Week 10 Story: The Wise and the Young Merchant

    One fine day under the beating desert sun, a group of merchants gathered in the town square. Among them were two merchants who were going to be traveling the same path and selling the same goods. One of them was old and wise, and the other was young and had just begun to work as a merchant. When the young man heard that they would be travelling the same road, he immediately thought that it would be prudent to go first. That way his cows could feed on grass that had not yet been eaten and he could set the prices for his goods in the towns. As he was hurriedly packing his bags to leave, the old man approached him. 

    "Let us travel together." he said. "I know the way across the desert. These many years of travelling have taught me where the watering holes are and how to avoid the demons that would seek to carry you off! But my bones are growing weak and I could use your help in setting up camp and loading up my goods."

    "But what of the cattle and the grass they will eat? What of the prices of our goods in the town?" replied the young man. 

    "If you travel with me, I will show you where the best grazing fields are. Both our cattle will arrive at the town fat and well-rested. Then, if we discuss what would be a fair price for us both, we can sell our goods together. That way, one of us can work at the stall while the other goes out and shepherds people to the tent." said the old man.

    The young man pondered this offer, and decided to accept. Together, the young and the old man travelled across the desert. The old man knew not to trust a prince who cast no shadow, as it meant he was a demon. Once they had crossed the desert, the cattle feasted on fine, fresh grass in a hidden grove, the old man knew shortcuts to the town, and working together, there they sold all their goods. 

    Many years later, the young man's wagon was full with jewels, silks, and other finery to sell. Yet his bones had now begun to creak and he was no longer spry enough to load his own wagon or shepherd his own clients. But he had grown wise in the paths through the desert and how to cross it safely, and one day he met a young man one fine day under a beating desert sun. They were going to travel the same path and sell their goods in the same town. 

    "Let us travel together." he said. "I have been taught the way across the desert. I know where the watering holes are and how to avoid the demons that would seek to carry you off! But my bones are growing weak and I could use your help in setting up camp and loading up my goods."

    The young man looked at him and pondered his offer...

(Merchants. Source: Picryl)

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Wise and Foolish Merchant

Author's Note: When reading the story "the Wise and the Foolish Merchant", I actually viewed the "wise" merchant as the real antagonist of the story. While I understand that the story is trying to say that sometimes going first is not always better (and the point must also be made that the "foolish" merchant is trying to pull one over on the "wise" merchant), the "wise" merchant knew exactly what was going to happen to the "foolish" one, meaning that he willfully lets him have a terrible trip (though I don't necessarily know that I can make the claim that the "wise" merchant knew that the "foolish" one was going to be carried off my demons). The "wise" merchant then steals the wagons and the goods from the "foolish" one! What a jerk! As it stands, I viewed the moral of this story to be "it is OK to lie, exploit, and steal (and perhaps also send people to their deaths) for your own gain". I wanted to do a retelling of this story in which the moral reads "lying, stealing, and exploiting may get you riches in the short term, but working together and helping those around you will lead to even greater riches". I think this is a much more powerful moral. 

Reading Notes, Babbitt Jataka Tales, Part B

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Wise and Foolish Merchant

Notes: While I understand what the story is trying to say with regards to being "wise" and "foolish", I honestly viewed the "wise" merchant as being the real antagonist in this story. I mean, he knew exactly what was going to happen to the "foolish" merchant when he let him go first, which means that he willfully allowed him to have a terrible time just so that he could have a smooth road. While I don't necessarily know that I can make the claim that the "wise" merchant knew that the "foolish" one was going to be carried off my demons, stealing the "foolish" merchant's wagons and goods after he had been abducted/killed/possessed was despicable enough. Instead of this story being called "The Wise and the Foolish Merchant", I think it ought to be called "The Inexperienced and the Exploiting Merchant". Because, lets be real here, that is what is happening.  

        If I were to re-tell this story, I would either choose to write an epilogue in which the "wise" merchants ways come back to bite him or one in which the "foolish" and the "wise" merchant work together and achieve significantly better results. As it stands, the moral of this story is that it is OK to lie, exploit, and steal (and perhaps also send people to their deaths) for your own gain. I think it would be much better either to spin the moral either as "lying, stealing, and exploiting may get you riches in the short term, but will lead to unhappiness and self-destruction in the long-term" or that "lying, stealing, and exploiting may get you riches in the short term, but working together and helping those around you will lead to even greater riches". I think I prefer the second moral, because happy endings are more fun!

(Merchants. Source: Picryl)

Reading Notes, Babbitt Jataka Tales, Part A

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: A Measure of Rice

Notes: I really like the concept behind this story for a couple of different reasons. First, I great up listening to and reading lots of Aesop's Fables, so I have a soft spot for moralistic tales. What is interesting about this story is that there are actually a couple of different morals that it is possible to identify. There is that of the foolish king who did not appreciate the good work of his subjects and was greedy. There is also something of a moral behind the story of the valuer himself. He is thrust into a position that he is completely unprepared and untrained for, and after he tries to do his best with the situation that he has been put in he is ridiculed and banished from court!

        I also think another interesting thing that would be possible to explore in a story is that of "what are things worth?" While in our current society and our current positions, we may knw what has value to us and to society (dollar bills have value), it is interesting to think about how what has value can change across cultures, with age, and even simple designation (dollar bills only have value because we have all agreed that they do). I think it could be interesting to do a story in which the greedy king is represented by the government, and then to talk about the arbitrary designation of "value." This would be easy to do in the context of inflation (what is "one dollar" actually worth and the fact that it cost more than a penny to make a penny). The similarities do not stop there, unfortunately, as the process of inflation in the United States has made the US dollar much lass powerful globally. This could be a parallel to the other members of the court laughing at the king (other countries and the US). 

(Masked Ben Franklin. Source: Pixabay)