There’s a fable about a father and son loading their donkey to go to market. They have a great distance to travel, and they’ll pass through many small villages along the way. They start off walking. When they get to the first village, they hear someone say, “You’d think one of them would ride that donkey; they have such a long distance to go.” So, the father puts his son on the donkey, and they proceed. When they get to the next small village, they hear someone remark, “Look at the young son riding the donkey making his older father walk.” So, the boy gets off the donkey, and the father gets on. When they get to the next village someone says, “You’d think they’d both ride that donkey.” So, they both get on the donkey. In the next village someone comments, “Look at that poor donkey all loaded down with the father, son, and their goods for market!” Now imagine the next scene. The father ties the front legs of the donkey together. The son ties the back legs of the donkey. And they carry the donkey to the next village. What’s the moral of this story? (You can’t please everyone.)
But another very interesting question is, “Which villager was right?” Most commonly, people say, “None of them.” But what I’d like you to consider is that all of them were right. Every villager had a different opinion, and yet they all were right. How could they all be different, and all be right? Because everyone has a different truth. Everyone is different and has had a different life experience about what he or she believes is right or wrong. Who has the truth?
– Excerpt from Doctor’s Orders: Go Fishing by Dean Shrock, Ph.D.
