Once upon a time there was a very "high-class" pot...not just any ordinary pot, mind you...but this particular pot absolutely glistened in the sunlight...almost as though it was endowed with a halo! This very special pot was, of course, completely above reproach...and had absolutely no flaws whatsoever...at least, not to the untrained eye! Every day, the bright, shiny pot would venture out amongst the more common of the vessels...imparting words of wisdom, offering sage advice, and just generally reminding the more common vessels of all it's superior workmanship... presumably, with the intention of helping the lesser vessels to someday also achieve a higher quality.
Well, as fate would have it...one day, a very "low-class" old kettle came to be placed amongst the other more common vessels...and this kettle was just awful...full of scratches, dents...and just as black & unrefined as it could be! Fortunately, however, for this dreadful old kettle...the perfect, shimmering pot decided to befriend it...in hope that, with a little guidance and polishing...the nasty old kettle might one day become more like itself...and although the kettle was already old, and worn...and knew it could never be elevated to the high caliber of the flawless pot...the kettle happily accepted the friendship of the seemingly benevolent pot...and tried to keep an open lid, regarding the possible outcome of this association.
Sadly, as the weeks passed...despite every effort by the superior quality pot to improve the worn out old kettle...it was all to no avail. The dilapidated old kettle just would not become any brighter or shinier...but did seem to be a happy, giggling kettle...in spite of it's horrid, low quality & blackened condition. Oddly, however...it seemed to the very inferior kettle...that the glimmering, perfect pot did not appear to be very happy...so the funky, tarnished, mess of an old kettle made what would later prove to be a very unwise decision...and actually had the audacity to try to convince the totally perfect pot...that by becoming just a bit more flawed & common...and by being stirred a little less often...it might just find that it felt less agitated & more joyful!
Naturally, the sparkling, "high class" pot insisted that it knew best...and certainly needed no assistance whatsoever from the likes of such a meddling, low-quality kettle...so the nasty old kettle agreed that it had no right to interfere with such a fine quality pot's business...and promised to simply keep it's lid shut about such matters in the future. The kettle also conceded that the flawless pot had every right to continue to operate in the same manner, while hoping to obtain a different result!
Unfortunately, the dirty old kettle was already quite weary & worn when this whole relationship had begun...so it's ability to keep things contained inside it had already been somewhat compromised...and soon it actually began to blow off small amounts of steam in the perfect pot's direction... mostly as a signal of it's frustration with the situation...and also in an effort to keep the irreproachable pot & it's business from getting any closer...so that the common, "low-class" kettle could simply return to being the goofy, useless, but entertaining old vessel it was before it became involved with the wondrous...indeed, even saintly, pot.
Finally, the exhausted old kettle decided to ask the very superior pot, politely, to be excluded from any future involvement in the pot's very important missions...at which point, the completely impeccable pot...suddenly & quite unexpectedly...boiled over with an eruption of tyrannical reprimands, venomous (though totally unfounded) accusations...and hurtful insults, aimed toward the grungy, low-quality old kettle! It then ended with one final spewing demand that any further relationship between them be severed immediately & completely! In response to this, the somewhat confused...but by now, fully steaming old kettle...finally "puffed out it's chest" & completely blew it's lid off, with a heated eruption of it's own...but ended by happily fulfilling the pontificating pot's demands to end their association!
Of course, since the old kettle was already quite flawed & blackened, because it was of such poor quality...the steaming eruption barely made any difference in it's already dull & blemished, "low-class" appearance. For the bright, shiny, immaculate pot, however...it was a completely different story. Lo & behold...beneath that glittery, shimmering, spotless finish...the pot's boiling spew had revealed a dark & quite ordinary base...just as black, in fact, as that of the inferior, low-quality old kettle!
The moral of this story? I assume it needs no explanation...and besides...I don't really have time right now...I need to go get fitted with a sturdy pair of ankle protectors!
Well, as fate would have it...one day, a very "low-class" old kettle came to be placed amongst the other more common vessels...and this kettle was just awful...full of scratches, dents...and just as black & unrefined as it could be! Fortunately, however, for this dreadful old kettle...the perfect, shimmering pot decided to befriend it...in hope that, with a little guidance and polishing...the nasty old kettle might one day become more like itself...and although the kettle was already old, and worn...and knew it could never be elevated to the high caliber of the flawless pot...the kettle happily accepted the friendship of the seemingly benevolent pot...and tried to keep an open lid, regarding the possible outcome of this association.
Sadly, as the weeks passed...despite every effort by the superior quality pot to improve the worn out old kettle...it was all to no avail. The dilapidated old kettle just would not become any brighter or shinier...but did seem to be a happy, giggling kettle...in spite of it's horrid, low quality & blackened condition. Oddly, however...it seemed to the very inferior kettle...that the glimmering, perfect pot did not appear to be very happy...so the funky, tarnished, mess of an old kettle made what would later prove to be a very unwise decision...and actually had the audacity to try to convince the totally perfect pot...that by becoming just a bit more flawed & common...and by being stirred a little less often...it might just find that it felt less agitated & more joyful!
Naturally, the sparkling, "high class" pot insisted that it knew best...and certainly needed no assistance whatsoever from the likes of such a meddling, low-quality kettle...so the nasty old kettle agreed that it had no right to interfere with such a fine quality pot's business...and promised to simply keep it's lid shut about such matters in the future. The kettle also conceded that the flawless pot had every right to continue to operate in the same manner, while hoping to obtain a different result!
Unfortunately, the dirty old kettle was already quite weary & worn when this whole relationship had begun...so it's ability to keep things contained inside it had already been somewhat compromised...and soon it actually began to blow off small amounts of steam in the perfect pot's direction... mostly as a signal of it's frustration with the situation...and also in an effort to keep the irreproachable pot & it's business from getting any closer...so that the common, "low-class" kettle could simply return to being the goofy, useless, but entertaining old vessel it was before it became involved with the wondrous...indeed, even saintly, pot.
Finally, the exhausted old kettle decided to ask the very superior pot, politely, to be excluded from any future involvement in the pot's very important missions...at which point, the completely impeccable pot...suddenly & quite unexpectedly...boiled over with an eruption of tyrannical reprimands, venomous (though totally unfounded) accusations...and hurtful insults, aimed toward the grungy, low-quality old kettle! It then ended with one final spewing demand that any further relationship between them be severed immediately & completely! In response to this, the somewhat confused...but by now, fully steaming old kettle...finally "puffed out it's chest" & completely blew it's lid off, with a heated eruption of it's own...but ended by happily fulfilling the pontificating pot's demands to end their association!
Of course, since the old kettle was already quite flawed & blackened, because it was of such poor quality...the steaming eruption barely made any difference in it's already dull & blemished, "low-class" appearance. For the bright, shiny, immaculate pot, however...it was a completely different story. Lo & behold...beneath that glittery, shimmering, spotless finish...the pot's boiling spew had revealed a dark & quite ordinary base...just as black, in fact, as that of the inferior, low-quality old kettle!
The moral of this story? I assume it needs no explanation...and besides...I don't really have time right now...I need to go get fitted with a sturdy pair of ankle protectors!
