Sad. Very Sad.

Sad Parable

There was a fellow who had always been rich and accustomed to getting his own way. By a quirk of fate, this man had been born in a land where the inhabitants worshipped wealth and power. And so it was that, as his wealth and power grew, he became the object of worship to many in the land. Though he continued to get richer and richer, inside, he was as insecure as he'd always been. He felt a niggling deep down. It was a little voice telling him he was nothing but a blowhard snake oil salesman. However, never needing to face real consequences for his selfish predatory behavior, filled him with a false bravado. He cheated and scammed and bought his way out of trouble until he began to feel invincible.

At some point, a great and wonderful idea came to the man. He would spend whatever he needed to spend and say whatever he needed to say, to become the king. The man didn’t truly understand the responsibilities of a king but this did not worry him. He also didn’t know as much as others believed he knew about his business interests and he had done alright at that. After all, the man knew he had tried and true formulas for success. He decided to double down on bombast, forcible assertions, and fear-mongering. He was quite certain becoming king would be his most glorious achievement and position him to scheme and scam without limits. But, the man still carried his dubious methods and niggling doubts wherever he went.

Soon after accepting his crown, he began to worry that, rather than insulating himself from further troubles, he had exposed himself to levels of trouble he'd not even imagined. The man was terrified, angry, and frustrated. But none of that mattered. Those who were sniffing at his trail were the best trackers in the land. They were methodical and determined. Worst of all, they were not afraid of rich people and they couldn't be bought

Sad. Very sad.