The Sin of Pride

A great king once lived in a great kingdom and country. He had much lands, and much male and female servants, and much cattle, and much gold and money. And it came to pass that he said to himself, “I have all these wealth but must travel afar to see what it is like on the other side of the world.” He then told his head servant to gather much food and wine unto his ship, and much gold and male and female servants for they do not know when they returned. And he did as was instructed them.

When the time was come, the king bid his kingdom farewell and his ship sailed away into the deep ocean. Life on the ocean was a different experience for the king. The rocking and swaying of the ship was irritating to the king. The king then summoned the captain at once and said “Why do you constantly and consistently cause me uneasiness by steering this ship as if we were driving on dirt-road?” Then the captain replied, “This is beyond my control. The waters are uneasy today and unlike traveling on land, the course of our journey is going to be much rougher for I sense high tides and heavy winds.” It was the first time the king could not control a situation which did no best suit him.

On the second day of the journey, there was indeed high tides and heavy winds as predicted by the captain. And the ship was rocking more than ever before. The captain came to the king and said, “Long live the king. The waves are too large, coupled with the tides, for our safety we will have to let go into the ocean some of the food and wine so that we do not sink when water comes onto the ship.” The king said no. He was not ready to let go of his aged wine, nor let go of his well prepared food and first picked fruits.

The third day came and the captain came back to him. This time, asking that he throw into the sea all the gold for it was too heavy. The kind also refused to do so. 

On the fourth day, the head of the king’s male and female servants came to him and said, “Long live the king. We have seen that it is dangerous to have too much weight aboard this ship, least the king dies. If it so pleases the king, may I throw into the sea his money or half of his servants so that the life of the king may be spared.” The kind said to him, “I rather the lives of my servants be given to the ocean than that of my money.” And when the head servant heard this, he did as he heard.

On the fifth day, there was great turmoil in the ocean because of the things (servants) thrown into it. But the king would not let go of this treasure nor his food. Water begun to enter the ship and the ship was beginning to sink. The head servant and the captain decided to make a raft out of the empty crates and barrels that were on the ship. After they made the raft, they came to the kind and said, “Long live the king, but we foresee that this ship needs more weight remove from it for it has already started to sink. Do you wish that we throw away some of the food and drinks and all of your treasures or do wish that we remove the few servants including ourselves from the ship?” The kind replied, “No one dare touch my things. Do as you please with your lives and it shall please me.”

On the sixth day, the remaining servants, the head servant and the captain threw the raft into the rocking ocean and on it they got. They were sure that they would still die, but perhaps a few more days longer than being on the ship. By this time, the king was well aware that there was no hope for the ship, but he was not willing to accept losing all that he had on the ship.

On the seventh day, most of the ship had already plunged into the sea. The king cried out to the head servant and the captain on the raft saying, “Please help me, for I am sinking.” And they replied to him saying, “We will help you unto our raft, but if only you remove your crown and royal cloak. For they are heavy and may cause us to sink.” Then the king replied saying, “For I am the king, and I shall not remove my crown, least I become one of you, nor shall I remove my royal cloak, least I became a servant like you. If I must go, I must go with my crown and my cloak.”

And the Captain said, “You are now king and king only of that wrecking ship and all that is within it. If you so choose to be a king unto death, rather than a slave unto life, let it be so.”

And so it was.

Background picture by: Akiane Kramarik