Heroism

Heroism

Hercules stands before the council of Gods, awaiting their verdict to his request for membership with them.

“You must first prove yourself worthy,” thunders one of the deities.

“Name it,” says Hercules. “I’ll dig a canal with my hands. I’ll carry Mt. so-and-so piece by piece to the next country. I’ll turn the world around for a new view.”

“None of those,” the divine spokesman roars. “You must bind yourself to a rigorous, strict schedule — awaken every day at six, labor for 8 hours in the heat of the day with only a half hour for lunch. You will labor five days a week for forty  years, with only two weeks off per year. Your labor will be to lift toothpicks, one by one from one moving table and place them on another. You will work amid noise and tormentors who tells jokes that are not funny and complain to you of every manner of trivial discomfort.”

“No!” pleads Hercules. “Have me reduce the Pyrenees to gravel using only my teeth, but not this you speak of!”

“Begone, Hercules!” roars the god. “You have not the stuff of heroes in you!” ~ Nov. 5, 1980