A Fable

There was a king in a far away land whose good will and kindness to his subjects was legendary. He was tall, intelligent and had a strikingly handsome face. His queen was equally dedicated to her subjects and she was as beautiful as the morning star. Their union lifted the spirits of the kingdom and with it the promise of a new prosperity.

For years the king and queen built the kingdom into a paradise with new roads, farm houses, hunting grounds and markets. The people waited for the announcement of a new member of the royal family but as each year passed no such announcement was made. There was speculation among the court and in the fields that the queen was barren. How could this kingdom be sustained if there was no heir to maintain the promises of the king?

Then, word began to trickle out of corners of the kitchen and stables that there was indeed a child, but not the child that was expected. The workers were steadfast in their love for their masters and little more information ever came out to the general population. Of course the people began to speculate about this mysterious child. First, the people thought the child was so beautiful and delicate that it needed protecting from the eyes of the general population. Then, some said the child was being prepared for the duties of royalty and was not yet ready to make a public appearance.

The wondering about the child and the speculation about it began to erode the confidence of the subjects. And, as is the tendency in such matters, the more the confidence in the king weakened, the more blame found its way to the supposed child. The king and queen were not without knowledge of this growing discontent, but they had a problem.

Royalty is not without its downside. Many of us suppose the life of grandeur and privilege, but always manage to leave out the responsibility of such a life. The king and queen had carefully built a world of harmony and equanimity in their kingdom by being open and inclusive with their subjects. In return the subjects were trusting and constructive in their behavior. This new element of what seemed to be secrecy and separation had begun to alienate the common folk. But, because the king had waited so long to tell his people about the situation he had created a difficult and complicated problem. This would require consultation with the queen and his inner circle of advisers.

Now the king was an honest man with great integrity and so was his queen. But, as is so often the case, honesty is more easily applied if there is no negative impact on our own life. That is why honesty seems so much clearer in cases involving someone other than ourselves. It is also far easier to apply honesty as early as possible since waiting seems to introduce additional elements that grow out of control in a hurry. The king wanted to right this growing dissonance that was permeating his kingdom but he kept thinking of reasons the simple truth would be harmful to his subjects.

So after hours of discussing the problem and against the will of his queen and counselors the king decided he would take matters in his own hands and under the veil of secrecy make a move that utterly confused and unsettled his beautiful queen and his capable and faithful counselors. 

To be continued…

©Herb Ratliff, November 27, 2012, All Rights Reserved