I know that killing all the bosses would not make any difference, for they would be replaced by others of the same kind, but it would still be a load of laughs.

Addendum I (July 8, 2011)

My beloved was perplexed when I asked her to read this haiku. I told her that it represented nothing less than a new revolutionary principle. For good measure, I called it a corollary of the Berlin Principle, which states that people like to fight and kill each other (“Sir Isaiah Berlin,” July 25, 1992). I put the emphasis on the word “like.” National, religious and other “causes” are nothing but convenient excuses for the primordial lust. Class causes are nothing but excuses, as well. As I was going through all of this with quite some excitement, my beloved squinted at me: “What do you mean by ‘bosses’?” I was quick with my all-embracing response: “Anyone in leading positions in business, politics, religious organizations…” “Oh,” she nodded with a sigh.

Addendum II (September 30, 2015)

It is a joy to chance across this haiku and the first addendum. The very mention of the Berlin Principle makes me grin to this day. Sir Isaiah would be surprised to find himself lauded in this macabre fashion, but the fact remains that he struck the nail on its head when he explained why there are so many wars around the world. And in words so staggeringly simple. The rest of this century, as well as a few centuries beyond it, will thus be a load of laughs, indeed. Climate change and environmental degradation will lead to many a war. At long last, people will get a chance to fight and kill each other with abandon. This will appear quite horrendous to some, it goes without saying, but it will strike others as wonderful past compare. The crown of the western civilization, as it were.