One of my favorite stories in the world was written by Edward Hays, author of a book of parables entitled “Twelve and a Half Keys.” The book sits on my shelf next to a few of my favorites like Girzone’s “Joshua” and Anthony de Mello’s work.

As I was reading the comments on fellow edublogger’s Richard Byrne’s (Free Technology for Teachers) blog, I was reminded of it. Whether the lesson is relevant or not, I delight in the tale.

The rising sun was a yellow silhouette in the early morning mist as David jogged along the lonely country road. He preferred this old, dusty road to run on rather than anything else available in the city…He seemed to be in the very middle of the woods when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his left foot. . .David decided to stop…to rest his foot. As he sat on the old fallen tree and rubbed his foot, his mind was filled with a rush of thoughts. This morning his thoughts seemed clearer than ever before. They were not new thoughts, only clearer than before: “What shall I do with my life? What will be my life’s work? It was so much simpler in the ancient days. The choices were easier: knight, clergyman, merchant, or peasant. A son did the work of his father. But today so many choices are present; and which choice is the right one?”

As David let these thoughts circle in his mind he heard, so faintly at first and then stronger, the sound of music–banjo music! Turning, he looked down the lane and saw a man dressed in a wrinkled, white suit, wearing dark sunglasses and a black sea captain’s cap, strolling up this narrow forest lane. The stranger was playing a banjo, and the plunking music was marvelous. When the stranger with the banjo reached the tree where David was seated, he stopped and greeted him, “Good morning. Something wrong with your foot?”

“Yeah,” said David. “I think that I must have turned it or something.”

“Ah,” replied the stranger, “let me have a look at it.”…”Allow me to try an old Chinese cure….” and slowly began to massage it. His fingers held magic, it seemed, as they worked the muscles of the bottom of the foot and then began to massage the ankle. Even the toes, one by one, were gently but firmly kneaded. The sensation was magnificent. David’s entire body was at peace.

He inquired of the stranger, “Would you mind doing the other foot?”

“Not at all,” replied the banjo man. When had finished, all pain was gone. Not simply the pain in his foot, but all pain vanished; and in its place was almost perfect bliss….

The stranger stood up…picked up his banjo and began to play. As soon as his fingers touched the strings of the banjo, music filled the woods and an electric charge shot upward through David’s entire body. Without thought, his feet began to move–and suddenly he was dancing! Not simply his feet, but rather his entire body was dancing…David started off in the direction for home; only now he wasn’t jogging, he was dancing.

As David dances along the road, he encounters different people…an Army recruiter who says to him, “Uncle Sam wants you!” but then frowns when he discovers David is dancing, not marching.

Then, David comes across a monastery but the abbot says to him, “Dancing, young man, is not part of the spiritual exercises of the Church.”

At that moment, from up in the sky, there came a loud voice: “Blessed are the feet of those who announce the Good News. Romans 10:15”

David continues on his dance down the road…where he encounters a large soft drink bottling plant:

“Young man, you’ve got promise! I believe we can make you a star and a rich man. We want you to work for us.”

“Good,” answered a delighted David, “since Uncle Sam and the Church didn’t want me. What can I do for you?”

“J.B.’s voice spoke from behind a cloud of cigar smoke, “We’ll make you famous, son. You will appear in a brand-new ad we’re running on television. In this ad, you’re just an ordinary All-American kid; then you take a drink from Cola King and suddenly. . .you begin to dance down the street. People see you and want to follow. They all start drinking Cola King and suddenly they’re dancing too; everyone is dancing down the street!”

“Wow!” said David. “That’s fantastic. You mean that your Cola King can make people dance, can set them free, and put them in harmony with all the earth?”

“No, of course not!” said the president. “Don’t be stupid. I thought you were a smart kid. It’s just a gimmick to make people buy what they really don’t need. But, son, that’s business. Right?”

“I’m sorry. No, thanks,” replied David regretfully. “I’m not interested in selling people what they don’t need and pretending that it will make them dance or be happy.”

There’s a little more to the parable of The Banjo Man, but I fear I’ve shared too much…this parable comes to mind whenever I find someone encouraging a particular brand or product. Wouldn’t it be neat to remake the following commercial but substitute Google Teacher Academy or Discovery Educator or Edublogger, or something like that?

That would be fun…right?

YouTube Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQPN3UKQM-U

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure