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For people who get too involved in the fashions of
art, worry too much about what other people think
and generally have become detached from the actual
truths of life. Good remedy against arrogance,
vanity, pride and delusions of grandeur.
A young lord is having a new palace built. He is dressed
in multicoloured silks which are the fashion at this
time, high heels that make him totter on his feet, and
wears an enormous hat. His little daughter follows him
about the work site, shouting at the workers,
complaining and holding a handkerchief to his face to
ward off the dust. Finally they tour the grounds, where
a gardener is about to plant a spruce tree. "I don't
want that there, I want it planted over here!" yells the
lord. The gardener says, "With all respect, Sir, if I do
that, the tree will die."
"So what!" screams the lord, red in his face, "Do as I
say or I will have you beaten till you cry for mercy!"
The gardener stands up straight in his simple work
clothes. He is a powerful man, strong and steady. Calmly
he says, "You can beat me all you like, it won't stop
the tree from dying if you plant it there."
The lord stares at him for a while, then drops his eyes
and stalks off across the grass. His little daughter
looks at the gardener and thinks, "When I grow up, I
want to be like you." |
