By Sylvester Oluoch
Many years ago, in a small Chinese village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a local rich man. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter.
So, he proposed a bargain.
He said he would forgo the farmer’s debt if he could marry his daughter. The farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.
Seeing this, the cunning lender suggested chance should determine the outcome of the situation.
Standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer’s field, he said to the girl, “I will put two pebbles into the bag, and you pick one. Should you pick a black pebble, you are to marry me, and I will forgive your father’s debt. If you pick the white pebble, you do not have to marry me, yet I will still forgive your father’s debt. If you pick neither, I shall have your father thrown into prison.”
With that said the old man picked two pebbles from the ground and put them in a bag. The young girl’s sharp eyes caught the old man stuffing two black pebbles into the money pouch.
He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
So, what should she do?
~Refuse to take a pebble.
~Show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a cheat, risking the consequences.
~Pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself to save her father from his debt and imprisonment?
Here is what she did…
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.
“Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, the pebble left in the bag will prove which pebble I picked first,” knowing very well that the other pebble left in the bag was surely black, revealing that the first pebble must have been white.
The old man did not dare to reveal he cheated in the first place and therefore had to forgive the debt without a bride in return.
Adopted from Spirit View – The Parable of Two Pebbles
Key Lessons
Know your options: There are three possible outcomes – the girl getting married off to the money lender as recompense for the debt; or the girl not getting married to the money lender with the intervention of fate; or the girl declining the deal and the father going to jail.
Beware of Unfair advantage: The money lender rigs the outcome of “chance” in his favor by having two options that can only yield the same outcome. He makes a sure bet.
Watch for Strategic Advantage: The girl has “stumbled” upon important information unknown to the mean moneylender.
Take Advantage: The girl takes advantage of the strategic information and creates an outcome that slices right through the unfair advantage, effectively disadvantaging the unfair moneylender.
Think on Your Feet: thinking on her feet makes the girl get a solution that is most palatable to everyone. She gets what she wants and still lets the moneylender save face, because she chooses not to reveal the moneylender’s deceitfulness.
Your Fate Is Better Off In Your Own Hands, like in this case the girl did not leave her fate to chance, she captained her own destiny.
You may find yourself in compromising situations from time to time. Whenever you are in a tough spot, keep your mouth shut and your eyes wide open. Pay attention to detail. It saves so much trouble.
Whatever hand life deals you, remember one thing: It is not the place you find yourself that counts, but what position you take in the place you find yourself. Focus only on your desired outcome, think positively, and your wits will midwife the birth of a solution you never imagined possible.
For you to have a strategic advantage, hold on to strategic information. When you “stumble” upon some information that can be helpful to you, use it wisely for your advancement, and never as a weapon to humiliate your opponent. Life is about win-win. We either work our way towards everyone’s win or we have futile winnings.
In sum, you are going to get in a knot occasionally. When that happens, know your options, watch out for what disadvantages you, seek strategic information, take advantage of your strategic information, and always think on your feet.
