Once upon a time in a land far away there was a small country that was ruled by laws. There were important laws like those against murder, assault, and theft. But there were also silly laws from bygone days such as “Beer must be served in pewter vessels,” “Cats must wear three bells to warn birds of their presence,” and “Four women cannot live together.”
Over the years the ruling council came to address every problem that arose, no matter how small, with a new law. All these laws required enforcement, which led to more constables, more jails, and more judges. Eventually over half of the country’s income depended on this system. Occasionally a few voices objected to the system, but the ruling council dismissed them out of hand, sometimes having them followed and arrested for the slightest transgression against the established laws.
One day, after a heated debate among the ruling council about the state of their economy, the head of the ruling council decided to visit a neighboring country that was known for a thriving economy and a strong sense of unity among its people. He left his customary regalia behind and donned the clothes of a commoner so as to blend in with the average person.
When he arrived in the first town, he was greeted with welcoming smiles by all the people he passed on the streets and boardwalks. He watched as neighbor greeted neighbor and showed each other the simplest of courtesies. He stopped at the town jail, which was empty of prisoners. The sheriff told him that in most cases, when a crime was committed against someone the guilty party would work with his or her victim to make restitution. Only the violent ones were jailed and there had been no violence in months.
People of all colors, classes, genders, beliefs, and other differences were in harmony with each other. At lunch he observed these same diverse people talking, laughing, and engaging in serious conversation, but there were no cross words between them.
From there he moved on to the next town and the next, finding the same gentleness and unity in every town and village he visited. In the last town he went to he sought out the mayor to ask why the townspeople in the country behaved in such a manner. The mayor said, “Oh, it’s simple, my friend. Years ago our jails were filled to overflowing and our economy was failing. People were at each other’s throats constantly. Then someone suggested a radical and seemingly ridiculous change. Nothing else had worked, so we decided we had nothing to lose.
“We scrapped all the laws from our books and began again, following only the laws of kindness, compassion, and love. In time people accepted this and a great wave of change washed over the land. Our prisons were emptied, our economy thrived, and our people were genuinely happy.”
“What are these rules that made such a difference?” he asked. “They’re fairly simple,” the mayor replied. “If an action is not kind, compassionate, or loving it is not to be done. People are to accept each other for who they are and not try to change them or make them conform to their own ways of thinking. They learn from each other, which helps make the fabric of our country stronger. Even when two people don’t agree or just don’t like each other–which is rare–they treat each other with respect, kindness, compassion, and love.”
The head of the ruling council thanked the mayor and turned homeward with dreams of harmony, peace, and prosperity for his country. Upon his arrival, the head of the ruling council called an emergency meeting of the council. He waxed eloquently about what he had seen and learned and his hope for their own country. Council members railed against their leader and his ideas, rejecting the ideals of kindness, compassion, and love in favor of more and more laws. They elected a new leader and banished the former head from the country.
The former head grieved deeply but gathered his family and their belongings and moved to the country he had visited, where they lived happily ever after, while the people of his former country became destitute and angry, until the country became little more than a barren land, all because of the lack of kindness, compassion, and love.
…and that’s the View from The Balcony.
Randy Weeks is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Shamanic Life Coach, an ordained minister, a singer-songwriter, and an actor. He believes in the power of kindness, compassion, and love. Randy may be reached at randallsweeks@gmail.com.
