When humankind was first given their free will,

The gods decided to temper such power with fates,

By the chance it could taint the human spirit

And turn mankind from the righteous path of growth

To a foul nature full of greed, arrogance and deceit.

The gods deliberated that with the right of free will

Man and woman would have to bear three limitations:

They would have to toil by land and sea to survive,

Their days be ruled by time and the care of children,

And their wills must succumb to the greater good.

For many millennia, perhaps eons, man lived as such

He wisely tended the land and sea that rewarded him

Time’s power was heeded as children were raised up

No man’s will overtook another, good was good for all

This was the golden age of man and times were good.

One day, a strong man saw his crops and flock fail

Instead of asking for help, he decided to take his fill

From another neighbor; and so became the first thief

Others heard of this injustice and confronted him

He lied about stealing and let his neighbor starve!

Once the whole village heard of what he had done

They became outraged and decided they must act

They turned to another strong man who was also just

He became their leader; and so became a politician.

Led by the magistrate, the town confronted the thief.

The magistrate was met by the thief and his family

But he and the villagers didn’t know they were armed

Even though it was unfair what the thief had done

He and his family had more power than the villagers!

So he killed the magistrate and took over the town.

The moral of the story is that power corrupts all.

The three fates were designed to protect mankind

From himself with work, mortality, and community.

Consequently, neglecting his place, time and people

Led to avarice and theft, deceit and denial, and murder. Politicians were another unpleasant result.

It’s a good thing we have already learned the important lesson of this “fable of the three fates” and have come to accept that our individual and collective humility, faith and kindness are what protects us from our own weaknesses, insecurities and fears.

Without such fates to make us strive to better ourselves, to take care of our environment, to teach our children well, and to guard our sacred responsibility to our fellow man, what kind of world would we be living in today?