Ancient Tides

The Donkey, the Horse and the War ~ Fable Number 410

A donkey and a horse belonged to the same man, and each of them did his duty. The horse was granted many special privileges: he had plenty of food to eat, his flowing mane was braided and decorated, and his grooms washed him down with water each and every day. The donkey, on the other hand, was always bent down under the weight of the burden he had to carry. One day the horse’s owner mounted him and rode off into battle. In the clash of opposing forces, the horse was wounded on more than one occasion. When the donkey saw how the horse had been injured and degraded, he congratulated himself on his hard-working life of labor.

Moral: An impoverished life free from fear is much to be preferred to wealth and all its dangers.