The Parable of the Amusement Park
Steven Sousa

Once there was a very poor village. One day, a major media corporation built an enormous amusement park just outside the village. Or maybe the amusement park was there first, and then a very poor village later sprung up next to it. I’m not quite sure exactly how it happened, but the point is that the very poor village and the amusement park were right next to one another.

On this particular day, two men from the village were standing just outside the amusement park looking in.

The first man said, “Wow. That looks like a really great place, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” the second man agreed.

“It sure would be nice to be able to spend a day in there, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess so,” the second man supposed.

“Too bad it’s so expensive,” the first man said.

“Yes, well, it’s a very large amusement park with lots of exciting rides and people walking around in cartoon character costumes. I’m sure the expenses are very high,” offered the second man.

“That’s certainly true,” said the first man, “but the admission price still seems awfully high to me. I could save half my wages for my entire life and still not afford to get in.”

“Well, we are from a very poor village after all.”

“Indeed we are. Which begs the question of why a major media corporation would build such an enormous amusement park right next to us.”

The second man commented, “I’ve heard that the amusement park was here first.”

“That doesn’t matter,” said the first man. “As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single person enter the amusement park, whether from the village or not. Have you?”

“I can’t say that I have, nor have I heard of anyone who has seen one,” conceded the second man.

“Then why was it built?” the first man wondered out loud, not expecting the second man to know. “Why would someone go to the trouble of building a park that’s too expensive for anyone to get into?”

The second man thought for a while, then suggested, “Perhaps there’s another entrance somewhere, for people from another land.”

“No there isn’t,” countered the first man. “In my travels I’ve seen the park from every side, and there’s only this one entrance.”

“Well, then there’s only one other possibility,” concluded the second man.

“What’s that?”

“Now that I think of it, it makes perfect sense. The only people who could possibly afford to enter the park must be so wealthy that they have no more need to work. They probably sell everything that they own in order to enter the park, at which point they never leave.”

The first man thought about this new theory for a while. “That doesn’t explain why no one has ever seen anyone enter. From time to time, a new guest should arrive.”

“Perhaps it has already reached its maximum capacity.”

“The parking lot is empty.”

The second man again thought for a very long time. By this time, the sun was rising into a cloudless sky, and the prospect of a dry, hot day grew.

“I do not know why the admission price is so high, and why it appears that there are no guests who can afford it. I am nothing more than a poor man from a poor village. Who am I to question the actions of a giant media corporation? I only want to return to the shade of my hut, where I will enjoy a glass of water, while I dream about what wonders await me if I ever get the chance to enter this grand place.”

The first man shook the second man’s hand and wished him farewell. “That sounds like a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, my friend. I suppose I shall do the same, although I must admit that I do not share your optimism. I think I will keep my dreams limited to the possible.”

With that the two men parted ways.

A week later, the two men ran into each other again in front of the amusement park. They were discussing how the past week had been for both of them, when a third man approached them.

“Gentlemen, I have wonderful news for you!” the third man joyously proclaimed.

The two men were very interested. Living in a poor village can get very boring, after all. Weeks, and sometimes months, can go by without anything at all happening which could rightfully be called “news,” good, bad, or otherwise.

“What news have you?” the second man asked.

The third man straightened his shirt, although its appearance did not noticeably change. “The owner of this amusement park has decided that it should be open to anyone who wishes to attend!”

The first two men clapped their hands in joy. “This is truly happy news! From whom have you heard it?” inquired the first man.

The third man closed his eyes, and spoke. “Last night I had a dream. I dreamed that I was walking around its grounds. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I went on many rides and enjoyed the most delicious food I could possibly imagine. It was called a “burning dog” or a “fiery dog” or something like that. I was afraid to eat it with a name like that, but I have since learned to be more trusting.”

“Anyway, after what seemed like a thousand hours, I found myself walking into the office of the owner of the park. The only thing I could think to do was to thank the man for building such a wonderful place, and then for allowing me to spend a day in it.”

The second man was riveted. “What happened next?”

The third man continued, “The owner looked at me and smiled. He told me how happy he was that I had enjoyed myself. As much pride as he has in the park, he enjoys it most when others can appreciate it.”

The first man decided to interrupt. “Did you happen to have a lot to drink yesterday?”

The third man kept his eyes closed and ignored the question. “So then I said to him, ‘Sir, I don’t mean to overstep my bounds, but I couldn’t help but notice how few people are in the park. If you love to see people enjoying it, there are many people in my village who would love to enter, but they have no hope of ever raising the admission price.’ Then he told me that he was saddened that so few people were enjoying the park, and he wished more could afford the price.”

The first man spoke again. “So why doesn’t he just lower the price, then?”

The third man opened his eyes wide as he looked at the first man. “Because the owner came up with an even better idea! He told me that he had a son, and that someday very soon he would send his son into our village.”

The second man by this time had a smile on his face not unlike a very young child’s. “And the owner’s son will bring us all into the park with him?”

The third man replied, “No. Something even better. He will have with him his share of his inheritance. Since the owner built the park in the first place, his wealth must be unimaginable.”

The second man said, “Yes, What you say is surely true!”

The third man finished, “The owner’s son will come to our village and give all of his wealth to us villagers, so that we can afford the price of admission. He will then be poor, just like all of us, but he and the owner love us so much that he wants us to be able to enter the park.”

The second man began to cry. “Such love. My heart feels like it will burst.”

The first man thought for a moment, and said, “What will happen to the son after he has given away all of his money?”

The third man replied, “I don’t know, that wasn’t part of my dream. Maybe he’ll stay behind in the village, remembering with love how much he has helped us all. But I suspect that even if he has no money, he’ll be able to get back into the park. Maybe when you leave the park they stamp some kind of symbol onto your hand which lets you get back in, in case you forget your camera in your car or something.”

The second man was still weeping. “I must run to go and get my family so that we will be here when the owner’s son arrives. I want to be the first into the park!”

The first man stopped him. “Why would you do that? This man has only had a dream. What makes you think that any of this will happen?”

The third man placed his hands on the first man’s shoulders. “I know that it is a hard story to believe. But this was no ordinary dream. It was a vision given to me in my sleep. I awoke with such a feeling of peace that I knew my experiences were just as real as if I had truly been on the amusement park grounds.”

The first man sighed. “Perhaps it may have seemed more real than it was because of how badly you would like it to be true.”

The second man began to become a little bit angry with the first man. “Why do you not believe his vision? It is what we have dreamed of all of our lives.”

The first man ignored the second man and addressed the third man. “And there is one other thing I don’t understand. If the owner truly wanted us all to be in the park with him, enjoying its rides and food, why does he not just open the doors to everyone? Wouldn’t that be easier than sending his son to give us all money for admission? Because there will certainly be more than a few people who will receive the son’s money and then spend it here in the village or use it to travel to the city and squander it there. It seems like an overly complicated scheme. Why not just let everyone in for free?”

The third man responded, “The owner can’t lower the price of admission. It cost him a lot of money to build and operate. And it wouldn’t be fair for the guests who have already paid their own way in.”

The first man shot back, “Isn’t he the owner? Who could have more authority than he does? Who can tell him what is and is not fair? Can he not do anything with the park he chooses? If he decided that admission to the park should be free for everyone, who could stop him? And when he sends his son to give us the money for admission, isn’t it already all his money, and then he’s just going to get it all right back? If he already has the money to let us all in, why doesn’t he just give it to the ticket taker for us until we arrive at the gate? All he’s doing is shuffling his own money around! It doesn’t make any sense!”

The third man decided that there was no getting through to the first man. Perhaps he didn’t really want to enter the park, although he couldn’t imagine that to be true. He was obviously a sad, cynical man, and the third man felt very sorry for him.

The third man and the second man waited eagerly by the park grounds for the owner’s son, while the first man shook his head and returned to the village to go back to his work and family.

THE END