Thursday, August 7, 1997
The First Ambition
of Every Man
by
[email protected]
In one of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries, the good monk helps a beautiful young servant steal two silver candlesticks from the abbey. A loathsome lord has bestowed this showy gift to buy his way into the next world, but he has also reneged on his promise of freedom for the silversmith, who is his serf. The serf, in turn, fled and has eluded capture for almost a year. The thief is the silversmith's lover, determined to retrieve what is rightfully his.
Now in the mid-12th century of Brother Cadfael's Britain, a serf could escape his indenture by fleeing to a "charter borough" where his energy and skills might be recognized and rewarded. If the local townsfolk managed to hide and protect the serf for a year and a day, he automatically became a freeman. As the medieval sleuth muses, freedom is "the first ambition of every man."
And the candlesticks? They returned soon after, smuggled back to the clever monk in the far more useful form of gold coins, with which to sustain hungry villagers enduring a harsh winter.
Fools! Do not lessons abound?
-- Choose your shelter carefully: On the road to financial independence, hunker down in a charter borough (like Fooldom) that shares your goals and supports your craft.
-- Keep your head down: Do your work quietly and well, and avoid the Wise media's pursuit.
-- Stay the course: Focus on your long-term goals and resist impatience. (Did you realize that the year-and-a-day holding period for Foolish Four stocks dates back a millennium?)
-- Aim high: Settle for nothing less than freedom, and understand that your "station in life" is a hindrance only if you let it be.
-- Give value: Recognize that your skills and commitment are your best security.
-- Share the wealth: Give back some of what you've learned and earned.
By dint of patience, persistence, and value, the silversmith won his and his lover's freedom -- as will you.
Dan O'Brien