THE GREAT BURDEN

A pack mule and his owner were walking up a hill. The mule had a load on his back, which he carried every day to town, with the goods to be sold by his owner once they got there. The mule was always complaining and saying, 'Why do I have to carry this heavy burden up this hill everyday, with no compensation for myself, except board and lodging? It seems like an extremely unfair arrangement to me.' And so he would keep on complaining, while his owner just nudged him on to keep on walking. Just then a large elephant and his driver came trudging by. The elephant had a heavy load of wood on his back, and he carried this great weight with little effort up the hill, walking by the mule and his owner, step by step. The owner said to the mule, 'You should be more like that elephant. He must be carrying a ton on his back, and he does his work everyday without complaint.' When the elephant had walked on, the mule felt slightly better about his own situation. He walked on easily after that thinking, 'At least I don't have to carry a ton on my back everyday like that elephant. Maybe my load isn't that burdensome after all.' Life seldom gives us more than our burden to carry.