The wind and the sun – push or pull?

On a long and uneventful day during the middle of autumn, Sun and Wind were both chilling out up in the sky; bored stiff with nothing to do….

Before long, Wind noticed a lone travelling man walking down below wearing an unbuttoned coat. A naughty idea popped into Wind’s mind that to make fun of Sun.

Wind raised his nose at Sun and sneered: “I’m the man!”

Startled by the challenge, Sun looked at Wind suspiciously; thinking to himself – what is Wind up to now?

“No, I am the man!” the Sun countered.

Wind, happy that he has baited Sun, merrily said: “You want to bet?”

“How?” said the Sun, with a questioning eye.

Wind pointed at the traveller down below: “Whoever can separate the coat from the man below is the man!”

Sun was just about to protest to Wind on the “unfairness” of this challenge, but after taking a second look at the travelling man, Sun smiles quietly in his heart.

“OK, you go first.” Sun spoke hesitantly, putting his poker face on.

Wind rubbed his hands and took a deep breath. Then with all his might, he blew and blew at the travelling man below.

To Wind’s surprise, no matter how hard he blew, the man simply buttoned up his coat and marched on. Yes, Wind managed to knock the man off his feet a couple of times, but the coat stubbornly stayed on the man’s back.

Finally after turning blue from all the blowing, Wind gave up…..

“It’s a draw! If I can’t separate the coat from the man, there’s no way you can do it.” Wind confidently declared to Sun. Thinking that Sun will accept his “charity” of a draw.

“Now not so fast Wind,” said the Sun smiling.

The Sun just stretched out his hands and shines his sun rays on the man. Before long, perspirations started to appear on the man’s forehead. And lo and behold! Feeling hot, the man unbuttoned his coat, took it off, and folded it neatly over his arms.

Wind looked on in disbelief….. His face changed from disbelief to anger, then to dismay and resignation. Wind turned to the Sun and smiled sheepishly: “You’re the man Sun! You win! Tonight’s beer is on me.”

  
Wind realised that it is not the Sun that has outwitted him, but it is he who has dug the hole for himself. Yup, too clever for his own good! And he is not going to be a sore loser. Fair is fair!

Sun put his arms around wind and whispered modestly: “I just got lucky!”

My adaptation of this Greek Aesop fable is similar to the saying: “You can’t push on the string, you have to pull it.”

This story is to express the “roar of my heart” on past and recent events:

1)   A religious leader making fun of the practices of another religion.

2)   A senior politician making uncalled for comparison with farmers.

3)   A salesman trying too hard to sell his viewpoint by belittling the financial returns of a financial blogger.

(All these are not new. When I was growing up in the 70s, I’ve heard parents telling their children to study hard – if not they will become road sweepers and construction workers…. Now what’s wrong with making an honest living?)

Of course in their defense, all of them meant well. They will say it’s their passion or calling to help “motivate” others to “improve”.

But still, it’s still reeks a bit like school during holidays – no class.

Imagine a world where we bow to the “push” of brainy hard cold numbers:

a)   Growing the size of a congregation by X% as and end.

b)   Using GDP as a happiness index for citizens?

c)   And assuming the number of zeros in our bank account as equating to greater “superiority”……

And we wonder why we are stressed and not satisfied!?

Will numbers pull on my heart strings? I think not!

The small price to pay for listening to my heart is to be labelled as:

1)     You don’t get it.

2)     Stupid

3)     Fool

4)     Lost cause

5)     Renegade

6)     People like you

Oh well, it’s only words…..