If you search online, you can find many versions of a parable on the Internet, but it goes roughly like this: A farmer’s old donkey fell into a well one day. It cried piteously as it was unable to get out, and try as he might, the farmer could not think of a way to save it. After some thought, the farmer decided to that it was pointless trying to save the old donkey and decided to bury it instead. So he started shovelling soil into the well and before long, the donkey grew quiet.

            When the farmer looked into the well – lo and behold! – the donkey was not only very much alive, but it was actually shaking off the soil on its back and stepping on it to make its way out of the well.

             What does this parable tell us? Firstly, just because we are seen as ‘old’ does not mean that we automatically become useless. Accidents may happen, like falling into a ‘well’ (whatever your ‘well’ may be – losing a job, hitting a rough spot in life, etc) but we may still be able to come up with solutions to help ourselves.

            Secondly, we cannot always rely solely on one source of support. The company you have worked for your whole life may decide to dump ‘soil’ on you when you are no longer able to work like before. It is important to develop friendships and hobbies throughout one’s life, to have alternative sources of support and fruitful engagements even in old age.

            Finally, what doesn’t hurt us can make us stronger. The soil that was supposed to kill the donkey ended up saving its life instead. In life, we will meet many setbacks and disappointments. Hardship is often a time to rethink our priorities and adjust the way we live our lives. Many opportunities are created during crises, but we have to be patient and persevere.

           The parables online don’t always state what happened to the old donkey at the end of the story. I would love to say that it climbed out of the well, kicked dirt back at the farmer and strolled off into the sunset, but it also could have continued working on the farm until it died. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. What’s most important is – which donkey would you like to be?

- Contributed by Sophia Tan