WRellim
02-12-2008, 10:03 AM
Just a little story I've always liked... Because a LOT can happen in a year -- even 6 months...
Once upon a time, an old and poor man found a horse running wild, nearly starving, and took it home as his own, where he fed and cared for it.
A few weeks later, the King had heard of this horse, and his soldiers came and arrested the man, saying that the horse was the King's favorite horse and that the man must have stolen the horse.
Because this was so important to the King, the man was brought directly before him for judgment, and the man was allowed to say a few words as to why he should not be swiftly executed. The man's friends begged from the sidelines that he should plead it was a mistake, and that he HAD taken good care of the King's horse and should simply beg for mercy.
But the man, though innocent, knew the futility of that, and would have none of it... Instead he looked the king straight in the eye and said, "Your majesty, I was just beginning to teach your favorite horse to speak, but it will take another year to complete the task. Imagine how grand a king you would be -- to have not only a beautiful horse, but the ONLY talking horse in the world! If I fail, I will return the horse and you may judge me then."
The king was astonished... he had not expected this... and granted the man a stay of judgment for a full year to live; and he further directed his soldiers to return the horse to the man.
Once freed, the man's friends came to him and told him he was insane, he was crazy! No one could teach a horse how to talk -- that was impossible! "And when the king discovers that, he's going to make your execution the most excruciating possible. How could you say promise a thing?"
The man simply smiled. "Well, a year is a long time. A lot can happen in a year," he said. "I am already an old and poor man. I might die of natural causes before the year is over."
And other things can happen in a year, "the king is also old, and he might die and we may have a new king who does not care. Or the king might simply forget all about me and the horse, with so many other important things to attend to."
"Or maybe, just maybe ...if I work at it for a full year, I might even teach that damned horse to talk. I have a whole year, and a year is a long time."
.
Once upon a time, an old and poor man found a horse running wild, nearly starving, and took it home as his own, where he fed and cared for it.
A few weeks later, the King had heard of this horse, and his soldiers came and arrested the man, saying that the horse was the King's favorite horse and that the man must have stolen the horse.
Because this was so important to the King, the man was brought directly before him for judgment, and the man was allowed to say a few words as to why he should not be swiftly executed. The man's friends begged from the sidelines that he should plead it was a mistake, and that he HAD taken good care of the King's horse and should simply beg for mercy.
But the man, though innocent, knew the futility of that, and would have none of it... Instead he looked the king straight in the eye and said, "Your majesty, I was just beginning to teach your favorite horse to speak, but it will take another year to complete the task. Imagine how grand a king you would be -- to have not only a beautiful horse, but the ONLY talking horse in the world! If I fail, I will return the horse and you may judge me then."
The king was astonished... he had not expected this... and granted the man a stay of judgment for a full year to live; and he further directed his soldiers to return the horse to the man.
Once freed, the man's friends came to him and told him he was insane, he was crazy! No one could teach a horse how to talk -- that was impossible! "And when the king discovers that, he's going to make your execution the most excruciating possible. How could you say promise a thing?"
The man simply smiled. "Well, a year is a long time. A lot can happen in a year," he said. "I am already an old and poor man. I might die of natural causes before the year is over."
And other things can happen in a year, "the king is also old, and he might die and we may have a new king who does not care. Or the king might simply forget all about me and the horse, with so many other important things to attend to."
"Or maybe, just maybe ...if I work at it for a full year, I might even teach that damned horse to talk. I have a whole year, and a year is a long time."
.