A Farmer and his Donkey

Today my friend shared a story about a Farmer and his Donkey. A story which I had heard 4 years ago at a Seminar. Though the story seemed to be focusing on the donkey, I see a different side of the story. Before I tell you what I 'saw', here's the story:

Lesson:
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for ...hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.



To me there is another 'hidden' meaning of the story:
People treats relationships too lightly.
Did the farmer gave up on the donkey easily because it was an animal? No. Simply because it 'seemed' difficult to bring the donkey back to safety, the farmer came up with excuses, which is what people are best at doing during uncomfortable times.
The farmer's excuses: "....the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey."
 

The donkey OBVIOUSLY want to come up. But the farmer gave up on pulling the donkey back up because he CHOSE to Forget, CHOSE to Let Go, of the companionship the donkey had with the farmer all this while.

Why are relationships treated so lightly?
Parents and children
Husbands and wives
Brothers and sisters
Friends

People choose to take the easy road when things go wrong in a relationship and forgets all the happiness that the person (whom they are giving up on) had once brought to them.
Are people forgetful by nature?
No!
People are lazy by nature!

Lazy to get things worked out.
Lazy to find solutions.
Even lazy to face the problem.

When relationship has gone bad, they would rather choose to ignore, give up and start putting blame on the other party, so that they feel good about themselves.

Are people coward by nature?
I would say most of them yes.
They have no courage to admit their mistakes and they fail to admit that they have a part to play in the broken relationship.

My belief has always been : 

In ANY Situation, 

It ALWAYS Takes Two Hands To Clap!

In a broken relationship, no one is right and no one is wrong.

Because its not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of importance.

How important is this person to you?
The years of companionship between you and the person, does that not mean anything at all?
Was the FOUNDATION of this relationship from all those years built on sinking sand?

I can go on and on...
but I would rather stop here with this:

In any situation, it always takes two hands to clap.
Even in salvaging a relationship.
Look at the donkey, even the animal knows that there is no point in salvaging the relationship between it and the heartless farmer.
Because if the farmer can do this to it now, he is capable of doing it again.
Therefore, it chose Not to be with the cold blooded farmer anymore, and happily trotted off!