The Porcupine Fable

They say that variety is the spice of life, and yet deep down inside we long to connect with people just like us. We want to find that person (or group of people) whose temperaments, talents and convictions dovetail with ours and who have personal brands that perfectly complement ours.

We want to find the person with whom we perfectly agree – their black is our black, their white is our white and our shades of gray tend to mirror one another. We want to find the person with a very similar work ethic – who knows exactly when to bear down and just how to ease up. We want to find the person whose interests mimic ours – we always seem to be heading in the same direction.

You Are Perfectly Compatibility With No One

The reality is that no two people are the same and no two people are a perfect complement to one another. It is just a fact of life that everyone is going to rub us the wrong way at some time or another. What of it? We ought to take a lesson from the prickly porcupines.

A long time ago, the forest was experiencing the coldest winter ever. Many animals were dying because of the frigid temperatures. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to huddle together. This way they could cover and protect themselves from the bitter cold.

Unfortunately, porcupines are equipped with thousands of sharp, pointy quills, which serve to protect them from large predators. Though unintended, these quills wounded their closest companions as they attempted to snuggle and share body heat.

Everyone Rubs Us the Wrong Way, Somehow

After a while, the annoying pricks and pokes were almost too much to bear. As a group they lamented the sharp pains they inflicted on one another. Several contemplated disbanding the mass.

However, the wisest of the porcupines reminded the group that they had a choice. They could continue to enjoy the warmth if they endured an occasional stick or poke from a close companion. Or they could avoid these nuisance pains by choosing to distance themselves from one another. But if they did this, they would surely freeze to death, all alone in the frigid cold. In short, either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to stay together. They learned to accept and live with the little wounds that were occasionally caused by the close relationship with their companions. But more importantly, they survived by sharing each others warmth.

Bad Things Can Be Good

The moral of the story is that the best relationships in life are not those that bring together perfect people. Rather the best relationships are those where the people can benefit from one another’s good qualities and yet learn to live with the imperfections.

No relationship is perfect, and no two personal brands are completely compatible. No matter how compatible two people might be they will endure the occasion unwarranted, unintended poke or prod. We need to accept that, because we will prosper for it.