I posted this first on December 8th, 2010, and this is the second time I have reprinted it, but with every passing year, the story seems even more relevant than it did back then. DS
David Seaton's News Links
Once
upon a time in a far off and pleasant land, during the reign of King
George the Idiot, there lived a young man who dreamed of fame and
greatness.
He
yearned so long and so deeply, that the Good Fairy was moved by his
constant pleading and praying and appeared before him in all her beauty
and magic splendor.
"Young
man," she said, "because of the depth and especially because of the
unusual insistence of your desires, I have decided to grant you three
wishes. After each wish I shall disappear until the wish has been
granted and then return to grant your next request. Now, think hard,
what is the first boon that you wish for?"
The
young man thought for a moment and said, "Oh Good Fairy, I would like to
write my life story and have everyone in the kingdom read it and think
that I am wonderful."
"Really?"
asked the Good Fairy, "Since you are very young and haven't done very
much, that will be a lot of work for me... Are you sure?"
"Puhleeeeeeeeeeze!" the young man begged.
"So be it!" said the Good Fairy, and disappeared.
No
sooner had the Good Fairy left then the young man sat down at his table
where the few sheets of paper on it magically multiplied into hundreds,
and soon a magic quill pen appeared out of thin air, and taking it in
his hand he began to write well into the night, as if his hand had a
life of its own, which indeed it had.
He
awoke the next morning to find that a thick manuscript sat on the table
before him. As in a trance he took it in his arms and presented it to a
publisher, who, as if hypnotized, immediately ordered all other work
in his print shop to stop and for all the printers to work at nothing
else but printing the young man's life story.
The
very next day the freshly printed life story of the young man appeared
in all the book shops of the land, and it sold out immediately. In no
time at all the entire Kingdom could talk of little else than the young
man's fascinating life story.
He sat at home enjoying his new found fame, when the Good Fairy appeared for a second time.
"It is time for your second wish." the beautiful Good Fairy said, "Have you thought of what you want to wish for?"
"As a
matter of fact I have." the young man replied, "I would like a golden
tongue and the power of rhetoric, so that all who hear me will be
enchanted by whatever I say, no matter how pompous and platitudinous it
might be".
"That won't be so difficult." the Good Fairy said, "Talk is cheap. Are you sure that is all you want?"
"Puhleeeeeeeeeeeze!" the young man implored.
"So be it!" said the Good Fairy, and disappeared.
In a
short time everyone in the entire kingdom sat in awe of the young man's
marvelous speeches, their mouths dropping open, while visions of
sugar-plums danced their heads, as they dreamed of the beautiful land of
milk and honey that the young man's golden tongue evoked. Soon crowds
followed him wherever he went hanging on his every word.
The Good Fairy appeared for the third time.
"Think
carefully young man" she said slowly and gravely, "This is your last
wish..." She paused, "Have you decided what you want now?"
"Oh yes!" he cried out, "Old King George is abdicating... I want to be King!"
The
Good Fairy looked at him steadily and for a brief instant a cloud of
melancholy crossed her charming features. "Are you absolutely sure,
young man? George wanted the job as much as you do and look at what a
horrible time he is having, all he wants to do now is to retire into the
forest and cut brush like a common wood cutter. Are you absolutely
sure?"
"Puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!" the young man wailed.
She shrugged her pretty shoulders.
"So be it!" said the Good Fairy and disappeared.
No
sooner than she had disappeared a great clamor rose up in the land and
great cheering crowds appeared before the young man's home and he was
carried on their shoulders though the gates of the palace and crowned
king of the land with all pomp and splendor. Masses were sung and
soldiers paraded and all was feasting and wassailing for days on end as
the kingdom reveled in the joy of having such a splendid new ruler.
And then...
The
magic spell wore off: the money lenders appeared with insatiable demands
and the treasury was emptied by endless wars and sadness gripped the
people. In the market place and in the countryside the peasants and
nobles muttered and plotted against the new king. The adoring courtiers
that once clustered around him, showering him with flattery, abandoned
him to his fate and returned to their homes to write their memoirs.
The
young man tried to speak to the people as of old, but his tongue seemed
glued to his palate and nothing but mumbling issued from his mouth.
One
night in the darkened palace, with his hair turned gray, he slumped on
his throne in the empty throne room, abandoned by all, weeping
disconsolately and ruing his fate.
"Woe is me," he sobbed, "How did I ever get into this mess?"
"Woe is me," he sobbed, "How did I ever get into this mess?"
And then...
The Good Fairy appeared for a fourth time.
The young king fell on his knees and implored her, "Can you help me?" he groaned.
"Sorry,
you're on your own now, buster", she replied, a hardness he had never
seen before was in her eyes and a coldness he had never heard before
was in her voice... once so sweet, now metallic. Slowly her beauty
vanished and before him stood a hideous hag.
"You
had your three wishes" the apparition said, "I gave you everything you
asked for. You could have asked for wisdom, you could have asked for a
long life and the gift of contentment, but this is what you wished for,
so you have made this misery all by yourself."
"I wish I had never seen you!" the young king shouted, "I wish you didn't exist!"
"So be it." said the Good Fairy and disappeared for the last time.
Moral: Everyone has their wants and their wishes but if a fairy asks, don't tell. DS
2 comments:
One glaring lacuna in the Obama White House is the type of minder that W. had in Cheney. The sole vision or goal of team Obama was to get their product into the White House where they have floundered ever since taking possession of it. His people have, like he, plenty of personal ambition but none for the nation, save generic uplifting rhetoric. No thought to the heavy lifting political power requires nor the expenditure of that power to achieve goals which apparently were never formulated beyond winning election and re-election. So he reconducts W.'s Defense Secretary, lets Pentagon Generals, the CIA, the NSA, the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries call the shots because no critical, hard thinking was spent on what an Obama administration would strive to achieve. He concedes on everything before the battles even begin because he wants to be seen as a Reaganesque (specious) uniter. His administration is now paying the cost, domestically and internationally, for letting Washington run on autopilot. One can detest Cheney for myriad reasons but he knew where he wanted to take the country. 9/11 just made it all the easier to get there. Rahm Emanuel only wanted Chicago as a personal fiefdom, others excelled at harnessing new social media for election campaigns--Obama's "muscle" had no time for policy. He will probably be remembered for two things--not Obamacare but its disastrous rollout and targeted assassinations via drones, making him, in the inimitable Cornel West's words, the global George Zimmerman.
Remember he never managed even a Boy Scout troop before entering the White House.... I doubt if he'll ever manage anything again. When he leaves he'll bet rich giving speeches, which is what he does best.
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