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Be Careful What You Wish For: Timeless Lessons in Want and Regret
The Weeping Stranger and the Truth Behind Pagliacci
In post-war Rome, a man comes across a stranger weeping in an alley. “Don’t cry, Friend” he says. “It’s true, our beloved country has been brutally defeated, that the best young men of our generation have been slaughtered, and that we have no infrastructure to speak of. And, of course, most of us are hungry and the rest of us are starving. But there is always hope. And I have especially good news for you. Tonight our own Pagliacci gives a free performance.”The stranger weeps harder.
“No, no. Don’t cry. Admittedly, times are tough and the outlook is bleak. Our leaders themselves agree that an economic recovery will take decades. But be of good cheer. Pagliacci is in town.”
The stranger drops to his knees sobbing louder.
“Stop crying, I beg you. Listen: Tonight at the Coliseum, Pagliacci will perform. Pagliacci is our country’s most respected and greatest performer. Everyone loves him. Pagliacci will make you laugh until your sides hurt. Pagliacci will make you forget your troubles. You’ll have a wonderful evening. Everyone will be there. Everyone loves Pagliacci and you will too!”
The stranger looks up from the ground and says:
“I am Pagliacci.”
The Magic Clothesline: Lessons In Want And Regret
A wise man comes to visit a small village and is surrounded by complaining townspeople. “We are in trouble,” one man laments.
The wise man listens late into the evening. Finally after all the villagers have had their say, he addresses them:
“Truly your suffering is difficult – infidelity, ungrateful children, hard work, long hours, sickness, difficult relatives and more. But you will be pleased to know I have a solution.”
A hush falls over the crowd as the wise man continues. “I will take all your troubles away. Tomorrow all of you will be happier than you are today.”
The villagers listened in stunned silence as the wise man continued. “I have a magic clothesline. It will cure all your problems. All you have to do is write down your complaints on these pieces of paper.”
The villagers are skeptical but begin writing. The wise man collects the papers and tells the villagers to go home. “We will meet back here in the morning. All your problems will be solved.”
The next morning at dawn, the anxious villagers see the clothesline tied to two trees at opposite ends of the square. On the clothesline, all the papers they had filled out the evening before are attached by clothespins.
“You are a charlatan,” says a man. “You have done nothing except draw attention to our problems. You made us write them down but you’ve done nothing to solve our pain.”
The Wise Man ignores his detractor and speaks: “Go to the magic clothesline. Read all the papers. Read all of the problems.”
He pauses and then delivers the solution.“Then take the papers with the problems that you want.”
The Illusion of Want: Dorothy, Richard Cory, and the Fallacy of Desires
If this story does not translate perfectly, let me explain the punch line: After reading the problems of all the other families, everyone takes back their own.
The Commonality of Yearning in Human Stories – lessons in want and regret.
Why are there so many “Be Careful What You Wish For” stories in our culture?
Why is Dorothy so happy to return to drab Kansas after the wonders of Oz?
Why are there so many lessons in want and regret?
Why Familiarity Breeds Contentment Over Longed-for Dreams
Parents of gifted musicians wish their children would excel at chemistry. Parents of students who earn a 91 in math wish their children earned a 95.
All loving parents want what is best for their children. I wonder if Richard Corey’s parents wished more for him. Here is Paul Simon’s 1963 interpretation of the ultimate lesson in want and regret, Edwin Arlington Robinson poem:
They say that Richard Cory owns one-half of this whole town,
With political connections to spread his wealth around.
Born into society, a banker’s only child,
He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.
But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I’m living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Richard Cory.
The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show.
And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he’s got.
He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
“Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head.”
But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I’m living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Richard Cory.
Great stuff!
Having perspective is a wonderful thing.