30 second wisdom – The Donkey, The Old Man & The Boy
An old man, a boy, and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey, and the older man walked. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame, he makes that little boy walk.” So they then decided they’d both walk!
Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. They passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful it was to put such a load on a poor donkey.
The boy and man thought they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed a bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and the donkey fell into the river below and drowned.
The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as well… Kiss your “donkey” goodbye!
Source: Unknown.
© Colin Lawson Books