Skip to main content

Dailies: The 18th Camel


Le Brun - Dromedaries


While working in the workshop my mind wanders leisurely all over the place. Today I remembered a story that I have heard for the first time many years ago.

There once was an old father who had 3 sons and 17 camels.

When the old man died, he left ½ of the camels to his eldest son, ⅓ of the camels to the middle son, and 1/9 of the camels to the youngest son. They realized that you can't divide 17 by ½, ⅓, or 1/9, so the began arguing and tension started to rise.

Frustrated they asked the advice of a wise old neighbour. After listening to them he thought for a while and then said, “I’ll give you my camel.” 

So the three brothers took the neighbour’s camel and now had 18 camels. The first son took ½ of the camels (which is 9), the second son took ⅓ of the camels (which is 6), and the third son took 1/of the camels (which is 2) and everybody was happy.

But now they had an extra camel. They gave the 18th camel back to their wise old friend. He smiled and went home.

My conclusion? Happy is the man with someone in his life who knows mathematics and then some.

George

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Vanuit Die Restory - Gesprekke Tussen Reisgenote (110)

Die Week Na 'n Dood Sebastien op sy gelukkigste - by water, besig om vis te vang Die Gesprek Elemente Uit Die Gesprek Musiek Sebastien het altyd gesê, "I like old music.' Hy het. Billy Joel se Piano Man  was vir baie lank die ringtone op sy foon. Dat ons só gelukkig kan wees, dankie Sebas. George & Matilda  

Vanuit Die Restory / From The Restory (135)

  Onlangse Oorsig / Recent Summary  Foto's Van Onlangse Gebeure / Pictures Of Recent Events 'n Huis opgeknap en geverf met 'n nuwe badkamer, die koms van lente en reën, retreats, die CMR se breimarathon, aanbied en afsluiting van die Verfrissingskursus in geestelike begeleiding, bywoon van ons kleindogter Ariana se gradeplegtigheid ("Nee Oupa, dis 'n gradige plegtigheid!") voordat sy volgende jaar grootskool toe gaan. A house renovated and painted with a new bathroom, the arrival of spring and rain, retreats, the CMR's knitting marathon, presenting and finishing the Refresher course in spiritual guidance, attending our granddaughter Ariana's graduation before she goes to big school next year. Klank / Sound Die klank van sagte reën na die storm is op baie vlakke nou gepas. The sound of gentle rain after the storm is now appropriate on many levels. Met ons liefde, soos altyd. With our love, as always. George & Matilda

Vanuit Die Restory - Gesprekke Tussen Reisgenote (120)

Skuld as Motivering Die Gesprek Elemente Uit Die Gesprek ~ ❖ ~ "I am convinced that guilt and shame are never from God. They are merely the defenses of the False Self as it is shocked at its own poverty — the defenses of a little man who wants to be a big man. God leads by compassion toward the soul, never by condemnation. If God would relate to us by severity and punitiveness, God would only be giving us permission to do the same (which is tragically, due to our mistaken images of God, exactly what has happened!)." Richard Rohr                 ~ ❖ ~ "It is about as hard to absolve yourself of your own guilt as it is to sit in your own lap. Wrongdoing sparks guilt sparks wrongdoing ad nauseam, and we all try to disguise the grim process from both ourselves and everybody else. In order to break the circuit we need friends before whom we can put aside the disguise, trusting that when they see us for what we fully are, they won't run away screaming w...