Lessons from the Musicians of Bremen
Once upon a time...
an old donkey was ill- treated by his master. Tired of such
unkindness, he decided to run away, and when he heard that Bremen was
looking for singers with the town band, he decided that someone with a
fine braying voice like his might be accepted.
As he went along the road, the donkey met a skinny dog, covered with sores.
“Come with me. If you have a good bark, you’ll find a job with the band too. Just wait and see!”
A little later, a stray cat, no longer able to catch
mice, joined them and the trio trotted hopefully on towards the town.
As they passed a farmyard, they stopped to admire an elderly rooster
who, with outstretched wings, was crowing to the skies.
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| The donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster |
“You sing well,” they told him. “What are you so happy about?”
“Happy?” muttered the rooster with tears in his eyes. “They want to
put me in the pot and make broth of me. I’m singing as hard as I can
today, for tomorrow I’ll be gone.”
But the donkey told him, “Run away
with us. With a voice like yours, you’ll be famous in Bremen!”
Bremen is such a pretty small town an hour train ride from Hamburg. Just a few years ago, people were
not allowed to sit and hang out outside because it displayed laziness. But
now it is encouraged because of tourism. Near the town hall, I was able
to touch the Donkey's legs- reputed to bring good luck.
But these
animals never actually arrived in Bremen. They became so happy and rich
while on their way that the never arrived to their intended destination.
"Kings and powerful men have mistreated their servants and slaves destroying their families, divided kingdoms then eventually ruining nations to perpetuate their power, creating disunity. Let us not be like them."
Lesson: Be kind to animals. Alone, we are weak, together, we are strong because there is strength in numbers. We cannot make a band alone and God can use deficient individuals to showcase His power. Art unites and there can be unity in diversity.
