Morality Tale

So we were talking about leadership as it relates to the short folk tale "The Empty Pot" in class today. 

The story revolves around an aging emperor who sends out seeds to every child in the kingdom announcing that whoever grows the best plant will be his successor. A young boy named Ping is known for his green thumb, but try as he might, he can't get any of the seeds to sprout. 

Over the next few months Ping frets and cries, and on the day of the judging he is tempted to stay home, but his father advises him to go anyway, confident in the fact that he did his best. At the palace, Ping is embarrassed to see all the beautiful plants the other young folk have brought, but the emperor is drawn to his empty pot. It turns out all the seeds were sterile, and Ping becomes the successor because he was the only one honest and brave enough to bring his best effort.

Any claim for an argument essay must be debatable, and so I usually play devil's advocate and make the case that Ping really isn't suited for the throne. Many students gasp when they first hear my thesis, but they warm up to it when I point out that he is a crybaby and generally too timid to be an emperor. "Plus," I always say, "who thinks a leader should always be honest? The emperor himself deceives everyone when he sends those seeds out. Can there be such a thing as being too honest?" I shrug

Today that little cheater from my homeroom was in my class. "Yes!" he nodded his head vigorously in agreement. "Look at Trump! He definitely knows a good leader doesn't have to be honest."