Eggs and Heels. Are they really something to wage war over?

As I read Gulliver’s travel more and more, I find that some concepts are amazingly idiotic especially the two conflicts which threaten Lilliput.
First of all is the constant struggle between two parties, Tramecksan and Slamecksan, whose greatest difference is in the height of their heels. Gulliver is told that high heels are more acceptable for Lilliput’s ancient traditions but the King had only employed low heeled Slamecksans for his office. Even his majesty himself chooses to wear low heels. And so that biasness on the king’s part creates tension between these two “radically” different groups. This is where I am completely and utterly stunned at how stubborn or maybe even foolish Lilliputians can be. They will not let go of their one difference in tradition to accept each other and become one unifying group. Somehow it’s quite hard for me to believe how two groups of people can say that they are different from one another just for how high or low their heels are. It’s just mind boggling how possibly less than one millimeter of a difference in height could bring such extremities in the different views of the two groups.(pg 21). For in our society now who really distinguishes themselves from the rest of the world just for their shoes or more specifically their heels? I for one have worn both low heels, high heels, and no heels. Does that make me different from other humans? I exceedingly hope not!

Another conflict that is beyond stupidity for a cause for war is eggs. Yes eggs. I for one have never heard of any cause for hostilities as ridiculous as eggs. Actually it’s not just eggs but the way that one breaks them. Reldresal, a government official who had also explained the Tramecksan and Slamecksan, enlightens Gulliver on the history of the continuous confrontations from Lilliput and Blefuscu which is and island nation that is the other “Great Empire of the Universe” (Pg. 22). Before a large quantity of Lilliputians had revolted against Lilliput, the one singular nation and its inhabitants would always- as tradition allowed them to- break their eggs by the larger end. That was until Lilliput’s current emperor’s grandfather had cut one of his fingers- when he was still a young boy- while breaking the egg by the larger end. Following that, his father, the current emperor’s great-grandfather passed a law that made it illegal for anyone to break their egg by the larger end and must now revert to breaking it by the other end. (This law by itself it completely ridiculous!) But of course, there were some who resented the new law and rebelled. The monarchs of Blefuscu had encouraged these rebellions and when they were over the rebels all flocked over to the other nation to seek freedom for their old egg-breaking tradition. More so, during these hostile times the Blefuscu government had indicted that Lilliput was breaking an aged old religious doctrine of their prophet, Lustrog, which implied that all should break their eggs at the larger end. Though the Lilliputians argued that the doctrine had actually stated “that all true believers break their eggs at the convenient end” and in this case it was the smaller end. And ever since war has raged between these two might nations.
Just as I finished reading those paragraphs I almost bursted out laughing at the sheer ludicrous thoughts. I could in no way believe why eleven thousand people had chose to die rather than just breaking their eggs at the smaller end. Had they really believed in their traditions so seriously that they would risk their life to rebel? If I was in their shoes I would have just broken my egg the way the emperor had decreed. I am in no way suicidal enough to die for some reason I find as ridiculous and unreasonable as this although I might rebel against the fact that there actually was in existence a law that told me how to break my egg. But I would only fight it because it was idiotic. (Why would there need to be a law that tell me how to do that? Can’t I choose the way I want to break my egg? It is my egg after all.) Not because I don’t want to break my egg that way. In truth I really don’t care how I break my egg, I just eat it. Is there really a point to breaking in egg at the smaller end or the larger end?

Afterthought:
After thinking it through I found a deeper meaning in these passages than just an excuse for humor. Even though I have never experienced any conflict due to how I break my eggs or the height of my heels I can still somehow find a way to relate this. I have argued with someone before for a completely ridiculous reason but right then I was utterly serious about it. And I’m pretty sure that this has happened to many other people as well. It’s weird how you can never really understand how ridiculous any situation or reason is until you approach with neutrality and a sense of humor.