A Parable
Some friends were having an argument on facebook due to the recent statements of David Hockney. One declaring that raising kids was special and not boring. Others saying that we are called to more than just raising children.
So I wrote up this Parable...
Once upon a time there once was a boy named Edward who stood 5’6”.
In the same town was another boy named Gus who stood 6’5”.
The boy had been friends all of their lives. After all, it was a small town and they both lived there. One doesn’t get much choice in these things.
Gus and Edward’s dads had been friends all of their lives as well, but when both boys were about thirteen and half, the drought came.
After months of no crops and no rain, both of their families were out of money, hope, and food. Feeling they had no choice, the two dads tricked their sons into going hunting. The dads sent the boys into some brush to “flush out some birds”, and while the boys were gone… They slipped away, leaving whatever gods would to take of their sons, since they knew they had been unable to provide for their offspring.
Gus and Edward soon realized they were alone in the forest. Being bright boys they knew it was up to them to take care of themselves. And so they found a safe place to sleep for the night and took turns staying on watch for wolves and other malicious forest creatures.
The next morning they began to walk in a direction where they hoped to find help and more importantly food. Day after day and night after night for 5 days and nights they traveled. And just when they thought they could go no farther, they saw some light ahead in a clearing. As they approached, Edward got excited to see porridge being served to the small group of people sitting on the ground eating from roughly made wooden bowls. But Gus got even more excited. He said, “Edward! There is a horse-drawn wagon just over this hill, and I can smell decadent food there! And I see a large fire with huge cooking pots!”
Edward got mad at Gus for challenging him. There was perfectly good food to be had right here! Eddie got in line to get a lukewarm bowl of porridge.
Gus ran to the top of the hill where the… hippies? gods? gang of exotic chefs? Whoever they were, they were spooning up white porcelain bowls full of duck stew, and apricots, and freshly baked bread made in the magical oven on their wagon. And they were beckoning. Join us!
Exhausted but invigorated, Gus ran half way back down the hill. “Come on, Eddie! I know you’re tired, and I don’t blame you, but I can help you up the hill! There is an endless bounty there! We’ll never be hungry again! I know you’re not quite tall enough to see, but trust me! I can see it from here!”
Eddie looked at Gus again, even more angrily. “Leave me alone. You don’t get me. Only a selfish person would choose to go up there. This is what I want. I’ve never even seen an... apricot!?! What the hell is that even? I’ve been dreaming of porridge just like this for days! And whatever you see up there is probably going to poison you anyway. Nothing can be that easy. If that’s what you want, fine. But don’t judge me for staying here.”
The other peasants around the fire with Eddie threw out a few disgruntled slurs toward the people on the hill as Gus looked down at them, confused.
Eddie sat down with the peasants and their lone pot of porridge and he smiled as he ate, happy to have what he had.
But Gus couldn’t be happy with porridge. He had seen more. He wanted more for Eddie. He wanted Eddie to see how amazing things could be. If Eddie would just trust him enough to climb the hill! But this was Eddie’s choice. And Eddie could only see what he could. So Gus trudged back up the hill, alone. He was greeted by the hippie gods of the chefs of plenty, ate amazing food until he was stuffed, and that night slept in a warm faux-down bed with silken sheets.
Gus and Eddie never spoke again.
