A break with the past

A Break With The Past

Almost every significant breakthrough is the result of a courageous break with traditional ways of thinking

One day a long, long time ago, in the middle of the worst winter in recorded history, Jacques was walking in the forest on his way home from hunting.  He was tired as he had been tracking a deer that had taken him 7 miles from his cabin in the deep wood.  He had shot the deer with his last arrow.  The deer had proven too heavy for Jacques to drag for more than a few hundred yards by himself.  He was excited to have killed such a large deer but discouraged because he wasn’t strong enough to get it home by himself.  He was headed home to enlist his brothers to help him haul it back home.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of him.  The outline of a little person slowly appeared in the center of the bright light.  What is this?  A devil? Jacques thought to himself.  He tried getting off the path to go around the light.  But the light slowly moved so as to stay directly between him and home, no matter which way he turned.

As the outline of the little person became more distinct, Jacques saw that it was a little green leprechaun.  I have never seen one of those before, he thought to himself. 

“How do you do?”  He says. 

“How de do?”  The Leprechaun replies.  “I am Louis, your guardian leprechaun.”

“Oh.  It’s nice of you to come introduce yourself.”  Jacques starts to move away, thinking that maybe the leprechaun would allow him to pass and continue on home. 

“What is troubling you, dear Jacques?”  The leprechaun smiled as he said the words.  His countenance plainly showed dear Jacques that he enjoyed seeing him troubled and weary. 

“I am trying to get home to get my brothers.  I shot a deer a few miles back and wish to get it home to feed our families.  I need to hurry, now if you will please excuse me!”  Jacques pushed past the leprechaun.

“That was rather rude, you know.”  Louis started to float after him. “Very rude indeed.  I was going to let you know how you could get the deer home right now, but since you’re being rude I will leave you.”

Louis the leprechaun slowly started to disappear into the increasing darkness.

“WAIT!  I am sorry I was rude.  Now will you please tell me?” Jacques shouted.

“Not with that tone of voice.”  The voice was quickly growing faint. 

“Please help me.”  Jacques said meekly.  Louis was gone.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”  Louis said, suddenly appearing behind Jacques.  The voice behind him made him jump.  “Hehe.  I scared you!”

“You did not.”  Jacques was still affronted by the rudeness of the leprechaun.  The leprechaun thinks me rude, he thought.  He’s the rude one for calling me rude and startling me.

“Naughty, naughty.”  Louis smiled the annoying smile again.  “I was going to tell you how you could get that deer home today while it is still light.”

“Yes, yes.  Please, will you tell me how?”

“I will.  You see that animal over there?”  Louis pointed to a small clearing about 25 yards off the trail.  There was a four legged animal with a shaggy coat of hair, foraging through the snow, looking for something to eat. 

“What is that?” Jacques asked.  He had seen a few of those creatures scattered throughout the forest before.  They made loud noises that scared his children and he didn’t trust them.

“That, my friend, is a donkey.  It was meant to be a beast of burden.  If you make friends with it, it will haul whatever you wish it to.  It may even let you ride it.” 

“I will not make friends with such beasts!” cried Jacques.  “Nobody has ever tried to keep this animal. It is unseemly, for such as I, to descend to such lowness. I would be the laughing stock of the village.”

“I was only trying to help!”  Louis the leprechaun was offended to the highest degree.  “I will leave you now, my friend.  I only hope the next person isn’t quite a thick headed as you!”

“Good riddance, you fool.”  Jacques said under his breath, as Louis disappeared.  He kept walking towards his home.  He grew more miserable by the minute.  He was tired, wanted to eat some good meat, and felt bad for mocking of Louis’s suggestion.

Deep inside him, though, he knew that Louis did not deserve to be treated so rudely.  It is never okay to hurt someone on purpose.  Maybe I need to his suggestion a try, he thought.  Giving up his pride, he turned back hoping the donkey was still in the clearing.  It was.

“Hey, donkey.  Don’t be scared of me.”  In truth, he was more scared of the donkey than it was of him.  He slowly approached it, and held out his hand.  He closed his eyes as it got close.  The donkey stuck its nose under his hand for him to rub.  As he began to scratch the nose, Jacques slowly opened his eyes. 

This isn’t so bad, he thought.  Maybe the leprechaun was right.  He withdrew his hand and looked for something to tie around the donkey’s neck.  He found a thick vine nearby.  Tying it around the neck, he started to lead the donkey down the trail towards the deer.

After finding it again and setting it on the donkey’s back, Jacques and the donkey made it back to the cabin in record time.  Jacques, in particular, was re-energized by his success.  Making it home, his family was overjoyed to see so much meat all at once.  His wife set about immediately to cook some for supper.

Jacques stepped outside to pray to the leprechaun.  After  finishing, he looked up at the night’s sky.  A new shape had appeared in the sky.  The moon was in the shape of a smile.  Jacques had never seen a full moon. 

Since that day, the moon has gone through the different phases.  Humans also started to domesticate and train animals.  Jacques soon added sheep, goats, horses, and cows to his donkey.  Over time he became a very rich man indeed.