"THE 'KING'S' BURDEN"
WHO SHALL BE KING:
A monarch of long ago had twin sons. There was some
confusion about which one was born first. As they
grew
to young manhood, the king sought a fair way to
designate one of them as crown prince. All who knew
the young men thought them equal in intelligence,
wit,
personal charm, health, and physical strength.
Being a keenly observant king, he thought he
detected
a trait in one which was not shared by the other.
Calling them to his council chamber one day, he
said,
"My sons, the day will come when one of you must
succeed me as king. The burdens of sovereignty are
very heavy. To find out which of you is better able
to
bear them cheerfully, I am sending you together to a
far corner of the kingdom. One of my advisors there
will place equal burdens on your shoulders. My crown
will one day go to the one who first returns bearing
his burden like a king should."
In a spirit of friendly competition, the brothers
set
out together. Soon they overtook an aged woman
struggling under a burden that seemed far too heavy
for her frail body.
One of the boys suggested that they stop to help
her.
The other protested: "We have a burden of our own to
worry about. Let us be on our way."
The objector hurried on while the other stayed
behind
to give aid to the aged woman.
Along the road, from day to day, he found others who
also needed help. A blind man took him miles out of
his way, and a lame man slowed him to a cripple's
walk.
Eventually he did reach his father's advisor, where
he
secured his own burden and started home with it
safely
on his shoulders.
When he arrived at the palace, his brother met him
at
the gate, and greeted him with dismay. He said, "I
don't understand. I told our father the burden was
too
heavy to carry. However did you do it?"
The future king replied thoughtfully, "I suppose
when
I helped others carry their burdens, I found the
strength to carry my own."
- Author Unknown
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