The Parable of the Herdsman

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, how can advocacy break the money yoke?”

Josh spoke thus:

A political idealist was watching as a herdsman guided his herd through a great gate.

“It’s a choreography,” the political idealist said to the herdsman.

“I sometimes have a tune in my head,” the herdsman said, “I accelerate the herd when the tune in my head is a galop.  Put an adagio in my head, and presto, the herd is slow.”

“What tune is in your head now?” the political idealist asked.

“A dirge,” the herdsman said.  The political idealist and the herdsman laughed heartily.

“When the herd is roaming free, you must whistle an expansive tune” the political idealist said.

“I whistle Bach,” the herdsman said, “Freedom is complicated.  Freedom is baroque.”

“I see freedom as disjointed,” the political idealist said, “I lose all melody when I see freedom.”

“You don’t understand freedom,” the herdsman said, “You political idealists rarely do.”

“And herdsmen do?” the political idealist asked.

“Herdsmen need to,” the herdsman said, “If they want to maintain a herd.”

“Because detention is your business,” the political idealist said, “Know thine enemy, eh?”

“Because freedom is my business,” the herdsman said.

“You remove chaos from the herd,” the political idealist said, “You stifle freedom.”

“I protect the herd from chaos,” the herdsman said, “I create freedom.”

“Even as you lead them to their end,” the political idealist said.

“Even as I lead them to their purpose,” the herdsman said.

“Your purpose, not theirs,” the political idealist said.

“Their purpose, not mine,” the herdsman said.

“The purpose of the herd,” the political idealist said.

“The purposes of each individual in the herd,” the herdsman said.

“The purposes of every individual in the herd are created by the purpose of the herd,” the political idealist said.

“The purposes of every individual in the herd create the herd,” the herdsman said.

The doors to the Conclave closed.  The herdsman whistled the opening of a fugue.

“Let’s see how well they play your tune,” the political activist said.

The herdsman replied, “Let’s see how well my tune matches theirs.”