Once upon a time, there lived a king in a prosperous country. He was a busy man; rushing from one meeting to another, settling five disputes at a time, signing papers; and yet in the midst of all that chaos he still managed to rule wisely. The workload, however, began to take its toll. He lost his appetite for food and he fell off his king-sized bed at night because he kept tossing and turning. The courtiers tried to cheer him up, yet more good news of his growing kingdom only added to his workload. He became grouchy and unapproachable.
By and by a fool came to the city. He jumped, skipped and danced to a laughing crowd. The bells dangling from his funny hat rang with every stumble and painful failed somersaults. A nobleman heard the uproar and approached the throng. As he watched with a wry smile, he suddenly had an idea that made him grin from ear to ear. He drew the fool aside at the end of the show and invited him to the palace.
The same show was repeated in the king’s courtyard, much to everyone’s delight. After months of sombre moodiness his majesty finally laughed. In fact the king laughed so hard, he asked the fool to work for him.
After only a few days sitting at the feet of the king, the fool (who was not entirely foolish) noticed that the king laughed particularly hard if he insulted or exaggerated the mannerism of the ministers. The more these officials asked for the king’s judgment on a matter, the more the fool mocked them. In fact, he followed the king wherever he could and he joked of everything under the sun. One day, as they took their usual morning stroll by the stream, an old man stumbled on a rock and tumbled into the muddy water. The fool pointed and the king laughed. Such was their camaraderie that words were no longer needed.
Years went by and soon the king found himself too tired to laugh. He needed to choose an heir; but all the ministers were worthless, and the courtiers were no better than harlots. His brother, the Duke, was too high minded to care for the masses. The cook had no front teeth and he talked funny. His general’s beard was so thick there ought to be fleas in it. There was not a single intelligent citizen in the country. After much deliberation, the king finally decided that the fool should be his successor.
The king then left for a retirement home, and the fool changed his funny hat for a crown. He issued an edict that made it illegal for anyone to be serious or sad. Those who showed such tendencies would be sent to teambuilding camps where they would be made to stay until they learn to laugh and cheer. The kingdom became a merry place. There was much playing and little working. After all, work was not a cheerful occupation for most citizens. The ministers and courtiers giggled and pandered their way up the career ladder.
One day, a neighboring prince sent an army to attack the city. The people were forced to surrender without a fight because all their overly serious army commanders were still stuck in a teambuilding camp and there was no one else around who knew how to defend the city.
What happened?
The king made a decision he thought was best for the country. So did the fool. But both made the same mistake; they thought that what felt good must be right.
First of all, the king should have delegated some of his more routine duties to his noblemen. Then he should have had the sense to pick a minister who had proven himself with measurable results. However, over the years he had allowed the fool to mock his loyal staff and thus built a bias that had clouded his judgment.
The fool did nothing wrong; he was only doing his job which was making the king laugh. The problem started when the fool would not change his job role after he became king. Since being a joker made him successful, he made the wrong assumption that being a joking king will ensure him success.
What of the courtiers and noblemen, why didn't they fulfill their roles? Wise words state that a servant can never be better than his master, but that is only part of the truth. If a master listens to lies, then his servants will lie; if he listens to gossip, then his servants will gossip; if he works, then his servants will work. There is no future in the organizational hierarchy for those who don't get along with the boss, and nobody wants a career with no future. Hence, they had to either humor the fool or leave his administration.
The prince was just someone who happened to see an opportunity. Maybe he heard the village barmaids complained about missing high ranking officers who had not dropped by their tavern in a long while. Or maybe he saw soldiers slouching and throwing muddy pebbles at passers-by. His perfect timing was not luck; it was good planning.
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