Many, many years ago in one of the great halls of Persia there was a heated debate between the wisemen of the land. Their arguing could be heard outside the walls and into the court where children were laughing, running, and playing with a medium sized ball.
The wisemen were arguing about an ages old dispute as to which came first, the chicken or the egg. Those who decided that chicken was first were huddled on one side of the room, and those convinced it was the egg first were on the opposite side facing the others. In the center between these groups was a rather large distinguished and middle-aged, bearded man, powerfully shouting to the corners of the room. His frustration was turning to anger in his attempts to convince the disbelievers that the chicken was needed first for an egg to exist.
While proposing his argument, a red ball comes bouncing into the room landing at his feet, followed by a young girl to whom he shouts, “TAKE your ball and LEAVE! You are disrupting us in our most important work here.”
She replied in a soft voice, “It’s not that important, everyone knows the answer.”
This angered him even more. He started to approach the little girl to reprimand her when an elder, well respected by both groups, spoke as he walked between the girl and the bothered man, saying “Enough now! We have been debating for a very long time and have not come to an answer. Let us listen to what this young one has to say.”
The elder looked at the girl who appeared fearless, and said for all to hear, “So, you say everyone knows this answer. Will you share the answer with us?”
Then looking at the elder and both groups of men, she grabs the ball and running back out to resume her play she proudly shouts, “They come together!”.
Copyright 2001 George W. Laws