Owl’s Fables
The Glass
There was once a wise and benevolent king, who was very concerned for his kingdom. It was in turmoil. People were fighting each other in the streets, disagreeing about every little thing. He was concerned that a civil war might break out. One day he devised a plan that he hoped would save his kingdom from tearing itself in half. He put a glass half filled with water on the dais in the central square and asked everybody in the kingdom to come and behold its perplexing nature. He promised a great reward for the person who could give the most astute, accurate, and deep analysis of the object in question. People gathered around excitingly, hoping to win the king’s reward.
“My beloved people,” said the king, “in front of you is the most bewildering thing I have ever encountered. Its deep mysteries keep me awake at night. I toss and turn, my mind in agony over this deep conundrum: is the glass before you half empty or is it half full?”
A beautiful young women, who had recently got engaged to her longtime lover, stepped up and said “My lord, I do believe the glass is half full. Look at how the water shimmers with such delight, as if filled with a thousand diamonds. Surely this delicious water begs to be noticed!”
A sad young lad, known in the kingdom to be so unusually slow and dumb-witted that he was considered unfit to wed, stepped up and said “No your majesty, I think this glass is half empty. No glass that has that much empty space up top could possibly be considered full. If it’s not full to the brim, it’s not full at all.”
A man holding a baby with three young children around him stepped up next. He was desperate to win the king’s reward as he had a large family to feed and was burdened by the responsibility of being a single parent, as his wife had died the previous year. He ventured, “My king, I do believe the glass is half full. No one should care if there is air in the cup. The only thing that matters is what resources are provided, even if only a little, and the water that is present should be given precedence.”
“No, no” said an old woman who was so unpleasant that the even her own family avoided her if they could. “The glass is clearly half empty. The air in the glass can’t be seen at all, no-one even notices it is there. But it deserves some attention and consideration. I think the air should win out over the water and that it is only fair to consider the glass half empty.”
An elderly man who was very good in business said “My king, the glass is clearly half full. No one can sell you air, but I could sell that glass of water to a drowning man. One must learn to prioritize what is useful to get the upper hand and what isn’t.”
Another woman, who was very afraid and anxious, stepped forward and said “Your highness, the glass is half empty because air is more important than water. You can live for days without water but would die in only a few minutes without air! We need air more!”
The debate was getting heated now and people began to bicker out of turn. Before the fighting could grow intense, the king asked for silence.
“My people, you have all given me much to consider. But before I make my decision, I would like to hear from some of our young ones. I see a child in the crowd. Please little one, step forward and tell me what you think.”
A shy child, calm and full of innocence, stepped forward. “Your majesty, I think this is not a glass of water at all. It is a mirror."
Moral: Your view of the world is your own projection.
