A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.
Neil GaimanRead
Sometimes human beings are very much like bees. Bees are fiercely protective of their hive, provided you are outside it. Once you’re in, the workers sort of assume that it must have been cleared by management and take no notice; various freeloading insects have evolved a mellifluous existence because of this very fact. Humans act the same way.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans can be protective of their community but may be oblivious to those within it while allowing others to benefit from their acceptance.
In this quote, Neil Gaiman draws a parallel between human behavior and that of bees, emphasizing how both can be fiercely protective of their own groups or communities. Outside of the group, individuals are vigilant against outsiders, yet once someone is accepted, the scrutiny diminishes, allowing for a certain ignorance regarding those beneficiaries who may not contribute. This serves as a commentary on social dynamics and the inclusivity found within communities, highlighting both the protective instincts and the blind spots that can arise in human relationships.
Themes
CommunityProtectionAcceptanceRelationshipsDynamics
In practice
Example use cases
During a team meeting, this quote could be used to discuss group dynamics and acceptance within the workplace.
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As a teenager I wrote to R.A. Lafferty. And he responded, too, with letters that were like R.A. Lafferty short stories, filled with elliptical answers to straight questions and simple answers to complicated ones.
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Nothing’s changed. You’ll go home. You’ll be bored. You’ll be ignored. No one will listen to you, really listen to you. You’re too clever and too quiet for them to understand. They don’t even get your name right.
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I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend...I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.
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