Superficially fescues resemble grass, but the differences outweigh the similarities.
Grasses make great lawns, a seamless expanse of green. In contrast, fescues are not pretty; they grow in clumps. They are messy and disordered.
The differences continue: grasses are simple roots below and blades above, whereas the fescue biome is complex. Fescues grow in clumps for a reason. The ground between the clumps is covered with lichens which conserve moisture and nitrogen-fixing nodules that support the fescue biome.
Grasses have shallow roots. Fescues have deep root systems.
Fescues are resilient. A prairie fire can burn fescues to the ground, and they will spring back to life. Fescues can survive drought and other natural killers that will kill grass.
In winter, grasses die, and their food value vanishes. Rather than die, fescues cure and retain their food value. The great buffalo herds of the prairies were fed with cured fescues in winter. Grass alone would have failed.
And once established, fescues will defeat any attempt by grass to invade its turf. With casual indifference, they resist any attempt by common grass to invade the landscape.
Lastly, fescues are good, fescues are a carbon sink; hands down, the best carbon sink in the world. In summary, fescues are valuable and undefeatable.
But there is a problem. Fescues take a long time to establish themselves, while typical grasses root and grow immediately. Plant a grass seed and a fescue seed side by side; grass will win every time. Grasses, though weaker and prone to fire, disease, and winter kill, will establish quicker than fescues. That is their competitive advantage.
You are probably wondering where this is going.
Here is my point, virtue and vice, character assets and defects, are like fescues and grasses. The similarities can be seen in many dimensions of comparison.
Once established and rooted in character, a character asset will defeat any attempted invasion by vice, or character defects.
But virtue, like fescue, is at a competitive disadvantage with vice. Vice establishes itself quickly compared to the time and discipline required for virtue to be properly rooted in character.
And virtue is like fescue compared to the grass of vice in other ways. Virtue will help a man through the darkest days of life, while vices will have no food value in even mild difficulties.
Virtue, akin to fescue, will withstand the hottest fire and the deepest drought once rooted and set. Vice in the fire and droughts of life reacts in anger and shame and burns with a sudden hot fury without good result.
Aware of the one competitive advantage of grass over fescue, I am better equipped to remove defects and foster assets. I understand that it may take time and effort, but once established, the assets are worth it and will be long-lived.
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