A horse and a donkey were once coming from the market.
The donkey was carrying heavy load on his back, and the horse was lightly running. Halfway down the road, the donkey felt tired and barely able to breathe. He asked the horse to take some of his load.
But the horse would not listen. A little later, the donkey begged once again: “I cannot take it anymore! Help me, please!”
But the horse couldn’t care less.
After a while, the road went uphill, and the donkey asked for help one last time. The horse refused once again. The donkey, unable to go on, fell powerless to the ground.
There was nothing left to do. The owner took down the load from the donkey and put the whole load on the horse’s back. Now, it was the donkey who was running lightly, and the horse who was huffing and puffing for the both of them.
The Lesson
- Help others! If not because you have a pure heart, then at least because you can benefit from it.
Source
- Teaching the Fool – What May Heal the Dead. SP, 2003.