A Lesson in Responsibility: Why Assuming Others Will Act Can Lead to Inaction

The Story of the King's Pond

Once there was a king who told some of his workers to dig a pond. Once the pond was dug, the king made an announcement to his people, saying that one person from each household had to bring a glass of milk during the night and pour it into the pond. So, the pond should be full of milk by the morning.

After receiving the order, everyone went home. One man prepared to take the milk during the night. He thought that since everyone would bring milk, he could just hide a glass of water and pour it inside the pond. Because it would be dark at night, no one would notice. So he quickly went and poured the water into the pond and came back.

In the morning, the king came to visit the pond, and to his surprise, the pond was only filled with water! What had happened was that everyone was thinking like the other man, thinking, "I don't have to put the milk; someone else will do it."

Dear friends, when it comes to helping poor people, do not think that others will take care of it. Rather, it starts with you. If you don't do it, no one else will. So, change yourself to the way of God to serve Him, and that will make the difference.

The Tragedy of the Commons

Garret Hardin, in his monumental work, described this phenomenon as the "Tragedy of the Commons." He explained this concept using the example of sheep grazing on pasturelands. Pasturelands are considered a 'public good,' and everyone wants to maximize their benefits by putting as many sheep as possible for grazing, but no one wants to maintain the pastureland. Certainly, the Tragedy of the Commons presents an insurmountable challenge to policymakers, especially concerning environmental aspects.

This is more commonly known as an Akbar & Birbal story. Nevertheless, by whichever credit line it's known with, the gist and moral essentially remain the same, as you mentioned. Do keep posting such beautiful stories.

Regards,
TS