Today I would like to tell you an interesting and thought-provoking short story from an old book of fables, Aesop’s Fables. The story is about a donkey who doesn’t like to use his head because he doesn’t know how to be flexible, and as a result he suffers a great loss. Although it sounds a bit funny, it actually tells us a lot of truth that adults and children can look at.
I. The merchant and his new donkey
A long time ago, there was a merchant who often had to go from one town to another to sell things. Because he had to carry a lot of things, he couldn’t carry them on his back alone, so he bought a donkey to help him carry the goods.
The donkey looked quite strong and walked steadily, and every time he crossed the river, he was able to carry his goods safely. Although he was sometimes tired, he never complained and always did his best to complete the task.
One day, the merchant bought a lot of salt to take across the river to sell. He put the salt in sacks and piled them neatly on the donkey’s back. When the donkey saw so many sacks, he began to murmur in his heart, “This is too much, how can I carry it?
As he walked, he thought, “If only I could carry less. So he began to think of ways to be lazy.
Second, the first “successful” attempt
The next day, the merchant asked the donkey to carry the salt across the river. As the donkey was crossing the river, the water was a little fast, and the donkey stumbled over a rock and fell. The sack of salt on his back fell into the water.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the salt touched the water, it began to melt slowly. When the donkey got up, he realized that the burden on his body was suddenly much lighter, and he was overjoyed!
“Wow, that makes it easier!” The donkey thought, “Looks like I’ve found a good solution.
From then on, every time the donkey carried salt across the river, he would pretend to fall and get the bag of salt wet on purpose. This way, the salt became less and it was much easier for him to carry.
Although the merchant noticed that the salt was a little less each time, he never knew what was wrong and could only shake his head and sigh. The donkey, on the other hand, was secretly happy and felt particularly clever.
III. Trouble with the Cotton
After a few days, the merchant received another shipment. This time it was not salt, but cotton. As usual, he packed the cotton into sacks and put them on the donkey’s back to send to the other side of the river.
When the donkey saw the cotton, he wasn’t worried at all. Because he thought, “That worked well with salt last time, so it should work this time! Anyway, if you get the bag wet, the weight will go down.
So, as usual, he deliberately fell down while crossing the river and dipped the cotton bag into the water.
But this time it was different!
Instead of dissolving in the water like salt, the cotton became heavier and heavier as it absorbed the water. The donkey felt like he had a mountain on his back and couldn’t get up. Before he could react, the river swept him down and finally he was swept into the river with his load.
The poor donkey sank in the water because the cotton on his back was too heavy, and he could not get out.
IV. What Can We Learn?
This story is a bit exaggerated, but it teaches us some very important lessons:
1. Different things need to be treated differently
Salt and cotton are both things the merchant wants to ship, but they are completely different in nature. Salt melts when it comes into contact with water and becomes lighter, while cotton absorbs water and becomes heavier. The donkey didn’t understand this and only thought of solving the problem in the old way, which ended up hurting him.
In life we often encounter similar situations. For example, some problems can be solved by resting, but some problems need to be faced seriously. You can’t just copy the old way of doing things, you have to learn to analyze the situation.
2. Don’t always think of shortcuts
The donkey came up with the “trick” in the beginning to save energy, but he didn’t think about the consequences. He thought he was taking advantage of the situation, but in fact he was cheating others and hurting himself.
We should be honest in what we do and not always think of playing smart. Those seemingly smart ways, if they are not reasonable, can bring trouble in the end.
3. It is important to know more about science.
If the donkey knew the different properties of salt and cotton, he wouldn’t have made the wrong choice. So it is really useful to learn more. Whether it’s in life or in work, knowing more can make you do better.
V. Words for Children
Dear children, did you think of anything after listening to this story?
We can remember some points:
- Everything has its own characteristics. Just like salt and cotton, although they are both things to be transported, they are treated differently. So when we encounter a problem, we should not only rely on experience, but also use our brains to think about it.
- Don’t always think of being lazy or taking shortcuts. If you always try to find the easy way out, you may miss the essence of the problem and end up suffering instead.
- Read and study more. Only by acquiring more knowledge can we avoid making mistakes and better cope with various challenges in life.
VI. To Summarize
This story is about a donkey who doesn’t know how to be adaptable, and it has serious consequences as a result of blindly applying past experiences. All of us will encounter different problems in our lives, but we must learn to take different approaches according to different situations.
I hope you will be inspired by this story after listening to it. In the future, no matter what you encounter, you should observe and think carefully so that you can make the right decision.
