The Strength of Arrogance

There once walked arrogant men upon the earth.  But there was one who was a pillar of a man. A braggart he was, and he loved only his vanity.  His physical strength was to marvel at. 

He stood at the edge of a village, and with the loudest of voices he proclaimed: “I am the strongest of men, I can heft up anything on my back and carry it without strain.”  A farmer came to him and asked ; ”this is my mule, can you lift him?” In a moments time the arrogant man flung the mule up on his back and paraded around town, merrily singing. 

Then the man traveled to the jungle, he bragged to an elephant of his strength.

The elephant said; “you may be strong but surely you cannot lift me.” Without hesitation the man threw the elephant up on his back and ran through the jungle screaming how strong he was.

He then was traveling to another place to show off his strength, when he crossed paths with a wise man. “I am the strongest and most beautiful man, I can lift anything, and who are you I ask,” The old man spoke; “who I am is of no importance, I am only a servant unto myself and to that which can only be seen from within. I think I have something for you to challenge your strength.” Puzzled the braggart shouted; “Enough old man, what could you ever have that I could not lift?”  And he laughed in the old man’s face. The wise man looked at him with worry, “This weight that I have can only be lifted by the true st and kindest of hearts, by one who can be humble, and one who can accept change, even if it was almost too much to bear.  Now the arrogant man was angry. “Give it to me “now” old man.” And the old man slowly removed it from himself and placed it on the braggarts back.  From its weight the braggart’s facial expression became stressful.  Pain could be seen in the tears falling from his squinting eyes.  Sweat escaped from every pore in his skin.  And then his knees started to buckle, as he could not carry the weight of life’s love, on his shoulders.