The Two Monarchs: A Parable
"For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."
Once there was a king who ruled over a large kingdom for many years. When he died, the old king split his kingdom in two and gave each of the halves to one of his two children to rule over.
The eldest of the two had been born at a time of war, when the old king’s kingdom had been invaded for a time by enemies. It was a time of peril and upheaval which left a lasting impression on the young prince, so that now he came to rule his own kingdom, defence was foremost in his mind. He organised his kingdom according to the principle that he could be attacked at any time, so it was prudent to ensure that any attack met with a strong repelling force.
He built a wall around his kingdom that was guarded at all times and that allowed no one to pass in or out without severe scrutiny. He locked himself away in an imposing castle that was also guarded by men in armour, and out of which he never ventured, so that all communication between the monarch and the people over whom he ruled came through intermediaries. When the people were uneasy and rose up in protest, it took a long time for news to reach the monarch, and then he would send out guards to quell the unrest and imprison those who instigated it.
The younger of the two siblings was born in better days, after the old king had driven the invaders from his lands, and so all she knew of war came from the bedtime stories that the old king would tell her. Her childhood was free of strife and hardship, and she spent her time in the company of her parents or other children, or roaming the hills and woods that surrounded the old king’s castle.
This monarch, unafraid of invaders attacking from without, or of insurrection from within, designed her kingdom along the principle of freedom. No walls were found at the borders so that people and goods could move easily in and out. Her castle was of an open design, with many entrances and exits, and open spaces in which the people could gather for the year’s great festivals. And the queen herself would ride out among her people every day. When there was unease or unrest she knew about it immediately. She would insist on hearing the complaints of the people and ensure that wrongs were righted.
In this way the two kingdoms went on for many years, until one day war came, as it always must. Invaders from distant lands attacked both countries at the same time.
In the kingdom of the younger monarch, where the borders were unguarded, towns at the extremities suffered many casualties at first. But because the people loved their queen, who had ridden among them many times and brought justice and understanding, they fought valiantly in defence of her realm. And because communication flowed freely in her country, news of the attacks reached the queen quickly, so that she was able to send reinforcements to repel the invaders at the places where they attacked. The open borders meant that many spies and renegades entered the realm, but because the queen was in touch with her people, who thought of her fondly, the strangers were quickly identified and arrested.
In the kingdom of the defensive monarch the initial onslaughts were held off by the strong border walls. But because both the people and the army resented their suspicious and reclusive king, news only arrived at the monarch’s castle after the walls had been overrun and invaders were flooding into the land. The invaders were unopposed by the people, who thought “one despot is as good as another”. Soon, the castle of the king was laid siege. The king remained hidden in his keep and so, feeling abandoned, the armoured guards began to desert him.
In a last bid to avoid calamity, the defensive monarch sent word to his sister that his castle was under attack and begged her to send reinforcements. But by now, the people had sided entirely with the invaders, who promised prosperity and fairness. They captured the messenger, and killed him. Soon after, the king became a prisoner in his own kingdom.
When the queen heard of what had happened to her brother and his kingdom she wept bitterly, for she loved her brother and she remembered the words of the old king on his deathbed: “A kingdom is much more than just a king. You are merely the head – the people, and the land, are the body.”