Son, we learned a valuable lesson today!

On a bright, sunny morning, a man and his young son left their farm to go to town.

The boy sat on their donkey while the father walked alongside. As they traveled down the road, they met someone from the nearby village. “You should feel ashamed of yourself!” the fellow said, admonishing the boy. Your poor, old father has to walk while you ride comfortably. “You show no respect!” The boy and his father exchanged glances sheepishly before swapping places.

As the two continued their journey, they came across another person. “You are a selfish old man!” he said. “You are taking the easy way out while your poor son is wearing himself out trying to keep up. It would be a good idea to allow the boy to ride too.” The old man didn't want to offend, so he helped his son climb aboard. Their journey was then continued by the pair.

Before long, they came across a wise lady coming from the opposite direction. She also identified flaws in their arrangement. "I've never seen such cruelty! The poor donkey cannot handle the weight of your two lazy louts. It would be more appropriate for both of you to carry the animal.”

In order to maintain goodwill with the wise lady, the man instructed his son to join the donkey's front hooves and then the back hooves together. At the same time, the man cut a sturdy and long pole from a tree nearby. ?The pair laid the animal down and slid the pole through its bound hooves, then, they lifted the pole to their shoulders, with the father on one end, the boy on the other, and the donkey hanging upside-down on the pole between them.

The pair trudged along while carrying the donkey. As they crossed the bridge that led into town, the upside-down donkey saw his reflection in the water below from an angle that he had never before seen. The animal became frightened and suddenly thrashed around violently, causing the pair to lose their grip on the pole. The donkey fell off the narrow bridge into the water below before they had a chance to grab him. The donkey was unable to swim even though it was still bound. Helpless, the father and son watched their donkey sink into the deep water below while standing on the bridge. After a quiet moment of contemplation, the father turned to the boy and said, 'Son, we learned a valuable lesson today.' We learned that when you try to satisfy everyone you end up losing your ass!