grnpa607

Once upon a time lived a potter. He had a son. One day father and son decided to go to a nearby town's market place. They took their donkey along with them. They walked along with the father in the lead, donkey in the middle and the son at the back. After crossing the first village on their way they saw some boys playing on the outskirts of the village. The boys stopped to watch them pass by and one of them said, "Look at these fools. The donkey is without any load on its back. Why can't the father let the son sit on the donkey's back?"
On hearing this the potter thought that he was making a mistake and he asked his son to sit on the donkey's back and he with his long stick continued walking beside the donkey.

After a little while they came across another village. A group of old men were seated at the teashop by the roadside and were gossiping. They looked at the potters' procession and one of them said, " Well this is really Kaliyug (the evil Age). Look at this sight. Whilst the young and sturdy boy is sitting comfortably on the donkey the old father is trudging along with difficulty at his side. The son is not bothered at all!"
Both the potter and his son heard these remarks. The son felt ashamed of himself. He got off the donkey's back and asked his father to sit on its back. This was done and they again proceeded towards their destination.
After a little while whilst crossing the third village they came across a group of women drawing water from the village well. On seeing the father seated and the son walking. One of them on seeing this remarked, "Look at this strange sight. The father rides the donkey and his son is walking alongside in this heat. Why can't the father allow his son also to sit on the donkey behind him."
The impressionable father and his son heard all this and since the town was now a short distance away the father asked the son to hop on the donkey's back. Both father and son now astride the donkey proceeded to their destination.

On the outskirts of the town, a city dweller saw the father and the son both riding the donkey. Directing a stream of questions towards the potter he said, " Does this donkey belong to you? Is this way you treat a poor dumb animal? Have you no pity for the donkey? The poor animal may collapse and die under your weight. It will be better if you two carry the donkey for some time!"
The impressionable father and his son again tried to what others had to say. The father and son forced the donkey to lie down. Tied its front legs together and then its back legs together. The father the inserted his stout stick in between the donkeys' legs. They then took the long pole like stick on their shoulders and started walking to their destination with the donkey dangling from the stick.
Many boys seeing this strange site started following them. Soon a small crowd was walking along behind them. Whilst crossing a small stream which had wooden planks as a bridge on their way, the donkey got scared as it saw the water far below and heard the noise that the crowd was making. It started struggling to free itself. The rope tying its legs together snapped. The donkey fell into the shallow stream and hurt itself.

The father and son with great difficulty got the donkey out of the water and hired a cart to take it home. It would take months of care to make the donkey healthy again for work.
The father realizing the mistakes he had made said, " Son we have thoughtlessly listened to what others had to say about what we should or should not do. We nearly paid a very heavy price for not using our judgement and blindly doing what others wanted us to do. We will hence forth listen to all but will do what our own judgement says is right."