The Crown and the Straw Hat

Once there were two brothers. Their father was the king, and they were princes. The eldest was given the throne when his father stepped down. This brother had a beautiful, elegant crown, forged out of gold and bejewelled in emeralds and sapphires. Everywhere he went, the prince wore his crown. Not once did he remove his crown, neither in the company of young women or the elderly. Now the younger brother did not want the life of a prince. His brother was already crowned the next in line, so he assumed the life of a modest farmer. He moved out of the palace, into a house that was as modest as he. This brother also wore a crown, though it was made of brittle, tan straw, and was made to keep the sun off of his head. This brother wore his straw hat in all the same places his brother wore his crown. His hat may not have precious gems, but the people loved it just as much as the beautiful crown, if not more. The only time the youngest brother took off his straw hat was to bow lowly to the fine women that passed by. Then he would replace his straw hat back on his head and return to his happy, modest life. One day, fate had it that the two brothers would reunite. The prince did not recognize his brother, clad in the garments of a laborer. Most of all, the prince noticed his brother's hat. He noticed it did not shine in the way his crown did. Nor was it of any value. And this, the prince made sure to point out. "Why sir, do you wear such a hideous atrocity on your head. It neither shines nor sparkles. How can one tell your status?" To this, the younger brother replied, "Your crown is too shiny, that it blinds you of the truth. You say your crown has value that my straw hat lacks thereof. But does your crown keep the hot sun off of your head? You do not know of the hard labor I perform, so you cannot appreciate the value of my hat. Your pride masquerades atop your head. It is a materialistic thing, and has no use, unlike my straw hat. Because I work hard and appreciate the things I have, my hat will forever be more precious than your crown can ever be. Just as humility is more practical than pride, so is a hat made of straw than a crown just for looks.