As I was driving, managing traffic and weather from Hillsboro to Vancouver from one interpretation job to another, I was reminded of story today.
It is the story of Pedro, a Mexican farmer, and of his son, Luis, going to market to buy a donkey. They had worked and saved long and hard to buy the donkey that will make their farm life much easier. The donkey will pull a cart and even carry things from one place to the other. Luis was glad to go to the city. He doesn’t often get the chance to leave the busy farm, but Pedro was apprehensive. City folks made him uncomfortable. They left the farm one sunny morning. Pedro walked quietly along while Luis skipped everywhere looking at everything on the way. They arrived at the market; found and bought the perfect donkey; ate something at the local cantina; and wanting to get back before dark, started their way home. Very soon a group of city people passing by were mocking them. “Look at these silly country folks. They have a donkey, and they are both walking. How silly!”. Pedro then decided that both he and Luis should ride the donkey. Very soon, another group passed by and looked at them in horror. “Look at these cruel country folks both riding on this poor donkey!” Pedro decided that Luis should ride the donkey while he walked until another group on the other side of the road yelled in disgust . “Look at this ungrateful son letting his father walk while he rides on the donkey!”. Pedro was starting to wonder if you ever please people. He got on the donkey and told Luis to walk until a person accused him of being a cruel father letting his son walk while he rode on the donkey. It is then that Pedro had the perfect idea. He and Luis got a big pole to which they attached the donkey upside down by its hooves, and carried the donkey to the utter confusion of the city people. Whether a King, President, Senator, Director, Manager, Officer, or team leader, one thing is certain, ‘We may please some of the people all the time. We may please all of the people some of the time. But we will never please all the people all the time. It seems that even God has that problem. We just have to make the decisions that we feel are the best at the moment and live with the results.
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