What the Donkey Told the Old Shepherd
Once upon a time, in an old mountain village where cool waters flowed, there lived an old shepherd. The shepherd had a hardworking and patient donkey. Every morning, as the sun rose, they took the road to the meadow and worked quietly until evening. The old shepherd always had the loads on his back carried by the same loyal animal, and he shared his troubles with it. The donkey, content with its fate, went on carrying the heavy sacks without a single complaint. One day, clouds of dust began to rise from the far side of the valley. The hooves of the approaching foreign soldiers made the earth tremble with a great noise.
Sensing the danger, the old shepherd began to shake in great fear and panic. He ran at once to his donkey and tried to pull its rope in a hurry. "Hurry up, my friend, we must flee or the enemy will catch us!" he shouted. But the donkey stood where it was and looked at the shepherd without stirring at all. With a deep sigh, it asked the shepherd curiously. "Will the new master who catches me put twice as many saddles on my back?" The shepherd shook his head in surprise and said, "No, you will surely carry a single saddle again."
The donkey calmly went on grazing and answered with a wise smile. "Then it means there is no reason at all for me to run away," it said. "Whether I carry your saddle or another master's saddle, what changes for me?" "As long as my load stays the same, I do not care who my master is." Not knowing what to say, the shepherd left his donkey behind and fled alone towards the forest. As long as living conditions and heavy burdens do not change, it matters little to the oppressed who the master is. The one who comes makes you long for the one who left.