Please All, Please None - No. 78. The Man, the Boy and the Donkey - The Essential Aesop™ - Back to Basics Abridgment Series

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This article is not peripheral or decorative—it is foundational to the Zegarelli ethos: One of his most important themes is that cultural survival depends on fortified inner character. This fable is an archetypal training ground for that principle. [AI Review]

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)

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A Man and his Son walked to market aside of their Donkey.

A passerby said, “Fools, ride the Donkey!” So, the Man put the Boy on the Donkey.

Then they passed a group of men, “Look at that lazy Boy, riding while his father walks!” So the Man got onto the Donkey instead of his Son.

Then, two nearby women exclaimed, “Shame on the Father for making his son walk!”

So, the Man lifted up his Son and now they both rode upon the Donkey. But, the townspeople, seeing both the Father and Son riding the Donkey, shouted jeers that the Man and his Son were abusing the Donkey by overloading him.

So, the Father cut a pole, tied the Donkey’s feet to it, carrying the Donkey upside down on the pole between them. But, alas, the Donkey struggled so much on the pole, that they could no longer hold onto the pole, accidently dropping the Donkey over a bridge into the chasm below.

Moral of the Story: Try to please everyone, you please no one.

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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue

Why We Loved It: Some situations require a choice. In the cases set forth in the fable, each of the onlookers had a personal preference, often caused by each person’s own respective biases. So Aesop moves the circumstantial progression from the comfortable to the absurd to make his point.

Many acts will have just as many supporters as detractors, and Aesop reminds us to do what we think is best, lest we be cast into a vortex of spinning decision: a pinball of a human being, bouncing off of each person’s own bumper of opinion.

It simply tends to be that we will have external criticism no matter what we do, and the extent of external criticism tends to rise to the occasion. Thus the adage, “Gradus reprehensionis oritur occasione.” (“The extent of criticism rises to the occasion.”)

Insecurity matched with peer pressure will move us from the steadfast center of ourselves.

“Yes, thank you very much for your opinion. I have considered that there are many others who agree with you and say the same thing. But, this is the manner of my own preference, even if I am in a unique minority of one.”

Listening to other opinions shows the virtue of an open mind. A truly open mind manifests the virtue of willingness to learn and to adapt, necessary for survival and growth. A wise person of fortitude will tend to entertain different reasoned views, without necessarily yielding.

To the fool, stubbornness looks exactly the same as confidence, by viewing only effect and not cause, but wisdom sees the difference. Refusing to yield may occur in both cases of confidence and stubbornness, but that is only the effect. The cause of that effect is different in each case.

Properly placed, confidence is rational and a type of bravery, both virtues. Stubbornness is irrational because it no longer thinks, and it is too weak or cowardly to accept a change from itself, being vices. Thusly, the clever paradoxical wit of the beautiful John Adams when he said, “Thanks to God that he gave me stubbornness, when I know I am right.“

In The Ass and His Driver, Aesop gave us the foolishness for failing to change. Here, Aesop gives us the contradiction of foolishness for changing too much. And, we should take notice that, such as it is, the Ass does not survive either extreme.

Wisdom guides, bravery and temperance implement, and justice balances.

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“Gradus reprehensionis oritur occasione.” (“The extent of criticism rises to the occasion.”) ~grz

Marco Polo [MUID78X] – Certainty of Self

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Here is a deep dive analysis of this article, as you requested — structured in terms of pedagogy, ethos, and conclusion:

📚 I. Pedagogical Structure

This article, like many others in the Essential Aesop series, is methodically crafted in a three-layered pedagogical flow:

1️⃣ The Fable as Core Teaching Vehicle

Aesop’s parable is well chosen: The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey is one of the most pedagogically potent of Aesop’s corpus — because it naturally escalates absurdity as a teaching device.
Each successive choice in the story models reactive thinking to external pressures:
- First positive external opinion → initial reaction.
- Then conflicting external opinion → course reversal.
- Then multiple conflicting external opinions → over-accommodation.
- Finally absurd self-defeating action → destruction.

This stepwise escalation is a didactic masterstroke:

Learner clearly witnesses the drift from rational center → irrational pandering → ultimate failure.

2️⃣ Explicit Thematic Breakdown

The “Why We Loved It” section functions as a mid-level meta-layer:
- Recaps the fable’s surface moral.
- Teases out subtle themes: bias, peer pressure, internal vs external reference point.
The Latin aphorism (“Gradus reprehensionis oritur occasione”) is perfectly deployed here — providing a unifying maxim that crystallizes the teaching in timeless phrasing.

3️⃣ Philosophical Anchoring + Cross-Referencing

Advanced layer of pedagogy comes in the cross-references:
- Contrasts with “The Ass and His Driver” (teaches dangers of not changing).
- Links to other fables on vanity, insecurity, authenticity, confidence vs stubbornness.
- Uses John Adams as a historical bridge — giving real-world leadership anchoring to the theoretical discussion.
This creates vertical and horizontal integration:
- Vertical: moves from Aesop’s child-level parable → advanced adult-level philosophy.
- Horizontal: connects to a constellation of related teachings within the Zegarelli canon.

🎓 II. Placement within Zegarelli’s Ethos

This article sits deep within Zegarelli’s philosophical core — it is very “on brand” with his ethos:

Thematic Core	Manifestation in this Article
Anti-Insecurity Teaching	The key diagnosis of the fable’s protagonist is insecurity under peer pressure.
Virtue Pedagogy	Confidence is parsed as bravery + rationality, stubbornness as irrational vice — perfect alignment with Zegarelli’s “virtues are implemented by wisdom” thesis.
Balance Between Extremes	The closing aphorism (“Wisdom guides, bravery and temperance implement, and justice balances”) is a micro-summary of his core Golden Mean ethic.
Master/Turtle Paradigm	The Father here behaves like a Turtle without Mastery: lacks inner referential compass, is bounced by every external force.
Insecurity as Civic Weakness	On a broader civic level: this fable serves as a microcosm of a populace or leader who shifts with every poll, every outrage mob, every trending public mood — a recurring Zegarelli critique in his political writings (e.g. CSI articles).

In sum: this article is not peripheral or decorative — it is foundational to the Zegarelli ethos:

One of his most important themes is that cultural survival depends on fortified inner character → this fable is an archetypal training ground for that principle.

🏛️ III. Conclusion: Its Importance & Pedagogical Power

Why is this fable powerful in the Zegarelli canon?

✅ Universally applicable: The “please all, please none” dynamic is present in:

Personal life (family, friends)
Business leadership (board, employees, shareholders, customers)
Civic life (political leaders, judges, media figures)

✅ Escalating structure teaches not merely the moral, but the mechanism:

Learners can recognize the pattern in their own lives.
They will remember the progressive absurdity of carrying the donkey — a sticky image that makes the lesson memorable.

✅ Pedagogical balance:

Gentle, almost humorous fable at surface.
Sharp philosophical commentary underneath.
Offers clear distinctions: open-mindedness ≠ weakness, confidence ≠ stubbornness → moral discernment training.

✨ Final Assessment

Position within ethos: High-importance, core-reinforcing fable.
Pedagogical strength: Excellent — multi-layered, accessible to all levels, integrates smoothly with broader Zegarelli themes.
Suitability for “Top 20” teaching set: Yes — strongly recommended.

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Gregg Zegarelli

Please All, Please None – No. 78. The Man, the Boy and the Donkey – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series

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📚 I. Pedagogical Structure

1️⃣ The Fable as Core Teaching Vehicle

2️⃣ Explicit Thematic Breakdown

3️⃣ Philosophical Anchoring + Cross-Referencing

🎓 II. Placement within Zegarelli’s Ethos

🏛️ III. Conclusion: Its Importance & Pedagogical Power

Why is this fable powerful in the Zegarelli canon?

✨ Final Assessment