There is tale which has been told a thousand times that has ended a thousand ways. There was a mighty king who enjoyed surveying the land that was his and all that thrived on it. One day on a tour of the territories, some thieves tried to rob him. The took out his escort, beat him and stripped him of his clothes and coin. One of them considered killing the king to take the crown for his own, and drew his dagger. But before the blow could be delivered, a fearless shepherd appeared and fended off the thieves with his crook. As the thieves fled, the shepherd took the wounded king to the field he kept his flock and tended to him.
He fed him what food he had, wrapped him in what clothes he had and started a fire to keep them warm as night came over the land. The two began to revel at their fortune to have stumbled upon one another and have a merry chat. Then the king began to boast to the shepherd.
"Oh, what a fortunate life I have led. Look! I am the ruler of all the land you see before you and beyond. I live in a grand palace with 100 wives and 5 slaves for every wife I live with. I command the fiercest warriors and lead thousands of subjects. I eat grand feasts and my vaults glimmer with only the shiniest and purest gold and gems. I live a wonderful life! Ask me, and I will show you how lucky I am!"
The shepherd smiled and replied, "Indeed, that is very impressive. I too, have a wonderful life!"
The king became confused and asked the shepard, "You own no property, see and speak to barely a few souls for most of you life, have no money and no subjects. Not to mention your very purpose is to fight off dangerous beasts and raiders for little more than a herd of brainless, stinking animals. How can you say you have a wonderful life as well?"
The shepherd smiled wider and answered, "Because I get to wake up to the sun showing on my face. I get to count my sheep, most who I have raised since birth and given each of them names of their own. I treat them as if they are my own flesh and blood, since I have no children or family of my own. I feed them as best I can, even sharing my own meals when the grazing is scarce. When danger arises, I am willing to give up my life for them and to date, I have not lost a single one. So when a lion or a wolf comes upon the herd, they come to me because they know I will keep them safe. At night, especially in the winter months, they gather around me and keep me warm. I get to lay my head on the one that has the softest wool and gaze up at the night sky before I drift off. Then it all happens again the next day. I live a very wonderful life. You say you can show me how lucky you are if I ask. Show me the stars, and I will believe you wholeheartedly."
At this, the king grew silent and saddened. Not only because he knew that he could not give the shepherd the stars, but because he had realized the shepherd possessed something that he did not have in his whole life. The relationship with his sheep was that of mutual, faithful and unconditional love. Having been given everything he asked for in his life purely because of his office, he realized he knew no one who would give him such affection by their own will. As soon as the king was able to regain his strength, he left the shepherd and returned to his palace.
Unfortunately, this is not where our story ends. As I mentioned, this story has been told a thousand times with a thousand different endings, each tale with a different king and different shepard. You see, each king responded differently. A few would be humbled and take their lesson with them, but most became jealous of the relationship the shepherds had with their sheep. They realized that they wanted to experience that same love for themselves. And if they couldn't have it, neither could the shepherd. Some killed the shepherd in their sleep, others would take the sheep away from the shepherd and have them all slaughtered. And some merely had them stolen to be sold off. The king in this story merely took the sheep for himself upon his return to the palace. He ordered his guards to seize all the sheep the shepherd possessed, not a single one spared. This greatly upset the shepherd, who pleaded with tears in his eyes not to take them.
The king set up a pen for the sheep, but did not make it very sturdy. He did not take care of the sheep himself, but ordered his slaves to do it. He ordered the cheapest food he could afford for them. And he would regularly have them whipped into submission, branded the ones who tried to run away and have them sheared during the improper times in the winter months so he could make a bed with their wool to keep warm. When the king tried to approach the herd, they fled from him. The king became infuriated because he didn't understand why they would not respond well to him. Did he not love the sheep in the herd? Why would they not share that love?
Frustrated, he ordered the shepherd be brought before him and demanded to know why the sheep would not come to him and love him as they did the shepherd. Still distraught over the loss of his flock, the shepherd said, "Did I not share my food with you? Did I not protect you from harm? Did I not tend your wounds? When I called you friend and brother, was MY love not enough for you?"
The king once again became disheartened. He no longer cared about his original question, for he now knew what his crime had been. Humbled, he released the herd back to the shepherd, and had his royal guard escort every last one. The shepherd emotionally counted each one of them by name and rejoiced and took his flock home. But the king was not finished with him. He built a great wall to protect the shepherd and his flock, gave him new clothes and a furnished cabin.
As for the king, he had become a changed man. History may have forgotten him, but those who knew him remembered him for the rest of their days. He released all of his slaves and sent them home with riches for their years of service. He allowed his wives to leave and gave his blessing for them to marry whoever they wished. He opened his vaults and gave as much of his wealth to his subjects as he could afford. Finally he sold his grand palace and built a considerably smaller mansion...not all too far off from the shepherd. He would regularly visit him and together they would gaze at the stars together and talk merrily as they did when they had first met.
The two became good friends and grew old. One day, the king approached the shepherd with a gift that had come from a distant land. He said to the shepherd, "You once asked me to show you the stars and you would admit that I was, indeed, very lucky. Today, I fulfill that request." The king then presented to the shepherd a strange device, a tube made of solid gold with peculiar glass lenses.
"With this, I can show you the stars." The shepherd smiled warmly at his friend, just as he did so many times before.