There was a man who lived alone. He was not quite twenty and his was a self-sufficient existence. He owned an immense amount of land but it was all undeveloped. One day the man departed for a faraway country. When he returned he returned with a wife.
About a year later a child was born. It was a son. The man devoted all his time to the son. He trained him in agriculture, hunting, building, warfare, literature, and finance as well as in government.
When the son turned eighteen, the father spoke to him, “All the land that I have is now yours. I have done nothing with it but you may do anything you wish with it.”
The son went to work. He built canals to bring in water from the mountains. He grew crops and developed great herds of cattle and sheep. He invited men and women to migrate to his country. Together they built cities with schools, hospitals, and places of government. An army was established to defend the country. Commerce flourished. In gratitude the inhabitants made the son their king.
Then the man went to talk to his son. The son was sitting on his throne. The man said, “I wish to have my land back.” The son replied, “But I have spent thirty years toiling, sweating, and breaking my back to turn this land from a wasteland to a great country. You did nothing with it. Now you want it back because I have made it a rich and successful kingdom. Why didn’t you do it yourself?”
The man replied, “I did.”
