Once upon a time in a very poor village, there lived a very poor man who worked as a stone cutter. Every day before the sun was up he left his small home to work at the quarry, and returned well after dark to spend a few precious hours with his family.
One night, as he was tucking his young son into bed, the man noticed a very serious look on his little boy's face.
"What's the matter, my son? What is troubling you?" he asked.
" When I grow up, I will not be a poor peasant. I will be rich," The boy confidently stated.
"Well that is good, "said his father with a slight smile, "and why have you decided that you will not be poor?"
"Because poor people are not important. People with money tell peasants what to do, and they must obey."
The boy's statement saddened the man, and his smile waned. He had thought that he had sufficiently taught the boy better values than this.
"I see," he said to his son, and was quiet a moment. "I think we shall have a different kind of story tonight," he said.
The boy brightened and sat up, intrigued. His father said, "Let's pretend you work at the quarry. You work all day chipping away the stone at the foot of the mountain and come home after dark. You are poor, but you and your family have enough to eat and a home to live in. You are happy. Do you still wish to be rich? Do you still wish to be someone else?"
"Yes!" insisted the boy, "I would be the Emperor! His servants carry him on a platform and all the stone cutters must bow to him!"
His father nodded and said, "Indeed, and if you were the Emperor, you would be very important. But, on a hot day, the Emperor must wipe his brow and be covered with an umbrella. Even he cannot command the mighty sun!"
"Well then I would be the sun!" cried the boy, "and even the Emperor would have to hide from me!"
"Oh wise decision, my son!" his father replied, feigning admiration, "and indeed you would be mighty! Oh, but what about clouds? A single cloud can block the hot sun's rays and give shade. Even the mighty sun cannot chase away a cloud."
"Then I would be a cloud!" replied the boy, "and I would decide who would get sun and who would get shade!"
His father continued, "And truly you would be important as a cloud! People would welcome you so that they could have shade! Oh but there is the mountain! As a cloud you could go where you wished until you came to the mountain."
"I would fly over the mountain!" the boy exclaimed, thinking he had outsmarted his father.
"Ah, but clouds can only fly so high and this mountain is too tall. As important as you are as a cloud, the mighty mountain still stands in your way."
"Then I would be the mighty mountain! And the Emperor, and the sun, and the cloud could not command me! I would stand in everyone's way, and I would move for no one!" The boy was triumphant, thinking he had reached the ultimate answer.
The father's face became passive, and he was quiet a moment. He then leaned towards his son and said almost in a whisper:
"But my son, you have forgotten about the mighty peasant, chipping away at your feet."
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Now playing: Loreena McKennitt - Beneath a Phrygian Sky
via FoxyTunes
One night, as he was tucking his young son into bed, the man noticed a very serious look on his little boy's face.
"What's the matter, my son? What is troubling you?" he asked.
" When I grow up, I will not be a poor peasant. I will be rich," The boy confidently stated.
"Well that is good, "said his father with a slight smile, "and why have you decided that you will not be poor?"
"Because poor people are not important. People with money tell peasants what to do, and they must obey."
The boy's statement saddened the man, and his smile waned. He had thought that he had sufficiently taught the boy better values than this.
"I see," he said to his son, and was quiet a moment. "I think we shall have a different kind of story tonight," he said.
The boy brightened and sat up, intrigued. His father said, "Let's pretend you work at the quarry. You work all day chipping away the stone at the foot of the mountain and come home after dark. You are poor, but you and your family have enough to eat and a home to live in. You are happy. Do you still wish to be rich? Do you still wish to be someone else?"
"Yes!" insisted the boy, "I would be the Emperor! His servants carry him on a platform and all the stone cutters must bow to him!"
His father nodded and said, "Indeed, and if you were the Emperor, you would be very important. But, on a hot day, the Emperor must wipe his brow and be covered with an umbrella. Even he cannot command the mighty sun!"
"Well then I would be the sun!" cried the boy, "and even the Emperor would have to hide from me!"
"Oh wise decision, my son!" his father replied, feigning admiration, "and indeed you would be mighty! Oh, but what about clouds? A single cloud can block the hot sun's rays and give shade. Even the mighty sun cannot chase away a cloud."
"Then I would be a cloud!" replied the boy, "and I would decide who would get sun and who would get shade!"
His father continued, "And truly you would be important as a cloud! People would welcome you so that they could have shade! Oh but there is the mountain! As a cloud you could go where you wished until you came to the mountain."
"I would fly over the mountain!" the boy exclaimed, thinking he had outsmarted his father.
"Ah, but clouds can only fly so high and this mountain is too tall. As important as you are as a cloud, the mighty mountain still stands in your way."
"Then I would be the mighty mountain! And the Emperor, and the sun, and the cloud could not command me! I would stand in everyone's way, and I would move for no one!" The boy was triumphant, thinking he had reached the ultimate answer.
The father's face became passive, and he was quiet a moment. He then leaned towards his son and said almost in a whisper:
"But my son, you have forgotten about the mighty peasant, chipping away at your feet."
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Now playing: Loreena McKennitt - Beneath a Phrygian Sky
via FoxyTunes
