The Father, The Son, and The Donkey

Once upon a time, a Father and his Son were taking their Donkey to the market to sell it. They walked along the road, leading the Donkey behind them.

Soon, they passed a group of girls washing clothes by a stream. One of the girls laughed and said, “Look at those fools! They are walking when they could be riding the Donkey!”

The Father thought this made sense, so he lifted his Son onto the Donkey’s back, and they continued on their way.

A little further down the road, they passed a group of old men sitting by the village gate. “For shame!” shook one of the old men at the Son. “Look at that lazy boy, riding while his poor old Father walks!”

The Son, feeling ashamed, climbed down and insisted that his Father ride instead. So the Father mounted the Donkey, and the Son walked alongside.

They hadn’t gone far when they met a woman and her child. “How cruel!” she cried. “That strong man is riding comfortably while his poor little boy struggles to keep up!”

The Father, confused and trying to do the right thing, pulled his Son up to sit behind him. Now both of them were riding the Donkey.

Near the market, a farmer shouted at them, “You unkind people! That poor animal is exhausted carrying two heavy humans! You should be carrying him!”

The Father and Son sighed. They really wanted to do the right thing. So, they tied the Donkey’s legs to a long pole and carried him upside down between them.

As they crossed a bridge, the Donkey got scared and kicked loose. He fell into the river and swam away.

The Father and Son looked at each other, soaking wet and empty-handed. They learned a hard lesson that day.

Moral of the Story: If you try to please everyone, you might end up pleasing no one and losing your donkey too!