You can’t please everyone
A man and his son were traveling to town with their donkey. The man rode the donkey as his son walked at the animal’s side. Before long they came across an old woman who said to the man “How selfish of you to ride that beast while your young son walks,” so the man climbed down and allowed his son to ride the donkey. Further down the road they came across a couple who said to the son “It’s disgraceful that a young man like you would ride while is father tires his old legs,” so the father climbed up behind his son, and the two of them rode the donkey together. Further down the road they came across a young woman who said to them “How awful of you to put the weight of the two of you on that poor donkey,” so the man and his son climbed down from the donkey and the three of them continued towards town on foot. Further down the road they came across an old man, who laughed at the sight of them and said “How silly the three of you look walking together side-by-side down the road, surely one of your should save your legs,” so the man and his son cut down a pole, tied to it the donkey’s feet, raised the pole to their shoulders and carried the donkey the rest of the journey into town.
— That’s what happens when you try to please everybody
This is the second time I’ve used one of Aesop’s Fables on this blog (check out the first). I considered tacking on a point about the importance of not trying to make your web site all things to all people, but really I just wanted to share this wonderful story.
[Side note: - A more common form of the story has the man and his son lose their grip on the pole and drop the donkey into a stream, where he drowns. I prefer the more subtle ending.]
