Story of our lives
It’s really fascinating how history leaves an abundance of clues and lessons and we just ignore it and still make the same mistakes.
There is an ancient Egyptian story that gives a very clear and definite ironical lesson about the same!
There was a rich and powerful Egyptian Pharoah by the name Net. He had a kind of obsession with architecture. Say its, beautiful carvings on temple places or vast and huge pyramids.
One day, he had both his nephews, Azur and Shuma called in in the palace and asked both of them to start working on building a pyramid that will eventually be the resting place for him and his wife after their deaths.
They had to work alone and in return, both of them were promised kingships along with an insurmountable amount of gold and money, servants serving them 24 hours, and all the luxuries one can even imagine.
They won’t have to work a single day in their lives!
Azur being a go-getter starts the work the next day. Placing orders for heavy monstrous rocks that were imported from all places across the red sea.
These rocks had to be carved, chiseled, and the worst part, dragged and placed in the right position. Azur didn’t rest for a day. He worked all day, 45 degrees of temperature, dragging rocks across the planes, lifting, sweating, and working his guts out. After 1 year, he finally completed the foundation!
He went to his brother, Shuma that day hoping to see his planning and construction only to find that he hadn’t placed a single rock for the last 1 year. NOT 1 SINGLE ROCK. The land was completely barren. Nothing!
He went running to his brother Shuma’s house where he was drawing and playing with wooden toys,
Azur: “You idiot, what are you doing playing with those toys, aren’t you supposed to build the pyramid?”
Shuma: “Just leave me alone. I am building it.”
Azur: “How are you building it? But sitting over there? It's been 1 year and you haven’t placed a single rock at your place. You know the Pharoah will hang you for treason if he finds out.”
Shuma doesn’t care for what his brother says and eventually Azur leaves, disgruntled.
As days pass by, and the pyramid starts building up by levels, it becomes difficult for Azur to life those rocks up to much greater heights.
He eventually ends up hiring the strongest man in Egypt, Beni, to train him to build his muscles so he can easily lift rocks and drag them to greater heights!
For a modest pay per hour rate, Beni agrees to train Azur to build his physical power.
Beni’s concept: “If you find it difficult to lift or push a rock, keep lifting it until you become used to it.”
Fair Enough!
His training starts and it becomes even more difficult to train and work simultaneously.
One day, while going to work, he encounters something unusual. A huge crowd of people running towards the east side of Chuma’s barren lands. He decides to check it out.
10,000 people all at once cheering and exhilarating at Chuma’s 7 stories tall wooden killing machine. Not really a killing machine, it was a 7 story wooden crane with all kinds of the complex lever, cranks, bolts, and pulleys, and what not.
Within 15 minutes, this complex machine was capable of doing some mysterious sort of magic! It could engage, lift, and drop 100s of kilograms of rocks within minutes of rotating a few joypad controls. Marvelous!
Azur seemed pleased that Shuma’s machinery is as stupid as he is and will eventually fail due to some technical errors. He continued his harsh training working every day and paying Beni a modest rent.
To his surprise, Shuma completed his pyramid within the next 4 years. It took his 7 years in total. 3 years of preparation + 4 years of actual work.
Taking his kingship and a huge amount of money, he eventually retired at the age of 26.
Azur kept consistent with his work. It took him a total of 35 years to finally reach the day he has been waiting for. Only one level was remaining. He decided that tomorrow is going to be the day he will complete this level and give it all a rest!
The next morning he suffers a heart attack, luckily escaping it he and gets bed rest for the next 2 months. He asks his children to go the next day, complete the last level, and get it done with. Both his boys, complete the last level and starts running towards the king’s palace.
Running and shouting in front of the king’s palace, they cheered in joy:
“WE COMPLETED IT….. WE COMPLETED IT…… WE COMPLETED IT….”
The gatekeeper stops them in between.
GateKeeper: “What have you completed??”
“We completed the Pyramid our father promised to the Pharaoh.”
GateKeeper:: “Haha! That's so sweet. Unfortunately, the king who demanded it himself died 10 years ago.”
Shuma eventually led a normal life thereafter, and after 5 years, deceased due to old age. Shuma’s corpse was buried in the middle cabinet of the Pyramid he built himself. Ironically, he has been building his own grave for the last 40 years, never realizing it along the way.
Do you sometimes, also feel the same way?
Give it a thought.
Rajat Upadhyay
The author of this post is retiring from writing… kidding! He is just taking a break!
