"The Crazy King"

By Paulo Coelho in his book "Veronika Decides to Die"

"A powerful wizard, who wanted to destroy an entire kingdom, placed a magic potion in the well from which all the inhabitants drank. Whoever drank that water would go mad.

and was now giving nonsensical orders. They marched on the castle and called for his abdication.


The following morning, the whole population drank from the well and they all went mad, apart from the king and his family, who had a well set aside for them alone, which the magician had not managed to poison.


The king was worried and tried to control the population by issuing a series of edicts governing security and public health.

The policemen and inspectors, however, had also drunk the poisoned water, and they thought the king’s decisions were absurd and resolved to take no notice of them.

When the inhabitants of the kingdom heard these decrees, they became convinced that the king had gone mad

In despair the king prepared to step down from the throne, but the queen stopped him, saying:

‘Let us go and drink from the communal well. Then we will be the same as them.’

The king and the queen drank the water of madness and immediately began talking nonsense.

Their subjects repented at once; now that the king was displaying such wisdom, why not allow him to continue ruling the country?" (Paulo Coelho)

This short story is still very relevant to our present pressing situations. The story teaches a valuable lesson. The fact on how difficult it is to rise above the majority. The challenge to rise and stand out above the "norms". These difficulties have always made pressures to retain one's individuality. The dilemma between staying what it is to be yourself and what it is to belong with the majority. Tackling the challenge is an act that takes a great deal of courage, determination, will, resolve and inner-strength. We are biologically hard wired to do everything that is possible to prevent ourselves to be called social outcast. If we have the guts to stand out and follow our own ideas not minding what others think of us, we can surely make a change. A change that is currently lacking in our present communities.

Doing what is popular is far different from doing what is good and right. We should stop restraining ourselves to speak up and do what is good just because our society limits us to do so.

Then answer this, Do you choose to drink the water from the well and be the same as others? or do choose to be yourself and make the better change? ;)





Inspired by Paulo Coelho and Dan Fabrizio