A vision for future
The leader of a tribe, encamped at the base of a mountain, was dying. The chief summoned his three sons and said, "I am dying and one of you must succeed me as the head of our tribe. I want each of you to climb our holy mountain and bring back something beautiful. The one whose gift is most outstanding will succeed me."
After several days the sons returned. The first brought his father a flower which grew near the summit and was extremely rare and beautiful. The second son brought his father a stone which was colourful, smooth, and round, having been polished by rain and sandy winds.
The third son's hand was empty. He said, "Father, I have brought nothing back to show you. As I stood on top of the holy mountain, I saw that on the other side was a beautiful and fertile land filled with green pastures and a crystal lake. And I have a vision of where our tribe could go for a better life. I was so overwhelmed by what I saw and by what I was thinking that I could not bring anything back."
And the father said, "You shall be our tribe's new leader, for you have brought back the most precious thing of all - the gift of a vision for better future."
