A Jewish merchant visited a remote village and offered to buy each donkey for ten dollars. Many villagers sold their donkeys. He then raised the price to fifteen dollars per donkey, prompting more villagers to sell. Next, he increased the price to thirty dollars, which led the remaining villagers to sell their donkeys until the village had none left. Finally, the merchant announced he would pay fifty dollars per donkey. He then went to his rest house for the weekend. The demand for donkeys surged, and villagers searched in neighboring villages, only to find none. At this point, the Jewish man sent his assistant to the village, and offered to sell back the donkeys he had purchased for forty dollars each. The villagers eagerly bought them, hoping to resell them to the merchant for fifty dollars each. They used all their savings and even borrowed the entire reserve of the village bank. The villagers expected a quick profit, but after buying the donkeys for forty dollars each, they went to sell them to the merchant, only to discover that he and his assistant had vanished.
The following week, the villagers were unable to repay their debts to the bank, which went bankrupt. All their donkeys were worth less than one-fifth of the debt. Therefore, if the bank seized the donkeys to settle the loans, it would recover only a fraction of the total. If the bank abandoned the donkeys, it would be completely ruined. The village would be left in debt while possessing many worthless donkeys. The village and the bank went bankrupt, and the situation was reversed, despite the presence of the donkeys. All the money of the village and the bank ended up in the merchant’s pocket, while the people could not even afford to feed their children.
Replace the word “donkey” with any other commodity, plot of land, apartment, car, or stocks, and you will see that this is simply the life we lead today.
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The Weather Affairs Minister... is a donkey
Once upon a time, there was a king of a small kingdom who loved hunting in the forests. He had a weather affairs minister. Whenever the king wanted to go hunting, he would order the minister to predict the weather. The minister would consult the stars and then return to the king to tell him whether the weather was suitable for hunting.
One day, the king decided to go hunting with the princess and queen so they could witness his skill. He asked the minister about the weather. The minister replied, “The weather is wonderful and very suitable, Your Majesty.”
Confident, the king set out with his procession, including the princess and queen. But once they were deep in the forest, the weather suddenly turned. Winds blew, storms raged, and rain poured. The king’s procession was thrown into chaos, and the princess and queen fell into the mud. The king was furious and deeply resented the weather minister.
While they were on their way back, the king saw a woodcutter’s hut at the edge of the forest with smoke rising from it, so he knocked on the door. The woodcutter came out, and the king asked, “Why haven’t you gone out to collect firewood?” The woodcutter replied, “I knew the weather would be rough today, so I stayed home.” The king was astonished and asked, “How did you know?” “I knew from my donkey,” the woodcutter replied. “How so?” the king asked, surprised.
The woodcutter explained, “Every morning, I observe my donkey. If its ears are erect, I know it will be cold; if they droop, I know the weather will be pleasant.” The king looked at his minister and said, “You’re fired.” He then ordered that the woodcutter receive a monthly salary, took the donkey, and issued a royal decree appointing it the Minister of Weather Affairs.
