Stories with messages

[Sabou]

I thought this thread could be dedicated to sharing "stories" that you are fond of that contain simple messages/truths. 

I'll start - I have really liked this one since I first heard it. 

Once upon a time there was an old farmer would work his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.

 

"Maybe," the farmer replied.

 

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.

 

"Maybe," replied the farmer.

 

The following day, the farmers son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again for the offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

 

"Maybe," answered the farmer.

 

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the sun's leg was broken, they passed them by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

 

"Maybe," said the farmer.

[isis]

Here's a cute poem/story I came across when reading thru Carla's "A Small Medium At Large" columns:

A Story of a Finger and a Thumb

There once was a finger, which once met a thumb,

Both clinging to a branch so tightly they were numb.

"What brings you here, and what is your name?"

Said the finger to the thumb. "Have you no shame?

This branch is for fingers such as we,

Not oddly shaped folk, like thee!"

Said the thumb to the finger, "'Tis true I am not

Formed in the strange image of your lot.

My form is one of beauty, much greater than thee.

I can move every way, such dexterity!

Rolling and bending wherever I choose,

I grasp so tightly whatever I might use!"

"Well," said the finger and all of his friends,

Disgruntled and angry, the thumb did so offend,

"We shall not stay near you, for you are quite rude!

Your pretensions of brilliance are rather skewed."

And with that the fingers all opened wide,

And the thumb's firm purchase was quickly denied

And all fell down. Then the hand they did see,

Which was joined to an arm, and the man's body.

"What have we done?"

Said the finger to the thumb.

CRASH!

"We forgot we are One!"

[Bring4th_Austin]

I'm not quite sure why the nationalities of this story were chosen, or why the school was Harvard...but besides all of that, this is one of my favorites:


A vacationing American businessman standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico watched as a small boat with just one young Mexican fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. Enjoying the warmth of the early afternoon sun, the American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually asked.

"Oh, a few hours," the Mexican fisherman replied.

"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American businessman then asked.

The Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to meet my family's needs."

The businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ball games, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs..."

The American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats."

Proud of his own sharp thinking, he excitedly elaborated a grand scheme which could bring even bigger profits, "Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you'll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise."

Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, "But how long will all this take?"

After a rapid mental calculation, the Harvard MBA pronounced, "Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard."

"And then what, señor?" asked the fisherman.

"Why, that's the best part!" answered the businessman with a laugh. "When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions? Really? What would I do with it all?" asked the young fisherman in disbelief.

The businessman boasted, "Then you could happily retire with all the money you've made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ball games, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want."