One of the oldest myths in western civilisation is the parable of the boiling frog. As the story goes, a frog dropped into boiling water will try to escape immediately, but a frog placed in cold water that is slowly brought to the boil will stay there and be cooked to death without noticing.
Thankfully for frogs, the story is not true. But it’s a popular tale because it is an allegory for how human beings react to negative changes around them. Slow and steady decline is tolerated until a city becomes unlivable, whereas sudden changes bring about a strong reaction. I’ve been thinking about it a lot this week.
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