Perspective: Who do you please? A Tale About The Man, The Boy, and The Donkey

I thought this was a great tale.
It shows how there can be many
perspectives, and how ineffective
it can sometimes be to listen to
others.

So many times people will have
opinions of what I do, and many
times their opinions - their
perspectives - vary.

I am fairly certain most people
can relate. People listen to
others for various reasons,
however, the best reason to
listen, I would suggest, is
because it feels RIGHT TO YOU.

I have to wonder in this tale
if the first way the Man and
the Boy did what they did is
the way that felt right to them.

It would make sense to me that
often our gut would have us
going in the right direction,
even when others might disagree.

I would never say trying out
other options isn't a worthy
consideration. However, it is
likely the REACTION to another's
comments and suggestions that
can cause us problems.

The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

A Man and his Son were once going
with their Donkey to market. As
they were walking along by its
side a countryman passed them and
said: "You fools, what is a Donkey
for but to ride upon?"

So the Man put the Boy on the
Donkey and they went on their way.
But soon they passed a group of men,
one of whom said:
"See that lazy youngster,
he lets his father walk while he rides."

So the Man ordered his Boy to get off,
and got on himself. But they hadn't
gone far when they passed two women,
one of whom said to the other:
"Shame on that lazy lout to let his
poor little son trudge along."

Well, the Man didn't know what to do,
but at last he took his Boy up before
him on the Donkey. By this time they
had come to the town, and the
passers-by began to jeer and point
at them. The Man stopped and asked
what they were scoffing at.
The men said:
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for
overloading that poor donkey of yours
and your hulking son?"

The Man and Boy got off and tried
to think what to do. They thought
and they thought, till at last they
cut down a pole, tied the donkey's
feet to it, and raised the pole
and the donkey to their shoulders.
They went along amid the laughter
of all who met them till they came
to Market Bridge, when the Donkey,
getting one of his feet loose,
kicked out and caused the Boy to
drop his end of the pole. In the
struggle the Donkey fell over the
bridge, and his fore-feet being
tied together he was drowned.

"That will teach you,"
said an old man who had followed them,
"please all, and you will please none."