Sometimes we work hard and
come up empty. Sometimes it’s meant to
be that way.
“The Empty Pot” is a
Chinese story about hard work, trying to please someone else, and honestly
being yourself.
The Emperor was old; he
had no heir. And so he devised a plan to
find the smartest boy in China to take his place when he died. Because he loved plants, the Emperor sent out
a proclamation stating: “Any boy who wants to be king come to the palace to receive
one royal seed. Whichever boy can show the best results within six months wins
the contest and becomes the next to wear the crown.”
Every boy in China fancied he could win. People who knew boys who grew wonderful
plants thought their son, brother, friend, kid down the street would win, and they
would be guests at the palace.
Such a boy was Jun, he grew the best vegetables in his
village. He could always be found in his
garden caring for the plants. Carefully
Jun carried home the royal seed. He
planted it after preparing a large pot with good drainage and rich soil. Each day he waited for the baby plant to
appear. But to no avail.
Other boys in Jun’s village announced their seeds were
growing. But still nothing sprouted in
Jun’s pot. More and more boys reported
their seeds were growing. Jun repotted
his seed, yet it still lay dormant and did not grow.
After six months it was
time for the boys to take their plants to the Emperor. Jun was ashamed that nothing had grown in his
pot. He asked his parents, “What should
I do?”
His parents answered,
“Take your pot to the Emperor. You did
the best you could.”
So shamefaced Jun took his
empty pot and walked to the palace amid the other boys whose pots sprouted all
manner of strong healthy plants. In the
courtyard the boys lined up in rows.
Then the Emperor, dressed in fine silks, strode out of the palace. He looked at all the fine plants with a scowl
on his face. When he got to Jun, he
stared at the empty pot before asking, “What is this, you’ve brought me an
empty pot? Where’s the plant you were
supposed to grow?”
Jun hung his head and answered in a small voice, “I am sorry Your Majesty. I
did the best I could. I planted your
seed in good soil, the best I could find.
I watered it enough to keep the soil moist but not wet. Every day I looked for the seed to
sprout. When it did not grow, I repotted
the seed in new soil and then did it all over again a third time. But it just won’t grow. I’m sorry.”
“Hmmm,” replied the
Emperor. Then turning toward the crowd
he thundered, “I am not sure where all these other boys got their seeds. The seeds we passed out for the contest were
cooked; so NOTHING could have grown from them!”Then he smiled at Jun.
Who do you think became
the next Emperor?
