of your heaving. Make no mistake: an unseen stone exists, and it could wallop old handless Paracelsus upside the head somethin' fierce--hands or no. And when the stone is released, it will knock some sense into you, too, sir, whether you see it coming or not, poor blind fool that you are.

You can hide, but you cannot run! Jesus is coming! For the act of hiding does not destroy, and in revealing we do not create. The Exodus from the Garden of Eden did not undo the Genesis of its creation--as Revelations so plainly unveils. And so Solomon's Temple was not destroyed: it may have been lain to rest and hidden from sight, but, like the body of our Lord lain in the tomb for three day or the cowering head of an ostrich, it will rise again--revealed to all you blind lost souls wandering in sin. Repent, sinner, for the end is nigh.

-- unsigned Letter to the Editor of Atheist Weekly. March 2, 1982.

See Also

• Owl

Steven Vogeler's Fun Facts ®

The Ostrich's "official" name, Struthio camelus, means "sparrow camel."

The world's largest bird, it can reach a height of up to 2.5 metres and is capable of running up to 65 km/h.

The Ostrich is farmed all over the world and its meat makes for an excellent BBQ.