The Man Who Thought He Was Dead

I was still thinking about the story of the two frogs.

-It's like that poem by Almafuerte  -I said  -

'Don't let yourself be conquered, even when you've been conquered.'

-That could be  -said the Fat Man.  But in this case, I think it's more like 'Don't let yourself be conquered before you've been conquered.' Or, if you like, 'Don't declare yourself a failure before taking the test.' The reason is that . . .

And before I knew it, Jorge was telling me another story.

Once upon a time there was a man who was always worried that he was sick with something, and he was even more concerned that he might be dying.  One day, with all these fears floating around in his head, he began to think that it was very likely that he was already dead.  So, he asked his wife.

-Love, will you tell me something? Am I . . . dead?

She laughed and told him to touch his hands and feet.

-See?  They're warm!  Good then, that's how you know you're alive.  If you were dead, they'd be very cold.

Her answer made sense to him and eased his mind.

A few weeks later, on a snowy day, the man went out to chop some wood for the fire. When he got to the forest, he took off his gloves and started chopping.

Without thinking about it, he touched his cheek and noticed how cold his hand was. Remembering what his wife had told him, he quickly took off his shoes and socks and, to his own horror, confirmed that his feet were very cold too.

There was no more room for doubt in the man's mind, he was absolutely sure that he was dead.

-It wouldn't be right for a dead person to be walking around chopping wood  -he said to himself.  So, right then, he dropped his axe next to his mule, he lay down in the snow with his arms crossed over his chest, and he closed his eyes.  

Soon, a pack of dogs approached and discovered his saddlebag, which contained some provisions.  When they realized that no one was protecting the bag, they rent it open and devoured the food.  The man thought:  "They're lucky I'm dead, or they'd really get a beating." 

The pack kept sniffing around and discovered the man's mule tied to a tree.   It was an easy target for the sharp-teethed dogs.  The mule squealed and kicked, and the man thought to himself that he would've liked to save the mule, if only he weren't dead.

After only a few minutes they devoured the mule, and while a few stayed behind to gnaw at the bones, the pack set off in search of more.

It wasn't long before one of the dogs caught scent of the man.  It found him lying motionless in the snow.  It approached slowly, very slowly, because to the dog, men were treacherous and cunning creatures.

Within moments the entire pack had surrounded him, their teeth shown, saliva dripping from their jaws.

"Now they're going to eat me- thought the man- if I weren't dead, it would be a different story."

The dogs closed in . . .

. . . and seeing no movement, they ate him.

Two Frogs in the Cream

I was in the middle of a series of exams. I had taken two finals already, and my next one was less than a week away. I was not prepared.

-I'm not going to make it. -I told Jorge. It's useless to put more energy into this. It's a lost cause. I think that the best thing I can do now is just show up with what I already know. At least that way if they fail me, I won't have wasted the whole week studying.
-Have you ever heard the story of the two frogs? -The Fat Man asked.

Once upon a time two frogs fell into a bowl of cream.
They immediately realized that they were sinking: it was impossible to float or even swim through this thick quicksand-like substance. At first, the frogs tried to get to the edge of the bowl by kicking, but it was useless. They only splashed about and buried themselves. Every time they came up to breath, it seemed more and more difficult to reach the surface.
One of them shouted: "I can't do this any more. It's impossible to escape. I can't swim through this stuff. I'm going to die here. It doesn't make any sense to prolong my suffering. It doesn't make any sense to die exhausted by a useless effort."
That said, it stopped kicking. It started sinking and was literally swallowed up by the thick white liquid.
The other frog, more persistent, or maybe more stubborn, said to itself "There's no way out! I can't get through this stuff. Death is closing in on me, but I'll fight 'til the end. I won't die one second before my time."
The frog kicked and splashed for hours without moving an inch. Suddenly, from all this kicking and moving and splashing, the cream turned into butter.
The frog kicked again and, with some amazement, realized it was in mid-air. It landed in the butter with a squish; but, it kept kicking and jumping until finally it reached the bowl's edge.
The frog jumped down off the edge and croaked happily all the way home.

The Cyclothymic King

When I started to talk, I realized how hyper I was.  I felt euphoric!  And since I was, at the time, talking to Jorge, he found out everything that I had done that week.

It wasn't the first time that I'd felt that way, like a triumphant Superman.  I was, for the time being, loving life.  I was full of energy and power.  I started telling The Fat Man all my plans for the next few days. 

The Fat Man smiled happily.

As always, I felt like Jorge was accompanying me on my emotional roller coaster. Sharing my happiness with Jorge was one more reason to be happy.  The plans all made sense so I kept going, even though I wasn't going to have time to do it all, even with two lifetimes.

- Can I tell you a story? - he said

I remember how difficult it was, but somehow I quieted myself.

Once upon a time these was a king who ruled a far off land.

He was a good king, but he had a problem: he had two personalities.

There were days when he would get up happy and full of energy, euphoric.  Right from the start those were wonderful days.  The palace gardens seemed more beautiful. His servants, by some strange occurrence, became friendly and efficient.

During breakfast, he averred that during his reign the flour was the finest ever produced and the harvest the best ever reaped.

On those days, the king lowered taxes, redistributed wealth, did favors for others, and legislated to promote peace and ensure the well-being of the elderly.  On those days, he agreed to every petition submitted by his friends and subjects.

However, there were other days too...

dark days.

When he awoke all he wanted was to fall back asleep, but he couldn't.  Not for the life of him, could he understand why his servants were all in such a bad mood and why none of them were doing a good job.  Sunshine bothered him, more than rain!  The food was tepid, and the coffee cold.  The mere idea of receiving visitors gave him a headache.

On these days, he was frightened by all of his contractual agreements and worried about how to fulfill them.  Those were the days when the king raised taxes, annexed lands, and oppressed those who opposed him.

He was afraid of the present, afraid of the future, and haunted by the mistakes of the past.  On those days he passed legislation opposed to the wishes and interests of the town.  On those days, the word he used most was 'no'.

Aware of the problems caused by his unstable character, the king called a meeting.  Every wise man, wizard and advisor was there.  

Gentlemen - he said - All of you have witnessed the vicissitudes of my character.  You've reaped the rewards of my euphoria and suffered the hardships of my wrath.

But I have suffered far more than any of you, because every day I have to undo what I did the day before, when I was seeing things differently.

What I need, Gentlemen, is for you to work together to find me a cure, be it potion or spell, that will keep me from getting so absurdly optimistic that I'm unconscious of the risks involved, and from getting so ridiculously pessimistic as to oppress and harm those I love.

The motley group accepted his task and for several weeks they worked on the problem.  However, neither spell, nor alchemy, nor herb were effective.

So they appeared before the king and admitted their failure.  

The king cried that night.

The next morning a strange visitor arrived and asked to see the king.  He was a dark and mysterious man wearing a tattered old tunic.  

Your majesty - he said, bowing low - In the place that I'm from, they speak of your troubles.  I've come here to bring you a cure.

Lowering his gaze, he presented to the king a leather box.

The king was surprised and hopeful.  He opened the box and looked inside.  There he found a silver ring.

- Thank you - the king said enthusiastically - Does it have some magical power?

- Yes, your majesty - responded the man - but simply wearing it is not enough to make it work.

Every morning, when you wake up, you must read the inscription that the ring bears, and you must remember it every time you notice the ring on your finger.

The king held up the ring and read the inscription out loud:

"Know that this too will pass."