Sharru Nada was returning from Damascus. With him was Hadan Gula, the grandson of his old friend Arad Gula who passed away. Sharru wanted to help Hadan build a future for himself, but it was easier said than done. Hadan believed that hard work was for slaves and that building a fortune requires some special gift which he did not have.
Babylon brought back some bad memories for Sharru. He started telling Hadan his tale. Sharru made some mistakes and ended up being chained and taken to Babylon where he and others would be sold as slaves. They saw the king’s slaves carrying bricks, being beaten and left to die. Sharru was still young and did not want to die like that. He begged the guard to tell him how he can save himself from such a fate. The guard told him that his master usually go to the slave market first. At the slave market Sharru must tell everyone what a hard worker he is. He had to make sure he gets sold at the market. Anyone who did not get sold, would become one of the king’s brick carriers. At the slave market Sharru was quite desperate to get sold. So when Nana-Naid came looking for a baker, Sharru told him that he would really like to learn how to bake. Nana-Naid was so impressed by his eagerness, that he bought Sharru.
Sharru worked hard and learned quickly. Eventually he did all the baking. He then decided to make a deal with his master Nana-Naid. Sharru suggested that he bake extra during the afternoon and sell it at the wall. He would then pay Nana-Naid 50% to cover the cost of the ingredients. The remaining 50% would be split 50/50 between Sharru and Nana-Naid. Sharru hoped to save up enough money to buy back his own freedom.
At first it was a bit discouraging. The sales were slow. But by the afternoon, the men got hungry and the sales picked up. After a while he got some regular customers. One of these customers where none other than Hadan’s grandfather Arad. He was a Merchant who sold rugs to the woman in the city. Arad once asked Sharru why he worked so hard and Sharru then explained that he wants to buy back his freedom. Arad then told Sharru that is is also a slave. He saved up enough money to now buy his own freedom, but he was scared he won’t make it without his master’s support. Sharru encouraged him to take the leap and said that he will be successful if he works hard.
Sharru’s master Nana-Naid no longer had to work, and he started spending too much time at the gaming tables drinking. Unfortunately Nana-Naid borrowed from the gold lender to finance his bad habits, and he gave Sharru as security for the loan. Eventually when Nana-Naid could no longer pay his loan, the gold lender took Sharru and sold him to a new master who needed more slaves to build the king’s wall. For months he worked under the worst conditions imaginable and almost lost hope.
One day Sharru was told that his old master bought him back. Imagine his surprise when he got to his old masters house and found out that it was Arad who bought him. Arad was a free man now and he did really well for himself. He searched everywhere for Sharru to make him his partner. Arad declared Sharru a free man and the worked together to build a fortune and they really enjoyed it.
This was the point where Hadan finally realized that work is not just for slaves. Hard work is what earned his grandfather his fortune and respect among men.
Work hard (and smart) and you will be successful.
Making it Work 