Of horses, eagles and other tales
LAST Christmas, our good neighbor Bo Sanchez, a wellknown author, podcaster, entrepreneur and missionary, gifted us with his latest inspirational book, “This and That: Tiny Choices to Uncomplicate Your Life.”
The 200-page, 31-chapter book is full of stories on making life’s simple choices plus reflection points and actionable tips. I have adapted four tales from it which I thought I’d share with associations:
1. The Horse and the Donkey —Selfishness or Selflessness.
A horse and a donkey were best of friends. One day, a group of bandits kidnapped them to carry their stolen loot. The gang put all the load onto the donkey to carry while put nothing on the horse.
When the donkey asked his horse friend for help, the selfish horse reasoned that he can only carry people. Long story short, the donkey died of exhaustion before reaching the destination. So the bandits put all the stuff onto the horse which also died in the end. In his dying moment, the horse thought that if he had only been selfless and had shared the load with his donkey friend, both of them could have survived the ordeal.
Reflection for an association: “What selfless deed have you done lately for your members, colleagues, others?”
2. The Chicken and the Eagle—fly or Soar.
A chicken and an eagle reacted differently before an impending storm. The chicken flapped its wings and looked for a place to hide for fear of death due to strong winds while the eagle stood at the edge of the cliff where its nest was and waited for the wind to come.
The eagle then stretched its wings and waited for the wind to propel it upward and forward. No, the eagle did not fly; it floated with the wind and soared!
Reflection for an association: “What storm are you currently facing and how can you soar through it like an eagle?”
3. Marbles and Candies Exchange—partial or 100 Percent.
Two little kids, a boy and a girl, were playing. The boy had a collection of marbles; the girl, candies. The boy offered to swap all his marbles for all her candies. The girl agreed.
The boy gave the girl all his marbles except the biggest and best one which he secretly did not tell the girl. The girl was so happy but the boy could not sleep at night and kept thinking that the girl probably also kept her biggest and best candy from him.
Reflection for an association: “What is your commitment to your members and how do you fulfill this commitment?”
4. The King and the Felon —Certainty or Fear of the Unknown.
A person who committed a felony got caught and was brought to the king. The king gave him two options: death by hanging or be put through a dark, scary, mysterious iron door. Instantly, the felon chose death by hanging. Before the execution, he asked the king what was behind the mysterious door. The king told him it was freedom!
Reflection for an association: “What fear prevents you from doing what’s best for your organization or its members?” Octavio Peralta is currently the executive director of the UN Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org.