The Double Minded Man
The Double Minded Man
The Greeks had a story about two men who were very similar. In fact, many people might say they were indistinguishable: the same height, weight, even facial features. One had red hair and one was bald. There was only one distinction between them: the one with red hair could see in the dark while the other could not.
One beguiled enemies with his light, but those who did not have it feared him; he fawned on tyrants, but those who oppressed him thought of him as a dangerous rebel. The other was admired for his wisdom and gentle ways; he saw keenly into all matters of life and had an uncanny knack for discerning wrong from right. The one with red hair could not see in the dark, but had he had a red sash they would have called him a hero and cheered him on his way. The other was too weak to put others to flight, but had he become the leader they would have seen only weakness and incompetence.
One was generous and kind, while the other was miserly and stingy - though both were far more virtuous than most people. The one with red hair made himself a sage philosopher; he even managed to give advice that was correct but nobody believed it because nobody saw his wisdom. On the other hand, the other was praised for being wise but never acted it out in real life because he could not see things with his mind's eye.
The one with red hair was ambitious for glory: he wanted to be a great captain and lead the people to victory. But he failed, because of his blindness - he could only act at night, but in the day he sat at home plotting. On the other hand, because of his wisdom, the other became a great king; though his rule was as light as air and nobody even knew it.
The one with red hair was always making plans; it was said that he had never done anything without having first made up his mind how it should be done. But though they called him wise and sprang to his aid when he was threatened, they never took heed of his advice. The other was always ready to listen; that is why he knew something about everything. He was the people's guide and at the same time their friend; he had time to help everyone who sought him out - but no one actually ever saw him.
Because the one with red hair looked like everyone else, he had many friends but nobody knew where his allegiance lay or whether he would betray them. But the other made himself a faithful ally: if you are in need, he said, give me your word and I will be your ally till death. You can avoid trouble by giving me nothing, he added, but you are really your own worst enemy if you do.
The one with red hair was famous for all the wrong reasons - as a trickster, a coward and a liar. He could not see through his own lies, but the other could tell him easily when he was telling the truth: he reveals himself to everyone, he said. No man can cheat him because he is so sure of himself. The first had enemies everywhere; they hated him as a tyrant or an enemy. The second did not even have enemies; they knew that they were dear friends to him.
The one with red hair was the slave of his passions; he could not control himself - though he often tried. He set out to be a tyrant, but failed; and people cheered him on when he did. The other had no need to set out: being kind and loyal, he always managed to succeed. People were sorry for him when they saw that, because of his weakness and innocence, his success was as light as air.
The first lived in fear of the day - how could he overcome his enemies in the light? But though everyone accused him of being a coward for not helping them, they all obeyed him because they had no choice. The second was not afraid of anything; he enjoyed his success and his friends' praise of him. He knew that he was the people's friend and they were proud to obey him, though nobody saw him.
The one with red hair would boast about his tricks if anyone praised them to make themselves seem important. But the other had been so kind and generous that nobody dared claim anything against him. When the first made another man's life a misery after he had been helpful to him, he could not even see what he was doing - because of his own blindness. The second did not even do what was right when he alone could make others aware of it: he waited for others to tell him, trusting their judgement. He asked them to guide him but would not accept their verdict if it was wrong.
The first made a fine speech and was admired, but then turned traitor and was hated all the more; he had plotted his way to the top - but lost his power as soon as his enemies saw through him. The other also gave speeches, always good ones; people praised them highly and thanked their friend for them. But he never made speeches to himself or the people; he praised himself for his wisdom and told everyone else about it. He had nothing to say about his own power - but that is why he had power over himself as well as over others.
The one with red hair was a real man of action; you could see him running around everywhere, plotting and scheming until he got what he wanted. But then the people turned against him and threw in his face everything that he had ever done for them: the only reason why they were now afraid of him was because they could not see in the dark. The other spoke seldom and gave out even less. They were prepared to praise him once he had given them his help, but they always found themselves praising him of their own free will: good deeds are often rewarded just like this.
The one was always ready to deceive his friends; no matter how much he loved and did for them, he betrayed them in the end. The other was never willing to deceive anyone; however much he might love and do for his friend, he did not expect anything in return. The former asked for nothing except a chance to show what a fine fellow he was; the latter went farther than anyone else in helping others without ever expecting praise or thanks from them.
Conclusion
The one with red hair was the vainest man in the world, proud of his trickery and relying on his own wisdom. But he did not see how weak he really was. The other also thought that he knew everything: but though he thought that he could do no wrong, people saw how much they owed to him. His heart was pure, but it is not good to be so proud; if you are too high-minded you are deceived and destroyed by your own pride.
This is the story about the two men who had understanding: one saw things with his eyes, the other with his mind's eye.
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The Double Minded Man