One might think a stark naked person would be very noticeable. At least you would say they are stark naked and everyone else would agree. I used to think the same, but now I’m not so sure.
I’m sure we all know the story. There’s this emperor who loves clothes a bit too much. Two guys show up at the palace claiming to have a magical suit of clothes. So magical that you can’t see it if you’re dumb or not fit for whatever post you are in. In other words, only the wise and competent people could see the magic suit. This indeed was true, only the wise could see the suit for what it really was. A big lie.
Anyway, so the king pretends to see a very fine garment, even though he doesn’t and he knows it. Still, he wouldn’t want his court and people thinking him a fool (even if that very decision determined that he was). You know what the funny thing was? Everyone else did the same! They didn’t want to look stupid either and agreed with the swindlers that it was an amazing outfit. And so the stupid emperor paid an exorbitant amount of money for a suit that didn’t exist and wore it during a big parade. Yup, he sashayed down the streets, past crowds of people, in front of all his subjects STARK NAKED.
Did the people burst out laughing? Did they turn their heads away in shame? Did they shake their heads at the indecency? This is funnier; they all agreed he was wearing a fine suit, so as not to look stupid in front of the other people.
Perhaps if any one of these people would have been brave enough to share their thoughts with one of their friends they would have convinced each other or the truth—that the emperor was completely undressed and he had been cheated. But, the people, the court, the Emperor, were all too afraid of their so called images to speak their souls.
Except one little kid. Still young enough to be naïve and not have much of an image to protect, but old enough to know black from white, good from bad, acceptable from sheer foolishness. And the kid said ‘but he hasn’t got anything on!’ loud enough for everyone to hear, without any fear of what they might think.
Now this is the funniest thing, as soon as he said that, it was as if everyone’s eyes were opened and they realized, “…oh, goodness…the emperor hasn’t got anything on!” and the crowd began to whisper and mutter and the word spread around, “the emperor is wearing nothing! He’s as naked as the day he was born!’ eventually the supreme, wise emperor found out the very obvious truth, that he was naked and had been fooled.
How stupid is that you might wonder? Pretty dumb I would say, and yet when I look around, we are all being tricked by swindlers selling magic suits. Could it be that they are clever or we are stupid?
For instance, abstract art. Now I have seen some pieces that are artistic and awe inspiring, but then I have also seen some that are completely meaningless. And I loudly say so. Then the crowd around me gasps and shake their heads. “you don’t know anything about art,” they say, “can’t you see the talent in each brush stroke? The graceful sweeps of the brush, the intricate arrangement of colors?” they shake their heads some more, “only a smart person would know…”
They only say so because a few minutes ago they said the same thing and someone said that to them. Even though they still feel the same way, they won’t say it; they will say the exact opposite because they don’t want to look like a fool.
There are millions of swindlers out there, out to get all they can from you. They will not steal it. Because we just give it to them. They get some hot-shot to say their product is the best and we, like dumb sheep, just follow the wolves into their den.
Perhaps our mind is telling us that something is wrong while we do, but we do not listen. After all, everyone else is doing the same thing. Since what the majority does decides our fate it must be right. Right?
How long will it take us to realize we are walking right into the trap? That we are following the wolves into their den? That we are cat-walking down the street completely naked??????
Who says you won’t begin to live before you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Who says you can only be someone if you weigh less than ninety-five lbs.? why do you need to attract the opposite sex or you’re no good? Why do we have to wear these jeans or have that style to be cool? Why can’t we get good grades in class without being labeled something nasty? Why do you have to starve yourself to lose weight, why do you have to walk around naked to be beautiful, why do you have to be evil to be popular, why must we smoke, drink or live on drugs to find satisfaction?
Maybe we can learn a valuable lesson from the nude emperor. Things are what they are. If it’s a lie, it’s a lie. Lies are never true. If it’s your life it’s your decision to make. If it’s your money it yours to spend--to further yourself or to waste.
I may not be well read in the matters of this world, or knowledgeable in all they say you have to be before you can be intelligent (or an emperor) but I know left from right, good from bad; dressed from naked. I may be naïve and I may be immature, but then I have nothing to lose. Nothing is going to stop me from refusing to pay for something that doesn’t exist; that is only an illusion. Nothing will stop me from yelling at the top of my lungs, “THE EMPEROR ISN’T WEARING ANY CLOTHES!!!!”