Stories that Inspire Me -
The Man, The Boy & The Donkey
How this story influence my life?
This story came into my life during my teenage years. This story has kept me strong all my life, and also a story I like re-telling again and again, to friends as well as clients. This story drummed in my head that there are various point of views regarding an incident.
All of those comments in the story are right, and each comment represent one point of view. However, we cannot please or fulfill all of them at the same time. There will be people who will be disappointed.
So, since there will be someone who will e disappointed anyway, I might as well do what I want to do, rather than what others want me to do.
The Story: The Man, The Boy and The Donkey
.Once upon a time, a man and his son were taking their donkey to the market. The sun was warm, and the road was dusty.
A traveler walking by saw them and laughed. "Why are you walking when you have a donkey?" he said. "One of you should ride it!"
Hearing this, the man put his son on the donkey’s back.
As they walked on, they passed some men. One of them frowned. "Look at that boy riding while his father has to walk!"
Feeling embarrassed, the man helped his son down and got on the donkey himself.
A little while later, they met two women. One shook her head. "What a shame! The man rides while his little boy has to walk."
The man sighed. He lifted his son onto the donkey so they could both ride.
When they reached town, people pointed and whispered, "How mean! They are making that poor donkey carry such a heavy load!"
The man and his son felt upset, so they both got off the donkey. Not knowing what else to do, they tied the donkey’s feet to a pole and carried it.
As they crossed a bridge, a crowd gathered, laughing and pointing. The donkey, frightened by the noise, kicked and wriggled. The boy lost his grip, and the donkey fell into the river. Since its feet were tied, it couldn’t swim.
The man and his son watched in shock as their donkey disappeared beneath the water.
An old man nearby saw what happened. He shook his head and said,
"If you try to please everyone, you will end up pleasing no one."
(ref: https://www.fablereads.com/en/fable/the-man-the-boy-and-the-donkey)