The man, the boy and the donkey- a short fable (aka The folly of trying to please everyone)

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—you 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 carrying the donkey 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.”

(Source: https://www.bartleby.com/17/1/62.html)

Trying to please everyone is one sure way to fail. For all of us- educators, parents and students alike, if we place more emphasis on what others think of us than what we think of ourselves, we are likely to be chasing our tails. This week, I encourage each of our readers to be the best version of yourself you can be, as there is no one better qualified to do that. In our society of “keeping up with the Kardashians” and the pressures of social media, it is very hard to please or impress everyone. Share this story with your students if you think it will strike a chord them.

If you know of some other great stories that you love to share with your students, please reply and let us know. We’d love to share a few more of these little pearls in coming months.

Click to find out more about our Primary school incursions our Secondary school incursions or our Teacher Professional Development.

Sincerely,
Luke McKenna
Unleashing Personal Potential