LIFE AFTER DEATH

Once upon a time, there was a king in a distant land who had three sons.

The oldest son expected to inherit the kingdom and tradition suggested this was the custom. He spent his days hunting and wenching and visiting the neighbouring kingdoms to view eligible princesses for, he reasoned, he would need a wife to be his queen one day. This was the tradition after all.

The second son had no expectations of inheriting the kingdom and he busied himself in books and learning. He gained quite a reputation for his academic prowess and in due time he was elected to the King’s University on his merit rather than on his pedigree, though that may have helped a little.

The youngest son was not as gifted as his older brother and he knew he couldn’t match his intellect.

He hardly ever saw the oldest brother; and grew very distant from him. However he loved his father the king; and liked his company.

He spent many happy hours with his father and learned all about the forest trees that the country’s ship building industry depended on.

He spent time with the king’s estate manager who was responsible for food production and he made sure everyone was able to buy what they needed.

Under the guidance of his father he learned to play the bagpipes; and this gave his father a great deal of pleasure. They would often play together to entertain visiting dignities. (It is not recorded however what the visiting dignities thought of the experience!)

One day the king sent word to his sons to assemble before him.
On the day in question the youngest son and the middle son duly arrived at the appointed hour to meet the monarch.

The oldest son sent a servant with a note asking if he might come another day as he was busy courting a prospective bride in a far away land.

The king took his two other sons into the throne room where all the officials of the land were gathered.

The older of the two sons asked his father, “Is this going to take long? I have some manuscripts to proof read as the publisher wants to go to print early next week and I really should get the manuscripts to him tomorrow.”

The king stopped dead in his tracks one foot on the steps up to the grand throne.

“If that is so important to you my boy”, said the king, “you had better go; if that is what you really want”.

Immediately the middle son turned away to follow his literary aspirations.

The king climbed the remaining steps and sat down on the grand throne. Then he addressed the youngest son and the assembled high officials of the land.

“As you well know my son has spent much time with me, I have got to know him really very well. He knows me and we like the same things and we like to do things in the same way. When I die; I want my youngest son to succeed to the kingdom. He knows what pleases me and what I want done and he will do it. He shall follow me to this throne.”

The officials; who all knew the king’s affection for his son; exclaimed that they were sure he would do an excellent job, and all declared they hoped this might be some time away yet, the king smiled in agreement and so it was decided.

However the king died suddenly later that year and the youngest son inherited the kingdom as his father had desired; and he rules that the country well.

At a reception for foreign dignitaries, the first minister of that country was overheard to declare; “it’s just as if the old man were still here; everything’s being done exactly as he would have wished. Who said there’s no life after death?”

And what of the oldest son I hear you ask? When he was last heard of he was still looking for the right women to share his life. A sad man now with no throne to offer, he has chosen not to return for he cannot think of himself as a subject rather than the ruler.

The middle son is now a respected academic and travels the world as a visiting professor in his specialist field. You will of course be dying to know the title of that book he was so keen to get to the publishers, it was this; ‘Relational Psychology: and the role of choice in successful human relationships.’