A Little Wisdom for Growing Up, Second and Expanded Edition: From Father to Son

By John C. Morgan

A Little Wisdom for Growing Up is an ancient form of storytelling, of passing on wisdom between generations.

In this delightful collection of fables from the natural world (in the style of Aesop's famous fables), the author seeks to pass on to his young son, Jonathan, what he has learned from life.
Characters in these brief fables run the gamut---from skunks and fish, to trees and the human body. Each story has been carefully written to reflect the natural world in which children live, teaching them to be attentive to what is around them every day, but also to begin reflecting on what these mean.
These stories are intended for children of all ages. Parents or teachers can use them to offer wisdom, whether at bedtime or before a nap, or whenever there is a need for a time out during the day. The stories may be read aloud first, before listeners offer their own morals and learnings from what they hear.
Each story is told simply, in language children understand, but each fable illustrates a truth Morgan has gleaned from living.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Sep 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781532604850

John C. Morgan

John C. Morgan is a writer who happens to teach or a teacher who happens to write, and sometimes both at the same time. He loves teaching because the audience sits in front of him or in a circle, which is more common in his college philosophy classes. He has been writing since the fourth grade when a teacher took pity on him because he had troubles adapting when he moved from an experimental school in the city to a more traditional suburban school. She convinced him his stories were great and funny and should be shared with the rest of the class. Perhaps this explains why to this day he is not sure if he is a writer or teacher. He has been a journalist, teacher, community organizer, and minister over his seventy-six plus years of life. And he has written and published eight books, many articles, and not a few newspaper columns. His most recent book, Resisting Tyranny (Resource, 2018), is about his ancestor, Matthew Lyon, thrown into jail in 1798 for criticizing then President John Adams. He holds three graduate degrees in philosophy, ethics, and religious history. He lives now with his wife and three cats in a small town an hour from Philadelphia. He has three grown children and two grandchildren (also grown).

Book preview

9781532604843.kindle.jpg

A Little Wisdom for Growing Up

Second and Expanded Edition

From Father to Son

John C. Morgan

2618.png

A Little Wisdom for Growing Up

Second and Expanded Edition

From Father to Son

Copyright © 2016 John C. Morgan. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

Eugene, OR

97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-0484-3

hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-0486-7

ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-0485-0

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

"

Table of Contents

Title Page

Preface

A Note for Teachers and Readers

The Lion and the Ant

The Rainbow

The Tortoise and the Human

The Mosquito and the Hummingbird

The Bee and the Wasp

A Star, a Tree, and a Bird

Big Fish, Small Fowl

The Caterpillar

The Crows

Pink Elephants

The Wood Thrush’s Song

The Crocodile’s Dilemma

The Skunk’s Kingdom

Pigeon Control

The Tiger’s Hunger

The Grand Ant

The Panda’s Delight

The Great Sun

The Great Meeting

The Queen of Flies

The Starfish and the Monkey

The Land without Snakes

The Human Body

The Duck and the Owl

The Hobbyhorse

The Clown Fish

Beavers and Bears

The Dogs and the Missing Animals

Letting Go

Footprints

Dung Beetles

The Canine Corp

The Powerful Elephant King

In the Beginning

What Is Time?

About the Author

Preface

Dear Jonathan,

I know you don’t like it when I give you advice, but I believe you also realize that I care about you and want to save you from the same mistakes I made growing up, which is, of course, silly, because you will make your own mistakes no matter what I write. I’m not sure I can remember a single word of advice my father gave me, which doesn’t mean he didn’t offer any, but only that I had to learn myself by living. I probably thought he knew as little as you think I do now.

Nonetheless, I have learned some wisdom from having lived so long, even if it took me falling down a few times. These short stories, or fables, drawn from the natural world, are simply ways of sharing a few things I have learned after over sixty years on this fragile planet, both from my own life and the teachings of the world’s great philosophers. Maybe they will help you grow up wiser than I was. On the other hand, you may make the same mistakes, but at least you won’t be able to say I didn’t warn you.

Always remember that I loved you. Grow in wisdom and take care of yourself. It’s a dangerous but beautiful world, full of illusions and wonders, but mostly a stage upon which you must find your part to play in the unfolding drama. How you decide your role and how you play it will go a long way toward being wise, and wisdom is what we all hope to have one day.

Love,

Dad

A Note for Teachers and Readers

Reading should be fun and interactive. The stories or fables here can be used in many settings and in many ways. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Read the fables as bedtime stories at home. Read the story first; then ask the child what she or he believes the story means. You can then read my interpretation.

2. Read the stories in the classroom setting using the same process described above. I have used this process in my college philosophy and ethics classes and find students love stories and also the game of suggesting what they mean.

3. Adults and or children can use the stories in classes in congregations or other organizations as a way of teaching values or everyday ethics. I would also suggest having students write their own fables or stories and share them with the class.

Have fun!

The Lion and the Ant

Once upon a time there was a great lion in the forest who always took a morning walk. Out on his path one day he came upon a huge chest, which he pried open with his teeth. He looked inside the chest and found gold. He was not quite sure what to do with it but, being proud, he knew he couldn’t ask for help, so he left it there and hurried on his way, not wanting others to realize that their king was so weak.

A few hours later an ant happened to come upon the chest. He, too, saw the gold. But he knew it was far too heavy a load for him, so he hurried home and asked a large army of his fellow ants to help. With their help, the ant carried the chest of gold home where they were able to buy enough picnic food to last a few winters or more.

Moral: If you find yourself with a heavy load, ask friends to help carry it.

The Rainbow

The colors were fighting again as they fell from the sky.

Yellow said: I am a royal color, just like the sun that is very powerful indeed. Give me more space to fall!

But Blue disagreed. I am the color of sky and water and all that makes people happy. I should become the favorite.

It wasn’t long before Green cut in. I am the essential color of life, of plants and trees and all that means the springtime. The earth welcomes me more than any others.

Red then talked about blood and skies and clay, while