The Clever, The Foolish, and the Hollow in Between!!

 I was reading a story to my son today about two characters: Neing and Asu. It is a story as old as time itself. Neing is the "foolish" one—the one who gives, the one who works, the one who yields. Asu is the "clever" one—the one who receives, the one who tricks, the one who masters the art of letting others serve him.

In the logic of the story, Neing’s "foolishness" is presented as a virtue. He works harder because he doesn't know how to demand. He gives up his share because he cannot bring himself to force his needs upon another. In the world of children’s books, we call this kindness. But in the world of adults, we call it a deficit.

In the fables, a great storm eventually comes. The clever one’s greed leads to his downfall, and the foolish one is rewarded for his endurance. We tell our children these stories to make them "good." We tell ourselves these stories to justify our own silence.

But as I closed the book, I looked at the reality around me. In the real world, the storm often never happens. The "Asus" of our lives don’t lose; they accumulate. They move from one success to another, building their empires on the backs of those who were too "good" to say no. They occupy the rooms, they claim the credit, and they sleep soundly while the "Neings" are left with the labor.

The tragedy of the "Neing" isn't just the extra work. It is the hollow that grows within when they realize their "goodness" was used as a tool for their own depletion. By not forcing their needs on others, they effectively told the world that their needs didn't exist.

As I read this to my son, I feel a deep urge to change the narrative.

Neing cannot go back in time. He cannot undo the years where his hard work was harvested by the clever. Those chapters are written in stone. But he is learning that while he cannot change the past, he can certainly change the terms of the future.

I am teaching my son this story, but I am also teaching him the lesson Neing learned late: that goodness is only sustainable when it is protected by boundaries. Neing is finally learning to build a fence around his efforts. He is learning that his hard work is a treasure to be guarded, not a commodity to be handed over to the first clever person who asks. The storm may never come for Asu, but Neing is busy building a house that finally belongs to him.