A story
Once upon a
bright, sunny morning a man and his son left their farm
to make a trip into town. The son rode a top their donkey as the father walked
alongside. Along the road they encountered a fellow from the nearby village.
"You should be ashamed of yourself!" the fellow said, admonishing the boy. "You ride comfortably while your poor, old father has to walk. You
have no respect!" The boy and his father first sheepishly exchanged glances,
then exchanged places.
As the two continued their journey, they
chanced upon another fellow. "You selfish old man!" he said.
"You take the easy ride while your poor son wears himself out trying to
keep up. You should at least let the boy ride also." Not wishing to
offend, the old man helped his son climb aboard. The pair then continued their
journey.
Before long,
they came upon a woman coming from the opposite direction. She, too, found fault with their arrangement. "I've never
seen such cruelty! You two lazy louts are too heavy for that poor donkey. It
would be more fitting for the two of you to be carrying the animal." Not
wishing to fall from favor with the woman, the man directed his son to bind the
donkey's front hooves together, then
back hooves together. Meanwhile, the man himself cut a long, sturdy pole from a
nearby tree. The pair laid the animal down, slid the pole through his bound hooves,
then lifted the pole to their shoulders-the father on one end, the boy on the
other, the donkey hanging upside- down on the pole between them. Carrying the
donkey, the pair trudged along.
As
they crossed the bridge that lead into town, the upside-down donkey saw his
reflection in the water below from an angle that he had never before seen. The
animal became frightened and suddenly thrashed about violently, causing the
pair to lose their grips on the pole. Before they could grab him, the donkey fell
off the narrow bridge into the water below. Still bound, the donkey was unable
to swim. From the bridge, the father and son helpless donkey sank out of sight,
into the deep water below.
Moral: After a
moment of silent reflection, the father turned to the boy and spoke: "Son,
we learned a valuable lesson today. We learned that when you try to satisfy everyone
you end up losing your ass."
we all like to be liked, fear of rejection often becomes a dominant force in many of our lives. Unless monitored, our need for approval can put us on a long and endless fool's mission. Fear of losing favor with family, friends, employers, coworkers, or society is one of the most common blocks to establishing and pursuing personal goals.
