Below is a favorite teaching story I use with adolescents. Please take some time to look into the different dimensions of the story.Reflect on the different roles, the pivot points or arc of the story, and maybe even the overarching moral of it. We are looking for practical application, or as I would put it "What the *%@#'s this got to do with me?!"
The KingBack in the day there was an elderly king, he was a generous dude, presiding over a prosperous land. He was at a point in his life where he needed to find an heir to his throne.
He invited anybody interested far and wide, rich or poor of all colors to his palace to see if he could find someone. Some had come so far he decided everybody should go to the bathhouse to clean up in preparation for this important meeting.
They showed up so excited, first by the perfume baths and fragrant oils, hairdressers, then to the wardrobe room to pick out their new clothes. He wanted everyone to have an equal chance in terms of appearance. They were bugging out with the threads, like children trying on make believe costumes, preening themselves from head to toe in front of these huge mirrors.
Next they were brought to this huge banquet room where a lavish feast awaited them, a virtual orgy of food. Everyone wanted to taste every dish so there was a lot of chaos. No one wanted to miss out on anything.
While they were grubbing, they were serenaded by musicians. After dessert, there were games of chance with killer prizes. This was followed by a mesmerizing magic show featuring the king's finest wizards. The cat knew how to throw a party.
It was at this point after bathing, dressing, eating and being entertained, that the applicants were to begin going upstairs one by one, to the king's chambers for their interview with his majesty. But the scene was so enticing, not one of them could pull themselves away. They were glued to their seats completely entranced.
Meanwhile, the king was starting to bug. The time had come and he didn't hear anybody coming. But he's the king he knows how to chill. Finally, he hears footsteps on the stairs. But, It was his homeboy, the chief minister.
"Where are all these heads? I'm eager to meet my heir!"
The chief minister just looked down, visibly tripping. He confessed, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but they've all went home. They dug out with their new clothes, they've stuffed their pockets with leftovers food, they left with their prizes, they even snatched up the soaps and lotions from the bathhouse. They've all gone home."
The king's hopes were crushed. He had no heir. Turning, he looked silently out the window at the rolling hills and valleys of his beloved kingdom. His eyes filled with tears. Satiated by food and drink, excited by new clothes and amusing prizes, mesmerized by music and magic, the people had completely forgotten why they came to the king's palace in the first place.