Paraphrasing Derek Lin from The Tao of Daily Life

There is a legend that is said to have taken place in ancient China. The villagers received orders to build a shrine for the emperor. If they could meet the deadline, the local governor would reward them handsomely.

The location chosen for the shrine had a well, so the villagers needed to fill it up before construction could take place. One of the first things they did was to bring in a donkey to transport piles of sand and mud for that purpose.

When the donkey got too close to the well he lost his footing and fell into it. The villagers tried to lift him out but could not. After many failed attempts, it was decided that it would take too long to rescue him.

Keeping the deadline in mind, the villagers decided to sacrifice the donkey. So, they proceeded to shovel sand and mud into the well because they thought they had no choice but to bury him alive.

When the donkey realized what they were doing, he began to wail pitifully. The villagers heard him but ignored him. The value of the donkey wasn't much compared to the rewards they would get, so they continued to shovel.

The donkey protested loudly but after a while the braying stopped. The villagers wondered about this. Was the donkey dead already? Did he just give up? What was going on?

Curious, they looked into the well. To their surprise, the donkey was alive and well. When the mud and sand rained down on him, he shrugged them off, and then stamped around until it were tightly packed beneath him. His actions formed solid ground under him and began to slowly lift him a bit higher with each shovel load.

Eventually, the donkey was elevated high enough inside the well so that with one powerful leap, he jumped out of it. The villagers watched in amazement as he trotted off--with a kick of his heels and his head held high.

"When we get in trouble and the sand and mud of daily problems are falling upon us, wailing is of no help. The best thing in the midst of adversity is to take action." Derek Lin

So, is there something you need to take action on? What have you learned from the donkey?