| Once a king stood on his balcony eating honey on rice cakes with his chief adviser. As they ate, they gazed down on the street below. The king was in good humor that day, and as he laughed, a drop of honey fell from his rice cake on to the railing.
“Sire, you have spilled a drop of honey. Do let me wipe it up for you,” offered his adviser.
“Oh, pay no mind, my dear,” said the king. “It’s not our concern. The servants will clean it up later. I do not wish to be disturbed just now.”
They went on eating and talking as the drop of honey warmed in the sun and began to slowly drip down the rail. At last it fell on the street below.
Attracted by the sweet smell, a fly landed on it and began to eat.
“Your Highness,” the adviser commented, “the drop of honey has now landed in the street and is attracting flies. Perhaps we should call someone to clean it.”
“Pay no mind,” answered the king merrily. “It is not our concern.
Suddenly a gecko sprang out from under the palace, and ate the fly in one gulp.
Next a cat spied the gecko and pounced.
The cat, playing with it’s food in the middle of the street caught the attention of a dog, who attacked it.
“Now, sire, there is a cat and dog fight in the street. Surely we should call someone to stop it?” implored the adviser.
“Oh, pay it no mind,” said the king. “Here come the cat and dog owners, they’ll stop it. We don’t need to get involved.
So the two continued to eat their honey and rice cakes and to watch the spectacle from their comfortable perch.
But below in the street, the cat’s owner began beating the dog. The dog’s owner then started to beat the cat. Soon the two were beating each other.
The King’s good humor turned to anger as he watched the scene below. “I’ll have no fighting in my streets,” he bellowed. “Call in my guards to quell this fighting at once!”
The palace guards were summoned. But by this time the fight had grown as friends on either side joined the fray. The guards tried to break up the fighting, but soon they too had joined in. With guards involved, the fight erupted into civil war. Houses were burned, and the palace itself was set afire and destroyed.
The kingdom was never returned to its former splendor, but new wisdom was gained in that country. Some people still say: We are each responsible for our actions, large and small. Small problems if unattended, grow into larger ones, and the whole kingdom can be lost from a drop of honey.
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