Kibr and Story of a King

:Mujahidali A.R. Sheriff

2012/03/26

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Adopted from the book : "Pride" by : "Mujahidali A.R. Sheriff"

The story of a king is an instructive one. He was in love with a particular perfume because of its strong and wonderful fragrance. It is said that whenever he held court or left his place, the king used to wear only this perfume. Once, as he was applying the perfume on his clothes, a drop fell on the ground. Unable to resist, the king involuntarily touched the fallen drop and wiped it on his clothes only to realize the presence of his minister who was watching him in amazement. Guilty and embarrassed, the king ordered his minister to construct a pool of the same perfume in his palace. The minister smiled and remarked : "Your majesty, what goes away with a drop cannot be replaced by constructing a pool."

The minister was implying that prestige and honor lost for a drop cannot be brought back by constructing a pool. The moral of the story is simple - the king ordered the minister to construct a pool of perfume so as to cover the sense of humiliation he left upon realizing that it does not benefit a king to act in a miserly fashion. His pride could not rake the humiliation. In conclusion, the victims of pride are those who normally suffer from the above mentioned complex. It is immaterial whether they seek recognition by attracting attention to themselves or even to cover up their faults. The problem is of a lack of self-esteem.

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