'We are all of us born in moral stupidity, taking
the world as an udder to feed our supreme selves'
George Elliot, Middlemarch, ch. XXI
There were once three wise men. Every day they would get together and deplore the lousy state of affairs in the world, the wide spread suffering and deprivation, the pointless wars people waged against one another, the lack of a vision and purpose of life itself. Discussing, they each tried to conceive ways in which they could contribute to making the world a better place. Thus, the first man founded a trade and became a merchant; the second founded a cult and became a cleric; and the third founded a school and became a teacher.
Employing their outstanding wisdom and sagacity, they all became successful in their respective paths. The merchant grew his trade into a successful enterprise which employed many hundreds of people and brought wealth and prosperity to all its employees. His vision and knack for the workings of the market won him respect amongst his people and everyone followed his lead with utmost enthusiasm and devotion.
The cleric gathered many followers. His sermons eased the ills of a great deal of people and soothed a great deal of souls. The members of his church were kind and thoughtful and with them carried their kindness and their thoughtfulness to the families and the communities to which they belonged. Under the guidance of his wisdom, the inevitable hardships of life became more bearable, the quarrels which aroused amongst people were readily settled and the hopeful collaboration within the community brought it well-being and affluence.
Finally, the teacher taught many tens of students in his school. His lessons opened their minds and helped fulfil their full potential. His graduates went on to live happy and prosperous lives and to make the lives of those around them equally as happy and as prosperous. The outstanding skill and passion the teacher showed for his classes inspired and won the affection of hundreds of people and through the benefits of knowledge his community became very successful.
But as time went by the three men began to feel the nearing of old age. One day, after many years, they got together to talk about how they may pass on their legacy to future generations. They argued for many days over which would be the best way to do this and finally they each decided to attempt a different approach. The merchant wrote a book of rules, detailed and authoritative, which would provide guidance in any foreseeable situation. The cleric decided to go the way of duty and tradition, and began to teach a set of practices to some of the most intelligent members of his church. Finally, the teacher chose to go the way of virtue, and began to teach his students which values had to be praised and which vices had to be condemned.
Soon thereafter the three men died. Their legacy was prised and revered and their communities carried on in its spirit for many years. But soon time took its toll. The merchant's book of rules began to become outdated. Situations aroused that were not anticipated, new challenges faced those in charge of conducting his business. The cleric's tradition began to be perverted; the men to whom he passed on his wisdom began to forget the details of his teachings and, as generations replaced one another, the original customs insidiously began to change. To prevent the tradition from fading, some clerics tried to write it down. But the writings were sometimes poorly phrased or incomplete and those who inherited them often failed to interpret them accurately and adequately. Some were even malicious and self-serving, perverting the spirit of duty to further their own ends. Finally, the teacher's school began to fall short of its calling. The new teachers were less able and less visionary. They often sounded doctrinal and dry. The virtues they still tried to instil within their students often did not resonate with the needs and challenges of modern life. The teachers, lacking wisdom, failed to understand how to adapt. Thus, the rules became dogmatic, the traditions - dated, the virtues - obsolete.
Many centuries later, a group of young people scurried silently along the corridors of their town's old museum. When they came to the entrance hall, they were brought before a portrait of the three wise men, which stood hanging beneath the words These wise men held the secret to a prosperous, glorious living. Leaning to his friend, one of the students scoffed: "Selfish bastards, keeping all that knowledge to themselves".
 |
| The Garden Of Earthly Delights, a triptych by early Netherlandish Master Hieronymus Bosch |
