Once upon a time, Ambition woke up with the firm belief that the worth of his existence on earth was proportional to his height.
At breakfast, he discussed this with his wife.
“Everybody values giants for their strength. When something seems impossible to accomplish, we go see them and ask them for help. Everybody knows them for their remarkable actions, but even those giants that have done nothing of value are famous, for their face is so far up that us tiny people can see them from very far.”
“You know how giants appear, ” argued his wife with a smooth voice. “They come from the mountains, where all giants gather. I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave me.”
“What choice do I have? I need to feel great.”
He prepared himself all day long, filled his gourd, packed what he felt was needed for his trip. On the next day, he kissed his wife goodbye.
He went to the mountains, but after three days of exhausting hike, he did not meet a single giant. He did see them in the distance, but they were too far to even notice him. He yelled in the desert; no ear heard his voice. Yet, Ambition was stubborn. As both his backpack and his stomach grew smaller by the day, he hoped that his quest would not end with his death.
On the fourth day, he woke up next to an old giant.
“Hello, sir!” he yelled, hoping the giant could hear him.
The giant looked at him, and crouched. He took Ambition in his hand.
“Good morning, sir, ” said the giant. “What can I do for you?”
Ambition didn't really know what to say. He hadn't planned what he would do when he meets a giant.
“I guess I want to see what you see.”
“Do you want to sit on my head, so that you can see the world at my altitude?”
“I would like that very much!”
The giant then put Ambition on his head, and Ambition was amazed. His vision of the world had suddenly changed. His perspective in life grew bigger.
Ambition didn't notice it at first, but as his outlook underwent the most fantastic metamorphosis, his own body started to expand. His legs grew bigger, his torso looked like a pillar, his head went up and up like a bullet fired to the sky.
Soon he became too big for the giant below him. He crumbled slowly; his back soon broke apart.
“Giant, ” said Ambition, “stay alive! Don't do this to me!”
“This is the cycle of life, ” said the giant in his last breath.
Ambition was enlightened.
When he came back, his wife told him how worried she had been. He made her a castle out of a single rock, and went back into the wilderness of the mountains, building even more wonders, trying to be worthy of the giant whose death he was responsible for.
dimanche 17 juin 2012
samedi 28 avril 2012
The Oracle
Once upon a time, a wealthy and fortunate couple of farmers were endowed with a son. They cherished this child before he was born, and they wanted him to be happy in life.
As they wanted to prevent that anything bad happened to him, they went to see the Oracle. They gave their workers the order to take care of their farms while they were gone, and they traveled to the city where the Oracle lived. After a few days, they arrived. The Oracle accepted to see them after a few days of begging.
When the Oracle saw the child, he was inspired to say the following:
"This kid will grow up far from the dangerous world out there. He will be loved and educated. It will make him very confident. It will make him strong and valiant. It would make him rule the world. Unfortunately, he never will."
The Oracle breathed heavily.
"When the child is in love for the first time, she will break his heart. He will be so sad and desperate that he will hang himself to the roof and die."
The parents were so afraid of the second part of the story that, when they got back, they cherished him even more. They were very careful to avoid him getting hurt in any way. Whenever he had a paper cut, they dreaded the sight of his blood.
As he grew older, they tried to make him avoid contact with the world. They said it was for his own good. They fired all of their female employees, and they homeschooled him.
One day, the son, now older than a teenager, escaped the vigilance of his parents and went to the nearest town. There, he saw a beautiful girl. She impressed him very much. He went up to her and tried to kiss her. Of course, she rejected him, very shocked. Mortified, he left the place. Little did he know that he was being followed.
Alone in a dark corner of the town, he started crying. There, he was approached by a passerby, who cheered him up. They wandered along the town's streets, exchanging stories from their respective past.
Then, they went to the nearest bar. They danced, they drank, they had fun. The son met another beautiful woman, and she did not reject him. He was happy. They kissed.
Later that night, he was on the road back home when he was abducted. The Oracle was there, with a rope in one hand, and a stool in another. The Oracle forced him on the stool, and hung him to the roof.
The following morning, the parents were horrified to see their son dead, but they were not surprised. They spread the word about how right the Oracle had been all along, and how sad it was that their son, a man of such value, had killed himself.
The future is yours to mold. Don't let others tell you how to live.
As they wanted to prevent that anything bad happened to him, they went to see the Oracle. They gave their workers the order to take care of their farms while they were gone, and they traveled to the city where the Oracle lived. After a few days, they arrived. The Oracle accepted to see them after a few days of begging.
When the Oracle saw the child, he was inspired to say the following:
"This kid will grow up far from the dangerous world out there. He will be loved and educated. It will make him very confident. It will make him strong and valiant. It would make him rule the world. Unfortunately, he never will."
The Oracle breathed heavily.
"When the child is in love for the first time, she will break his heart. He will be so sad and desperate that he will hang himself to the roof and die."
The parents were so afraid of the second part of the story that, when they got back, they cherished him even more. They were very careful to avoid him getting hurt in any way. Whenever he had a paper cut, they dreaded the sight of his blood.
As he grew older, they tried to make him avoid contact with the world. They said it was for his own good. They fired all of their female employees, and they homeschooled him.
One day, the son, now older than a teenager, escaped the vigilance of his parents and went to the nearest town. There, he saw a beautiful girl. She impressed him very much. He went up to her and tried to kiss her. Of course, she rejected him, very shocked. Mortified, he left the place. Little did he know that he was being followed.
Alone in a dark corner of the town, he started crying. There, he was approached by a passerby, who cheered him up. They wandered along the town's streets, exchanging stories from their respective past.
Then, they went to the nearest bar. They danced, they drank, they had fun. The son met another beautiful woman, and she did not reject him. He was happy. They kissed.
Later that night, he was on the road back home when he was abducted. The Oracle was there, with a rope in one hand, and a stool in another. The Oracle forced him on the stool, and hung him to the roof.
The following morning, the parents were horrified to see their son dead, but they were not surprised. They spread the word about how right the Oracle had been all along, and how sad it was that their son, a man of such value, had killed himself.
The future is yours to mold. Don't let others tell you how to live.
samedi 8 janvier 2011
The Man Of Poor Will
Once upon a time, upon the city between the rocks, a warm wind was flowing
from the south. As the sun was rising, the people from that city were smiling
happily, looking at the burning sky. It was going to be a nice, pleasant day,
and sunny days were rare, for it was wintertime.
There was a man that everybody called, "the man with two hands." This name was ironic: he did have the hands, but he did not use them. Well, that very morning, the Sun woke up that man, telling him, "I needed to come back here, for this place is part of the path that leads to my country. Tomorrow, I will be gone."
The man with two hands then told his family: "Today is a sunny day. If you want tomorrow to be one too, follow me and the Sun."
The family was worried. This journey seemed foolish and unpredictable, and they had friends in the city which they did not want to leave. They loved the man, however, and followed him without a second thought.
They traveled by day and by night, following the warmth of the wind and the bright of southern stars. They traveled, hoping to reach the Sun's country. And one day, they did.
In this country, everything was hot: the air, the trees, the sand. Animals were resting in the shadow of the rocks, and men were resting inside their tents. Trees gave birth to an impressive amount and an impressive range of fruits, and men fed from the trees without a sweat. Rocks gave birth to abundant amounts of water, and women went daily to draw water from the well. In this country, the man with two hands was happy and relaxed.
One day, a long time later, Death came to see the man with two hands and said, "Never have you worked for the happiness of others. As a result, I cannot measure your inner worth. Tomorrow, I will test you and your family, and I shall know what you can do."
At sunrise the following day, the man with two hands woke up next to his dead wife. She was a woman of worth: not only did he lack her love, he also lacked her help. He was too big to get into the caves where the well stood. Back in the city between the rocks, there was a river from which the people all got their water; here, he did not know how to get it. He thought about his daughters, who were small enough, but as he went to see them, he realized they were too sick to get up, and he did not know how to cure them.
Sad and sorry, the man with two hands said goodbye to his wife. He performed the rituals, and burned the corpse of his wife in a huge pyre.
Three days from there, a doctor was lost in the middle of nowhere. He had been wandering at the edge of his map to chase a rare plant which properties he wanted to study, when he had fallen in Terra Incognita by mistake. He was concerned about his limited amount of supplies, for he needed water to survive, and he did not know how to get some. Suddenly, he saw dark smoke at the horizon. He therefore walked in that direction.
Back in the country of the Sun, the man with two hands was getting desperate. He had not drunk for two days, and his daughters still had a burning fever. He called Death, and said, "I cannot live with all my family either dead or sick. I will come with you." But Death refused categorically.
As Death was walking away from him, the man with two hands cunningly followed it, hiding behind the bushes so that Death did not see him. He followed it for a long time, till he finally was in the land of Death.
In the meantime, the doctor arrived at the tent of the man with two hands. He saw the sick daughters, and cured them. He then asked them, "How is it that you get water here?" But the daughters answered, "We do not know. Mother did find a well somewhere in a cave, and she told Father where it was. Then, Mother died, and Father followed her in death." Now, the doctor was truly worried.
When Death realized the treachery of the man with two hands, he burst into anger. He came to see the doctor, and told him, "Your death should not have occurred. I must let you live, for you are a man of worth: you help make others happy. Unfortunately, I do not know how to get water in the country of the Sun, for I have never needed to. The only thing I can do is make you immortal." And he did. Then he said, "The man with two hands was unworthy of such beautiful daughters. I shall make them yours." And he made the doctor Father of the daughters.
The doctor then thanked Death. He packed his belongings, and traveled back to the city between the rocks with the daughters. There, he could give the daughters the water they needed. He cared about them, and they cared about him, and regularly, the Sun came by to see how cute they were.
There was a man that everybody called, "the man with two hands." This name was ironic: he did have the hands, but he did not use them. Well, that very morning, the Sun woke up that man, telling him, "I needed to come back here, for this place is part of the path that leads to my country. Tomorrow, I will be gone."
The man with two hands then told his family: "Today is a sunny day. If you want tomorrow to be one too, follow me and the Sun."
The family was worried. This journey seemed foolish and unpredictable, and they had friends in the city which they did not want to leave. They loved the man, however, and followed him without a second thought.
They traveled by day and by night, following the warmth of the wind and the bright of southern stars. They traveled, hoping to reach the Sun's country. And one day, they did.
In this country, everything was hot: the air, the trees, the sand. Animals were resting in the shadow of the rocks, and men were resting inside their tents. Trees gave birth to an impressive amount and an impressive range of fruits, and men fed from the trees without a sweat. Rocks gave birth to abundant amounts of water, and women went daily to draw water from the well. In this country, the man with two hands was happy and relaxed.
One day, a long time later, Death came to see the man with two hands and said, "Never have you worked for the happiness of others. As a result, I cannot measure your inner worth. Tomorrow, I will test you and your family, and I shall know what you can do."
At sunrise the following day, the man with two hands woke up next to his dead wife. She was a woman of worth: not only did he lack her love, he also lacked her help. He was too big to get into the caves where the well stood. Back in the city between the rocks, there was a river from which the people all got their water; here, he did not know how to get it. He thought about his daughters, who were small enough, but as he went to see them, he realized they were too sick to get up, and he did not know how to cure them.
Sad and sorry, the man with two hands said goodbye to his wife. He performed the rituals, and burned the corpse of his wife in a huge pyre.
Three days from there, a doctor was lost in the middle of nowhere. He had been wandering at the edge of his map to chase a rare plant which properties he wanted to study, when he had fallen in Terra Incognita by mistake. He was concerned about his limited amount of supplies, for he needed water to survive, and he did not know how to get some. Suddenly, he saw dark smoke at the horizon. He therefore walked in that direction.
Back in the country of the Sun, the man with two hands was getting desperate. He had not drunk for two days, and his daughters still had a burning fever. He called Death, and said, "I cannot live with all my family either dead or sick. I will come with you." But Death refused categorically.
As Death was walking away from him, the man with two hands cunningly followed it, hiding behind the bushes so that Death did not see him. He followed it for a long time, till he finally was in the land of Death.
In the meantime, the doctor arrived at the tent of the man with two hands. He saw the sick daughters, and cured them. He then asked them, "How is it that you get water here?" But the daughters answered, "We do not know. Mother did find a well somewhere in a cave, and she told Father where it was. Then, Mother died, and Father followed her in death." Now, the doctor was truly worried.
When Death realized the treachery of the man with two hands, he burst into anger. He came to see the doctor, and told him, "Your death should not have occurred. I must let you live, for you are a man of worth: you help make others happy. Unfortunately, I do not know how to get water in the country of the Sun, for I have never needed to. The only thing I can do is make you immortal." And he did. Then he said, "The man with two hands was unworthy of such beautiful daughters. I shall make them yours." And he made the doctor Father of the daughters.
The doctor then thanked Death. He packed his belongings, and traveled back to the city between the rocks with the daughters. There, he could give the daughters the water they needed. He cared about them, and they cared about him, and regularly, the Sun came by to see how cute they were.
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