IF YOU ELEVATE THE DONKEY’S RANK…
In the book Why Nations Fail, written by Daron Acemoğlu together with James A. Robinson, it is emphasized that the collapse of nations is closely related to the collapse of social institutions.
I also believe that the collapse of social institutions comes hand in hand with the appointment of incompetent people to key positions. To support this view, I would like to share a humorous Nasreddin Hodja 1 anecdote. Enjoy reading.
One day, Nasreddin Hodja took his donkey up onto the flat roof of his house so that it could get some fresh air.
After some time had passed, he said, “That’s enough, it’s time to come down,” and began pulling on the donkey’s halter to get it down from the roof. Hodja was drenched in sweat from the effort-but it was useless. The donkey simply wouldn’t come down.
Exhausted, Hodja gave up and said to the donkey: “Suit yourself!” Then he climbed down from the roof, leaving the donkey up there. Once Hodja was off the roof, the donkey-now having more space to move- began to hop and jump about happily on top of the house.
It jumped so much that eventually the earthen roof couldn’t bear the weight anymore, caved in, and the donkey fell through. The donkey died in the fall.
Watching this sad end with a sense of bitter wisdom, Hodja immediately drew the necessary lesson:
Moral of the story:
“So, if you elevate the donkey’s rank, it ends up damaging both the place it’s in and itself!”
- Nasreddin Hodja’s final words.
1 Nasreddin Hodja (also spelled Nasrettin Hoca, Nasreddin Hodscha, Nasruddin, or simply Hodja) is a legendary folk character known throughout Turkey, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans.