Parable of Two Princesses

This story came to me in my inbox one day.  It is a great parable, one which we might all learn from.  Thanks Linda for the new way to look at Preparedness. 

The Parable of Two Princesses
By Linda Davis
Once there was a king that had two beautiful daughters. He loved them very much. He wanted to give
them a special gift. He called them both to him and told them that he had a gift for them, but in order to obtain this wonderful gift they had to complete several tasks that he would give to them. They would have to leave his kingdom going their separate ways in order to complete their tasks. Part of the requirements was that they had to go in disguise so no one would know they were actually princesses. They would have an allotted time to complete their tasks, although the amount of time was known only to the king. When the time was finished he would send the Crown Prince, their elder brother, to bring them home. He
told them that they could call him any time and that he would anxiously await their return. They were both very excited because they knew that the gift would be of great worth.

Princess Faithanna started out on her journey to the west and Princess Fearella went to the east, wishing each other well and a speedy return. As Princess Faithanna traveled she came to a kingdom called the Kingdom of Prepared. It was a beautiful place with lovely well-kept cottages and beautiful fields of golden grain. It seemed that every cottage had a lovely vegetable garden. She saw orchards with fruit trees of every kind. The people all seemed so happy. She decided this was a good place for her to work on her assigned tasks. She found a comfortable room in a boarding house that was reasonably priced. Father had given her a small amount of money for her journey. She began looking for work and found a job as an assistant in the nearby library. This was the ideal job. It would give her a chance to meet many of the people in the kingdom and learn about them and what was important in their lives.

In the library she found many wonderful books that taught her many useful skills. She also found a very
special book that taught many important things about life and how to be happy and safe. She realized that many of the people around her loved this special book. She met many people and made lots of friends. She began to see that the people had many good qualities in common. She made a list of the things that seemed to be important to them in their lives.

Meanwhile, Princess Fearella traveled until she came to the Kingdom of Unprepared. It was a lovely place with big expensive houses with perfectly manicured lawns and beautiful flower gardens, many with swimming pools and tennis courts. There were huge shopping malls where you could buy anything if you had enough money. She saw many expensively dressed people rushing here and there. They all seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. She smiled at some as she passed, but no one seemed to smile back.
She thought, “they are just busy and too deep in thought to notice me.” Princess Fearella decided she would stay in this place to do her assigned tasks. She had difficulty finding a place to stay that was
in her budget. She finally decided on an apartment. It was quite a bit more that she could afford with the money Father had given her, but it was so lovely and had the best of everything just like at home. She knew it was extravagant but she would get a job and she would be able to pay for it. Besides she had a whole month before she had to make the next payment.

Princess Fearella was able to find a job at a very classy clothing store in the nearby shopping mall. She
thought this would be a great place to get to know the people and learn what was important to them. She met many people and made friends and began to see things that were important in their lives. She made a list of the qualities that many of the people seemed to share.

Princess Faithanna’s List                          Princess Fearella’s List
Frugality                                                             Indulgence
Diligence                                                           Procrastination
Prayerfulness                                                    Pride
Modesty                                                             Vanity
Patience                                                             Instant Gratification
Obedience                                                          Slothfulness
Serving                                                               Self-centered
Prioritizing                                                        Too Busy
Hard Working                                                    Leisure Loving
Self-reliant                                                        Dependant

As Princess Faithanna studied the list she had made, she understood why the people were so happy. She knew that she wanted to develop all of these wonderful qualities and worked hard to become a part of the people in the Kingdom of Prepared.

Princess Faithanna called her Father often to tell him what she was learning and to ask his advice. The King could tell she was happy.

As Princess Fearella studied the list she had made, she realized that it might be good for her to find another place to complete her tasks and she would, tomorrow. Princess Fearella called home only occasionally because she was so busy as she explained to her Father. The King was concerned about his daughter but she always said, “don’t worry Father, all is well in the Kingdom of Unprepared; all is prosperous.”

Princess Fearella spent much of her money buying the beautiful, expensive clothing sold in the store where she worked. She also loved spending her spare time with her friends at the spa being pampered. She even had some plastic surgery and other beauty enhancing procedures. They were expensive but so worth it.

As the allotted time was drawing to an end, the king sent one of his servants to his daughters to tell them the Crown Prince would soon be coming. Princess Faithanna was excited. She felt such love for her father and elder brother. She could hardly wait to see them again. Princess Fearellla had a feeling of fear come over her at the servant’s message. She wasn’t ready yet. But then she realized that she still had time. “Soon” could be a long ways off. Tomorrow she really intended to leave this kingdom and make some changes.

Tomorrow came and Princess Faithanna saw the Crown Prince afar off and joyfully ran to meet him. He embraced her and put her royal robes upon her shoulders and her crown upon her head. What joy and love was felt that day.

Princess Fearella saw the Crown Prince afar off and was seized by an awful fear. She wasn’t ready. She thought she had more time. She had intended to leave the Kingdom of Unprepared, but now it was too late. With sorrow she realized that she had become just like the people of the Kingdom of Unprepared. In shame she hid from the presence of her Elder Brother.

“If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear”, (D&C 38:30).