Page 41 - SB-Black and White Kingdom
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Because the King is so pleased with the wisdom gained by using the glasses, he accepts the Peddler’s proposition and buys all of the Peddler’s glasses and distributes them to the people of the kingdom. In your traditional fairy-tale, everyone would live happily every after but this is no traditional tale.
The people of the kingdom complained about the glasses, much to the surprise of the King. They demand and audience with the King to present their complaints. During the audience, the King is told, “Without the glasses, life was simpler and we always knew what was right and good without having to think about it. It is too hard to learn this new way. Even those of us who do understand, find it hard work to continue this new way of thinking. The old way was much easier and we wish to go back to it. We would have to change too much in our lives.”
The King granted his subjects the ability to return the glasses. He is amazed that so many are returned but he does see some of his subjects continue wearing the “magic glasses.” Those that are wearing the glasses praise them and “Talk about how much better their life had become once they learned to use them.”
Finally, the King and Peddler discuss that all but about five percent of the glasses have been returned. The Peddler replies, “Yes, that is about average.” It seems that the Peddler has done this often and although he could never be sure, most people returned the glasses. “In most kingdoms, people see what they want or expect to see, rather than what is real. In most kingdoms, people are very comfortable with this system, even if it is not correct.
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