Rodan the spear maker did some work for the king and the king paid him fifty pieces of gold. Never before did he have so much money. He would like to keep his gold, but his sister wanted him to use the gold to help her husband start a business. Rodan decided to ask Marthon the gold lender and jewel dealer for advice.
‘With gold comes responsibility. It changes your position in society. It brings fear that you will loose it or be tricked out of it. It gives power and enables you to do good. But it also brings opportunities where your good intentions can cause problems for yourself’, explained Marthon.
Marthon told a tale of an ox who complained to the donkey that he must work hard all day long while the donkey have a life of leisure. With good intentions the donkey told the ox to play sick so that he can have a day of rest too. Next morning when the farmer saw the ox is sick, he used the donkey to plow the fields. That evening, the donkey was sore and tired from all the hard work. The ox thanked him because he had a nice day of rest. The donkey then told the ox that he is lazy and he must pull his own plow, otherwise he will be butchered and eaten. This was the end of the friendship. Moral of the story… If you help a friend, do it in such a way that you do not take your friend’s burdens upon yourself.
Roden did not want to take his brother in law’s burdens upon himself. But he asked Marthon if the borrowers repay him. Marthon explained that the lender must judge carefully whether the borrower will put it to good use and repay it with interest. Or whether it will be wasted, leaving the lender without his gold and the borrower with debt he cannot repay. Every time Marthon lent to someone, he asked for a token of value as security for the loan. When the loan is settled, he returns the token to the rightful owner. He showed Rodan his chest full of these tokens. As they went through the chest, Marthon told the tales.
According to Marthon the safest loans are to those with property more valuable than the loan. Then there are also those with the capacity to earn. If they are honest and do not suffer unexpected misfortune, they usually repay the loan with interest. Then there are also those who have friends or family that guarantee repayment.
One of the clients who never repaid, fell in love with a woman who ruined him financially. Eventually she killed him and through herself into the Euphrates river in bitter remorse. People who goes through emotional times are not safe borrowers.
One of the tokens belong to someone who needed money to buy goats. His herd is now big and by next year his loan will be fully paid. People who borrow to fund their indiscretions do not often repay, but those who borrow to buy assets that will earn an income for them are usually good payers.
Another token belonged to a woman who wanted her inexperienced son to become a partner to a camel owner who went from city to city to buy and sell. The camel owner left her son in the middle of the night in a foreign city without warning. Maybe he will repay someday. There was also another man who borrowed money to help his son with his business venture. He pledged his land and cattle as security. The son did well for a while, started making unwise decisions to get wealthy quickly. Marthon has a dilemma now. The son does not put the necessary effort into repaying the loan. Marthon does not really want to deprive his dad from his land and cattle because of the son’s lack of honor. Many experienced merchants borrow from time to time and repay but young inexperienced people tend to get greedy and make unwise investment decisions.
Marthon suggested that Rodan tell his brother in law that he must submit a business plan. If the plan is practical and likely to succeed, he can lend to him a portion of the gold. Never more than he can repay even if the plan fails. The also taught Rodan to spread his risk. He can rather lend a small portion of his treasure to different people than to lend his whole treasure to one person. Better a little caution than a great regret.
Making it Work 
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