Brothers
John and Mark were brothers, but they were quite different people.
Mark looked very masculine. He had a mustache and was very
muscular. He was a sculptor. He made things out of stone. Mark was a
good artist, but he was not very intelligent.
John looked nothing like his brother. He was small and weak, but he
was very smart. John was an undergraduate in college, and he studied
anthropology and history. He knew a lot about ancient cultures. The
brothers loved each other very much, but they thought they had nothing
in common.
One day, the mayor appointed Mark to build a monument: a statue of
Egyptian Pharaoh, Tut. Mark agreed to do the job, but he had a problem.
He had no idea who Pharaoh Tut was! However, he thought he had the
competence to build a good statue anyway. He made some crude
measurements and sculpted a statue of a very old man with a tattoo on
his chest. Mark was proud of his work, but when John saw the statue, he
laughed aloud.
“What’s so funny?” Mark asked.
John replied, “Your ignorance makes me laugh. Don’t you know that
Tut was only a teenager when he was pharaoh? Let me help you. I’ll
supervise your work. I’ll give you feedback, and we’ll make this a great
monument.”
Mark got another cube of stone. John told him what Tut looked like.
“Make him tall with good posture,” John said. “And make sure there is
symmetry in his body.”
Mark conferred with John about every detail. For ten consecutive
hours, the brothers worked. At last, the finished statue was situated in
front of the museum. Everyone applauded the brothers’ good work.
“We worked together very well. I guess we are compatible after all,”
Mark said. John replied, “I agree! When we combine our talents, we are
capable of greatness.”