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Stowing Thrones

There was once a great chief who lived on a tropical island. He lived in a hut made of grass and wood, and sat on a very comfortable chair. This island was visited by some merchants from Europe who spoke of the great palaces that their monarchs lived in. The chief was impressed, but not by the structures themselves, rather by the impressive thrones on which they sat. It was the throne, he decided, that gave the monarch the impressiveness that is so important. So he decided to have a throne built for himself.

He gathered all kinds of exotic woods from all over the island - rosewood, palm, teak, etc. His finest craftsmen and artisans worked for months to create a truly impressive throne. When it was finished, the throne was massive. It's high back was almost 10 feet tall, and the seat itself was three feet wide. The throne was truly a seat of power.

All went well for a while, but then the chief noticed something troubling: the throne was not comfortable AT ALL for sitting. He took to sitting on it only when receiving dignitaries or other important functions, but eventually even that became unbearable. In frustration, he had the throne removed and his old comfy chair brought back. The underlings, not knowing exactly what to do with the throne, put it in the attic in case the chief should ever want it again.

Several months later, the ceiling above the chief gave way, and the throne which had been so carefully put away came crashing down on the chief, killing him instantly.

The moral of the story:

If you live in a grass house, you shouldn't stow thrones.

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