There is an old tale which relates to how God determined the ages of creatures as he created several animals and even man himself to inhabit the earth. He began with the hard working but stubborn mule. As he formed the mule he proceeded to tell him, "You will be a Mule, your goal in life will be to labor continuously from dusk to dawn while transporting tremendous loads upon your back. For your food you will consume the grass beneath your feet and you will lack any sort of intellect. Your life span will be calculated to 50 years."
The mule quickly looked up and responded: 'But my Lord, to live this life for 50 years is simply too much. Please my gracious Lord give me no more than 20 years of life only." The Lord was kind and generous and therefore it was made so.
God next created the hound and said to him, "You shall hold a strict vigilance upon the homes of Men. To him you will become his obedient servant and companion. Your food shall be the scraps from man's table and you shall live for a span of 25 years." The dog immediately responded, 'Lord, to live 25 years as a hound is simply too much. Please, change it to no more than 10 years total.' And once again in compliance the Lord made it so.
God then created the lowly monkey and informed him, "You are a Monkey. Your life will be spent swinging from one tree to the next and acting as a complete idiot. You will be considered very funny and your life span will be for a period of 20 years." At this the monkey leaped up and responded, 'Lord have mercy, to subside for 20 years for the sole purpose of being the clown of the world is simply too much. Please, Lord, give my life span no more than 10 years." And one again the Lord agreed and it was so.
Finally, it was tine for God to create Man and he told him, 'You are Man. You are the only rational being which walks upon the face of the earth. You shall use your intelligence to obtain mastery over every creatures of the world. You shall dominate the earth and your life span shall be for a period of 20 years. Upon hearing this man quickly responded, 'Lord, to be Man for a mere 20 years is just too little. Please, dear Lord, provide me with the 20 years that the mule has refused, the 15 years which the hound has turned down, and the ten years that the monkey so readily rejected." The Lord being as kind as he could granted man his wish.
And as it would be in the end God made Man to live 20 years as a man, at which time he will then marry and live 20 years like a mule working hard and transporting heavy loads upon his back. Next he shall have children and exist for another 15 years as a hound, continually guarding his home while consuming the leftovers after the children empty the pantry. In his old age man he shall live his life for another 10 years as a monkey performing actions similar to a clown merely to amuse his grandchildren.
As you can rightfully determine not only did the Lord give man his wish but he also proved that man should have left well enough alone.
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