The Horse and the Ass
Story by: Aesop
Source: Aesop's Fables
A merchant owned both a fine horse and a humble donkey. The horse was sleek and well-fed, prancing proudly with only a light saddle on his back. The donkey, however, was loaded down with heavy sacks of grain and merchandise, struggling under the enormous weight.
As they traveled along the dusty road to market, the poor donkey began to lag behind, panting heavily under his crushing load.
“Please, friend horse,” gasped the donkey, “could you help me by carrying just one of these heavy sacks? I fear I cannot go much further under this terrible burden.”
The horse tossed his magnificent head disdainfully. “Help you? I am a noble steed, bred for riding, not for carrying common cargo like a beast of burden. That is your job, not mine.”
The donkey pleaded again: “I’m not asking you to carry all of it, just one small sack to ease my load. We could share the burden and both reach the market safely.”
“Absolutely not!” neighed the horse proudly. “I will not lower myself to such common labor. You were born to bear burdens - I was born to be admired!”
The donkey struggled on in silence, growing weaker with each step. Finally, halfway to the market, the poor creature collapsed from exhaustion and died right there on the road.
The merchant, seeing his donkey dead, had no choice but to load all the heavy sacks onto the horse’s back. Not only did the horse have to carry the entire burden that had killed the donkey, but he also had to carry the donkey’s dead body to prevent it from being left for wild animals.
As the horse staggered under the enormous weight, he realized his foolishness too late.
“If only I had helped my companion when he asked,” the horse groaned, “by carrying just one small sack, I could have saved his life and spared myself this crushing load. My pride and selfishness have made my burden far heavier than it ever needed to be.”
Moral: When we refuse to help others with their burdens, we often end up carrying a much heavier load ourselves. Cooperation and mutual aid benefit everyone.
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