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If you’re anything like me some of your best lessons in life have come from some of our oldest teachers.
Maybe the greatest of all was Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller.
Aesop was a slave who lived around the mid-6th Century BCE.
It’s said he won his freedom through his crisp writing and sharp insights. He often used animal tales to convey his messages.
His end came while he was on a mission from King Croesus to distribute gold to the citizens of Delphi. Apparently he became so disgusted by their greed that he refused to distribute the gold. In retaliation, the Delphians executed him by throwing him off a cliff.
Aesop was a man who walked his talk. That in itself is quite a lesson.
Here are two more noteworthy lessons:
The Dog and the Shadow
A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go.
As he crossed a narrow footbridge, he happened to look down and saw himself reflected in the quiet water as if in a mirror.
But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own.
If he had stopped to think he would have known better.
But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore.
At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a thoughtless Dog he had been.
*****
What a lesson in the psychology of never having enough and the high cost of living with distorted perceptions.
I remember the time I plunged into the water for want of a bigger bone. I left a perfectly good job in pursuit of a “bigger” opportunity, only to discover that opportunity was just a figment of my imagination.
Had I been in the practice of gratitude —
I would have savored the good job I had and not the illusory one.
The hunger for more only keeps one perpetually hungry.
So remember, Pat: Enough is always enough.
Here’s another fable worth remembering:
The North Wind and the Sun
A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun about which of them was the stronger. While they were disputing, a traveler passed along the road wrapped in a heavy cloak.
“Let us agree,” said the Sun, “that he is the stronger who can strip that traveler of his cloak.”
The North Wind began first. He blew with all his might a blast as cold and fierce as a winter storm.
But the harder he blew, the more closely the traveler wrapped his cloak around him, and the tighter he grasped it with his hands.
The North Wind gave up the contest in despair.
Then the Sun came out from behind a cloud and shone in all his glory upon the traveler.
The man soon felt the genial warmth, and as the Sun grew hotter and hotter, he first undid his cloak, and finally, overwhelmed by the heat, took it off and bathed in a stream by the roadside.
The core of this lesson is kindness and warmth are more effective tools of influence than aggression or brute force. Inspiration is a far more powerful force than intimidation.
*****
I wish I had remembered this fable when I encountered many years ago a trio of Marines in a dark alley in Washington DC. Had I practiced gentle persuasion rather than brute force — I might still be in possession of my original teeth.
Now we are tragically witnessing in America the brute force of the “North Wind” playing out on our city streets.
While the “Sun” shines in the form demonstrators carrying their messages of light.
Aesop provides a thoughtful answer to the question of which way will prevail.
Just a thought…
Pat
*****
Now in hopes of better sunny days ahead: Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles
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