After a cursory inspection, the Java master decreed that
each monk in the Elephant's Footprint Clan would henceforth
catch his own fish, harvest his own rice, sew his own robes,
and cobble his own shoes.
Within a month, the monks were half-naked and severely
malnourished. Deadlines began to slip. The abbot implored
the Java master to reconsider his decision.
“Very well,” said the Java master. “Every Thursday, have
them also burn their robes and shoes, and cast their rice
and fish into the river.”
The abbot asked what transgression his clan had committed to
merit such punishment.
“Punishment?” said the Java master. “I intended only to
reward. Do not the monks of the Elephant’s Footprint relish
their independence and self-sufficiency? Their code tells me
as much:
“Each has authored essentially the same Data Access Objects
and Value Objects as his neighbors. Each has crafted his own
String utilities and configuration file parsers. Each has
taken exquisite pains to design, implement, integrate, test,
debug, repair, and extend that which he might merely have
consumed from one of his brethren.
“Shall I infer incompetence? If so, then every last monk of
the Elephant’s Footprint must be cast out of the monastery.
“Shall I infer willful ignorance? If so, tradition demands
that they blind themselves with nettles, and then be cast
out.
“Shall I infer contempt for the preciousness of time? If so,
the dungeons await...
“But no,” concluded the Java master. “I shall instead infer
pride—pride taken by each that his code is superior to that
of his brethren. Pride is one of the Four Seeds of
Greatness, and must be encouraged. Let the Elephant’s
Footprint hone its skills with shears and spears, with
needles and sickles, until every monk may be likewise proud
of his fine robes and the bounty on his plate!”
“There will be little time left for coding,” observed the
abbot. “And the Emperor is quite literal in his
interpretation of the word deadline.”
The master nodded. “The merchant, lately ruined, knows only
the pangs of loss. Whereas the old hermit extols the virtues
of austerity, and will not change his state. Yet are these
not the same man, separated only by a gulf of years?”
Thus was the Elephant’s Footprint spared twice and
corrected.
