worldclassliving1

“I can’t believe what’s happening around here.  I grew up thinking that being a shark practioner meant something, that it was a status symbol.  It meant I was a special mammal better than anyone else”, lamented Louie.  Benny swam up.  “What’s the problem, my friend?”  “Oh, I’m up for review at the shark bar for some activities considered outside the scope of my practice.  Like I’m new at this or something”.  ”Louie, did you finally get caught screwing up?”  “No, not like that.  You know that old whale shark, the one that’s about 150 years old?”  “Yeah”.  “Well, one of her kind only younger asked me to handle some important matters for her”.  “So what happened, Louie?”  “As I was going over the deal I kept taking some small bites from some left overs she had.  Before you know it, I had consumed an entire fish, plus her extras, and I still had so much work to do.  I had to go ask for more compensation”.  “Louie, you took everything, and then some, and then asked for more?”  “Benny, you’ve got to see it my way.  What I quoted wasn’t large.  I made a mistake with that, it could happen to any shark practioner.  The complexities of the matter, the time and energy, my reputation, it all just sort of became a thing, you know?  This is why they call it practicing”.  “Louie, you lied to an old mammal.  In particular a 150 year old whale shark.  She’s retired to the warm waters, doesn’t feed much, doesn’t move around at all what with her arthitis in the fins, and her offspring bring her food.  You are a scoundrel of the first degree.  You feed off of other mammals’ miseries.  It is good that you’re up for review with the shark bar”.  “Benny, I thought you were my friend.  Remember when I saved you from that pack of bottle-nosed dolphins?  Or, the time I scraped that lamprey from your head?  You needed me then, but now you’re castigating me”.  “Louie, get over yourself.  You did those things and then asked me to pay you.  What was that about?  You claim our friendship is important but you never stop being a shark practioner of ocean law.  You constantly claim privilege over others because of it.  Now, you’ve done the ultimate.  You took advantage of a decrepit, old shark.  You should be ashamed”.  “Benny, if you only knew the stress I’m under constantly to feed well, feed my family.  I own a huge portion of the northeastern sector of the ocean, you know, near the old money sharks area.  I’ve got my club memberships.  Why, you couldn’t ascend to my lifestyle in a hundred years”.  “Louie, if I live that long, and I don’t want to.  You chose this life”.

Two weeks later Louie met up with Benny.  Louie seemed chipper.  “Say, Louie, how did it go?  Did you have to pay a fine, or do some community service or something?  Slap on the wrist so to speak?”  “Benny, you’re as dumb as you look.  Sure I was nervous but once I was behind closed doors everything worked out okay.  I have a clean record, no blemishes, and I only had to promise not to do it again.  What a profession, what a life!  I think I’ll go swimming by that whale group over there just to let them know Louie is back in the currents”.  “Louie, wait a minute nothing happened to you?”  “Listen up, we take care of our own, Benny.  Come to find out that there were a few members of my club on the shark bar panel and I casually reminded them of some things I’d heard around the club.  You know, personal stuff.  I got it easy after that.  See you later”.

Every now and again important issues come up in everyone’s life.  Exercising caution doesn’t mean timidity, it means caution.  Exercising discretion doesn’t mean you’re suppressing fear, it means you’ve matured to another level.  Remember this when you see a practioner doing something they shouldn’t.  Go up to them and ask:  could that be someone’s grandmother?

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