A king who entered his old age wanted to find a successor. Contrary with the custom, he didn't choose his children or his closest aide. Instead, he called every young man in the country and gave a speech in front of them. "I will hold a contest. All of you will get a seed. Plant the seed, treat it, and come back another year. For those who have the best plant will be my successor immediately.
A young man named George looked very enthusiastic. He planted the seed, and watered it every day. A month passed, but his seed didn't seem to grow. After 6 months, many young men began to talk about their plants that grew tall, but George's pot was still empty. George didn't say anything to his friends. He was still waiting for his seed to grow.A year passed. All young man brought the plants to the king. At first, George was reluctant, but his mother pushed him to go and speak honestly. The king praised the plants that they carried. "Your work is extraordinary. Your plants are very beautiful indeed. I will choose one of you to become the new king!"
Suddenly, the king saw George standing behind the crowd and called him. George was panic, "oh no, I will be killed," he thought.
The crowd taunted and insulted him, knowing that he brought an empty pot. "Silence!" The king shouted. He turned to George, then announced, "He is your new king". The crowd looked shocked. They thought, "How could someone who failed become a king?" The king continued, "A year ago, I gave you a seed to be planted. But I gave a cooked seed and of course it can't grow. All of you replaced it with another seed. Only George who has honesty and courage to bring the pot with the seed I gave. Therefore, I choose him to be my successor."
Honesty will bring fundamental changes inside a person. But without courage, you can't change people around you. Honesty produces followers, not leaders. To be able to change people around you, courage is essential.
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