The black sheep: a profound and disconcerting fable about the value of honesty

The fable of the black sheep is a story written by Italo Calvino. Like many of his wonderful stories, this one is also full of imagination. It is a story that includes a profound and disconcerting message, which leaves no one indifferent.

The fable of the black sheep tells us that in a remote place on Earth there was a town where everyone, absolutely everyone, was thieves. Each of the inhabitants went out late at night. He carried a flashlight and a lockpick. With these items he ransacked his neighbor’s house.

The next day, everyone returned home. She found it stolen, of course. She didn’t seem abnormal at all. After all, everyone knew they were among thieves and they could not expect from others but to be robbed. However, this distant town lived in complete peace and harmony. It was a chain. Everyone robbed everyone and so no one was dispossessed.

Likewise, in the trade it was bought and sold under the form of scam. Both those who acquired goods and those who provided them deceived each other. At the same time, the government only knew how to deceive its subjects. These, in turn, defrauded the State all the time. The inhabitants were happy to live in that place.

The fable of the black sheep and the honest man

In the fable of the black sheep there is a point where something breaks with normality. In this case, whoever begins to alter everything is an honest man. He suddenly arrived in that town and instead of going out to steal at night, he stayed at home, reading a book and smoking a pipe.

The thieves came to that house, but saw the light on and then decided not to approach. Some of the inhabitants began to starve. If they couldn’t steal, the chain would break and someone would be left without property. So they decided to talk to the honest man and ask him to reconsider his attitude. It was hurting everyone. If he didn’t want to steal Well, very good. But he had to let others do it..

The honest man understood the situation. Since then, every night he left his house and went to the river. He left her free so that others would feel free to break in and steal. However, He didn’t want to be a thief. Therefore, in less than a week he already had his house completely empty..

The breakdown of balance

According to the fable of the black sheep, The attitude of the honest man began to break the entire balance of that town. Since he refused to steal, there was always some resident who found his house intact the next day. Then, some began to accumulate more than they needed.

At the same time, those who went to rob the honest man’s house found it empty. So they could not eat again until the next night, when they could rob another dwelling. In this way, rich and poor began to exist. Some accumulated, others were always in deficit.

Soon, Those who had accumulated many assets decided that they no longer wanted to be robbed again.. But they also didn’t want to stop stealing, because they could become poorer. So they decided to pay those who had nothing to steal for them. This is how contracts were made, with salaries and bonuses so that everything was very clear.

The end of the fable of the black sheep

With the changes, many were confused. They did not know what to do. To remind them of their role, prisons and the police profession were created. Likewise, those who had accumulated a lot would not see their assets at risk.

Despite everything, the theft did not disappear. Everyone continued stealing, but now the rules of the game were different. Some did not work and paid others to steal. But you couldn’t steal from the rich, or else the offender was taken to jail.

No one understood why things had changed so much. But they had to adapt, because they had to live on something. What happened to the honest man? Simple: he died of hunger. He was the only one who refused to steal and also the only one whom no one ever understood.

Thus ends the fable of the black sheep. Any resemblance to reality is not the work of coincidence. In summary, as Krishnamurti, J. (2006) would say: “It is not healthy to be adapted to a deeply sick society“. Sometimes, following our ideas and values ​​requires a great sacrifice from us. However, uncritically following the masses can cause us great moral and intellectual harm. Living freely and according to one’s convictions is an exercise for truly brave people.

You might be interested…