The Wise Man and the 17 Camels

A good story with a lovely message.

Once, an Arabian merchant left in his Will 17 camels to be shared by three of his sons. After his passing, the Will was read. The Will stated that:

The eldest son should get 1/2 of 17 camels,

The middle son should be given 1/3rd of the camels and;

The youngest son should be given 1/9th.

As it is not possible to divide 17 into half, or by 3 or 17 by 9, the sons started a fight with each other. While it was about to get out of hands, a friend advised them to consult the elderly man living under the Oak tree for help.

"He could just be of help" He said.

And so they went. The wise man listened patiently about how the Will was to be shared. After a brief though, he brought one camel of his own and added it to the 17 camels they already had- that makes 18 camels.

Now he started reading the Will:

1/2 of 18 = 9

So he gave 9 camels to the eldest son.

1/3rd of 18 = 6

So he gave 6 camels to the middle son.

1/9th of 18 = 2

So he gave 2 camels to the youngest son.

Now when you add this up, you have:

9+6+2 = 17;

And this leaves the 1 camel which the wise man added initially, and now he's taken it back. All three sons smiled at each other and thanked the wise man.

Moral:

The attitude of negotiation and problem solving is to find the 18th camel i.e the common ground. Once a person is able to find the common ground, the issue is resolved. It is difficult at times but we have to try.

However, to reach a solution, the very first step is to believe that there is a solution. If we think that there is none, we won't to reach any!