The pig and the horse
Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 10:39AM This was sent as an e-mail to the IASL listserv by Gerald Browner. Makes, I think, a nice compaion piece to The Pig with a Wooden Leg. Reprinted here with permission.
The Pig And The Horse
There was a farmer who collected horses; he only needed one more breed to complete his collection.
One day, he found out that his neighbor had the particular horse breed he needed so he constantly bothered his neighbor until he sold it to him.
A month later, the horse became ill and he called the veterinarian, who said, "Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days. I'll come back on the 3rd day and if he's not better, we'll have to put him down."
Nearby, the pig listened closely to their conversation. The next day, they gave him the medicine and left.
The pig approached the horse and said, "Be strong, my friend. Get up or else they're going to put you to sleep!"
On the second day, they gave him the medicine and left. The pig came back and said, "Come on buddy, get up or else you're going to die! I'll help you get up. Let's go! One, two, three..."
On the third day, they came to give him the medicine and the vet said, "Unfortunately, we're going to have to put him down tomorrow. Otherwise, the virus might spread and infect the other horses."
After they left, the pig approached the horse and said, "Listen pal, it's now or never! Get up, come on! Have courage! Come on! Get up! Get up! That's it, slowly! Great! Come on, one, two, three... Good, good. Now faster, come on.... Fantastic! Run, run more! Yes! Yay! Yes! You did it, you're a champion!"
The owner came back, saw the horse running in the field and began shouting, "It's a miracle! My horse is cured. This deserves a party. Let's kill the pig!
Points for reflection: This often happens in the workplace. Nobody truly knows which employee actually deserves the merit of success, or who's actually contributing the necessary support to make things happen.
Reader Comments (2)
Great story. I guess sometimes I'm the horse and sometimes I'm the pig.
Hi Elona,
I like these little fables. Wish there were more of them around. Think how many centuries people have been learning from them.
Doug