Tarkad hardly had anything to eat for two days. He was walking back and forth in front of the diner hoping to see someone he knows who would be willing to lend him some money. Unfortunately he found himself face to face with Dabasir. Dabasir puts in special effort to make Tarkad feel uncomfortable about the money he owes Dabasir and his failure to keep his promises. Dabasir immediately insisted that Tarkad settle his debt. Tarkad tried to explain that ill fortune is making it difficult to pay to which Dabasir replied ‘Do not blame the gods for your own weakness. Ill fortune pursues any man who thinks more of borrowing than of repaying’. He invited Tarkad to come sit with him while he eat. He wants to tell him a tale. They entered the diner. Dabasir ordered himself a feast and asked them to bring Tarkad only a glass of cold water.
Dabasir told of a man who had a piece of stone cut so thinly that you could see through it and the world looked different from what it was. Dabasir then told how he became a camel trader. He also once saw the world differently and he had to change to see the world for what it was.
When Dabasir was a young man, he learned to make saddles from his father. He worked for him in his shop. Dabasir got married and he got into the habit of borrowing money to live a life of luxuries. He paid when he could and for a while all went well. But eventually he could not use his earnings to pay his debt and to live from. His wife left him and he decided to move to a different town where he believed his life would be easier.
For two years Dabasir worked for caravan traders and battled to make a living. He then joined a group of robbers who stole from unexpected caravan traders. They got caught and taken to Damascus where they were stripped of their clothes and sold as slaves. Dabasir was bought for two pieces of silver by a Syrian Desert Chief. The Chief gave Dabasir to his four wives and told them they can do with him what they like. Fortunately Sira, the oldest of the wives, wanted to visit her sick mother and needed someone to lead her camel.
On the long journey Dabasir told Sira that he was born a free man and that his father is an honorable saddle maker in Babylon. He told her how he came to be a slave. She asked him how he can call himself a free man if his weakness made him a slave. Her reaction bothered him quite a bit. She said if a man has the soul of a slave, he will become one, does not matter his birth. If he has the soul of a free man he will be respected and honored, in spite of his misfortune.
For a year he worked for Sira. One day she asked him why he did not really mingle with the other slaves. Dabasir said he was wondering if he had the soul of a free man or the soul of a slave. She asked him if he had the desire to repay his debt that drove him from Babylon. He said ‘Yes, but how can I while being a slave in Syria’. She then told him if he really wanted to, he would. And if he did not make any afford to repay for so many years, he has the soul of a slave. Dabasir was quite upset about these harsh words.
A few days later Sira wanted to visit her sick mother again. He was wondering why they are taking so much food with. When they got there, she dismissed her maid. Sira then asked Dabasir, ‘Do you have the soul of a free man or the soul of a slave?’ upon which he insisted he has the soul of a free man. Sira then told him to prove it. She brought enough food and some clothes to be used as disguise. ‘Take the camels and go’, she said. He thanked her and told her she has the heart of a queen.
For nine days Dabasir traveled. He did not know the country and the food and water was finished. He traveled day and night, afraid to get caught. The sun was merciless. He slid off his camel and was to weak to get back on. He fell asleep and only woke up the next morning with new clarity. Dabasir looked around him at the abandoned land and realized that he needs to decide whether he has the soul of a free man or the soul of a slave. If he has the soul of a slave he can give up and die. But if he has the soul of a free man, he must find his way back to Babylon, repay his debt, make a home for his wife and become a citizen his parents can be proud of. For the first time he saw life for what it is. With great effort Dabasir got up and gathered the two camels. The headed north.
A free man looks at life as a series of problems that needs to be solved, while a slave whines. After a while Dabasir found some water, grass and fruit. They also found the path back to Babylon.
Dabasir turned to Tarkad. ‘How about it Tarkad? Does the hunger bring new clarity? Are you ready to take the road back to self respect? are you ready to pay your debt? With tears in his eyes, Tarkad rose eagerly to his knees. ‘Already I feel the soul of a free man surge inside me’, said Tarkad, ‘but tell me, how did you fare upon your return?’ To which Dabasir replied ‘Where the determination is, the way can be found’. Upon his return, he met with everyone who he owed money and told them that he want to repay them. Some offered to help him. Marthon the gold lender sent him to Nebatur, the camel trader, who could make good use of Dabasir’s knowledge. Dabasir eventually repaid all his debt.
After Dabasir finished the story of his life, he ordered food for Tarkad and invited Tarkad to eat with him.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Making it Work 