The Village Of Broken Windows - A Fairy Tale
The Village Of Broken Windows
A Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, there was a village that nestled in a beautiful valley. It was a very prosperous village for its citizens were a hard-working, clever people with great business acumen. They were renowned throughout the Kingdom for their industry and success and their ability to turn dreams into reality. A steady stream of outsiders made their way to the village to do business and to seek help in making their ideas profitable. The villagers grew fat and proud and showered their riches on the village so that it was like a jewel in an emerald valley.
One day, the King decided that he needed to help the poorer people in his Kingdom who lived in windowless hovels in large, mean towns. He decreed that his Kingdom would make their lives better by providing them with new windows. They would no longer live in dark, morose homes, but enjoy the sunlight and fresh air, which would spur them on to improving their lives.
The King found, however, that he could only afford to buy windows that were broken; the glass was too expensive if he were to provide enough windows to make a difference for more than just a few subjects. They could still benefit from the light and air, even if it would make the winters a little more difficult. So the call went forth for the supplying of broken windows to the King so that he might begin his great project.
The villagers, naturally, seeing a great opportunity quickly searched their homes for broken windows to sell. A few of the more enterprising folks broke a few intact windows that they no longer needed and sold those as well. The most entrepreneurial “borrowed” windows from their neighbors, broke them, and sold them to the King’s representatives.
Being savvy, energetic businessmen, it occurred to the villagers that the King was only going to be able to provide a small number of the poor with broken windows. Most would not get them for a very long time if at all if the King’s project were the only way for the poor to get them. They decided, therefore, to begin providing broken windows on their own and selling them to the poor. They knew, once some of the poor got the windows, that the others would want them, too.
But there was a problem; all of the broken windows were gone. A few of the villagers began to venture out to neighboring villages to purchase their broken windows, while others, even more energetic, decided to set up production facilities to make their own. Yet another group set out to find a way to get the poor left out of the King’s mission to buy them.
They soon proved that the legends about their prowess were true and then some. It did not take long for the poor to beat down their doors in search of the windows and at first it proved easy to sell them. The villagers bought the windows from the suppliers who in turn made more. The strangeness of making broken windows to sell only lasted as long as the first sale.
Soon, however, they found fewer of the poor who were able to buy the windows. Faced with an impending collapse in their sales, the villagers once again proved more than adequate for the task. If the poor did not have money of their own to buy the windows, then they would provide it. A profit could be made on both the loans and the windows. This proved successful beyond their wildest expectations and the money flowed as never before.
Being just a small village, though, they soon found that their financial resources were limited. They would be unable to continue lending and thus sales would cease, throwing the village into a tailspin. Ah, but the villagers proved once again why they were the best businessmen in not only the Kingdom, but the world. Through their many contacts they were soon borrowing vast sums to finance the construction of the windows and for lending to the poor for purchasing. What had once been a flood of money turned into a raging torrent. There was no end to their prosperity.
And, the selling of broken windows was having a salutary effect on the Kingdom’s economy. Factories were humming night and day, while workers in the plants and window installers were growing prosperous as never before. They, too, desired broken windows for themselves and soon demand was outstripping the supply.
The situation was made worse, too, because the villagers, knowing a good deal when they saw one, had begun to hoard some of the windows, cutting the supply and driving up the price. This proved no obstacle to the villagers who became even more aggressive in their sales and lending to keep the process going. The villagers grew even fatter and more prosperous than even their dreams had allowed them.
The villagers then thought, now that we have all this money and window-making factories, this would be a good time to make new windows for ourselves. We can even break our old windows and sell them for a handsome price. And so that’s what they did. Soon every window in the village was removed, broken, and put up for sale.
But, no one came to buy them. The villagers were perplexed. Where had all the poor gone to? Why did they no longer want to buy the windows? To their horror they discovered that they had sold windows to just about everyone who wanted one. Those who did not have them were truly the poorest of the poor and they could not afford them at the high prices the villagers now charged. Not even if the villagers lent them the money at the most favorable rates imaginable. There were no more customers for the villagers to sell to.
Then, to their greater horror, they found that many of the poor who had bought windows could not repay their loans – they were poor after all. Income dried up, repayments disappeared, their loans went unpaid, and they found they were holding large quantities of now useless broken windows. The collapse was as sudden and complete as the rise was meteoric. The factories shut down, the installers were laid off, and the villagers were left wondering how it had all gone wrong.
Worse, winter was coming and they could not now afford to put in new windows. They put back their broken windows and prayed that the winter would not be too harsh. They, along with the poor, would have little to protect them from winter’s cruel vengeance.
And, that is how it should have ended. But the King, seeing what had happened to the villagers, took pity on them and opened his treasury to give them the money for their new windows. He took pity on the poor as well and bought up many of their loans, but did not provide new unbroken windows. The purchase of the loans restored much of the fortune of the villagers and they were made almost as whole as before. And, yes, it was a long, cruel winter that the poor suffered mightily from, but the villagers had a grand time all winter regaling each other with their newest legend in the making as they put another broken window on the fire to keep themselves warm. And they lived happily ever after. Except, of course, for the poor.
A Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, there was a village that nestled in a beautiful valley. It was a very prosperous village for its citizens were a hard-working, clever people with great business acumen. They were renowned throughout the Kingdom for their industry and success and their ability to turn dreams into reality. A steady stream of outsiders made their way to the village to do business and to seek help in making their ideas profitable. The villagers grew fat and proud and showered their riches on the village so that it was like a jewel in an emerald valley.
One day, the King decided that he needed to help the poorer people in his Kingdom who lived in windowless hovels in large, mean towns. He decreed that his Kingdom would make their lives better by providing them with new windows. They would no longer live in dark, morose homes, but enjoy the sunlight and fresh air, which would spur them on to improving their lives.
The King found, however, that he could only afford to buy windows that were broken; the glass was too expensive if he were to provide enough windows to make a difference for more than just a few subjects. They could still benefit from the light and air, even if it would make the winters a little more difficult. So the call went forth for the supplying of broken windows to the King so that he might begin his great project.
The villagers, naturally, seeing a great opportunity quickly searched their homes for broken windows to sell. A few of the more enterprising folks broke a few intact windows that they no longer needed and sold those as well. The most entrepreneurial “borrowed” windows from their neighbors, broke them, and sold them to the King’s representatives.
Being savvy, energetic businessmen, it occurred to the villagers that the King was only going to be able to provide a small number of the poor with broken windows. Most would not get them for a very long time if at all if the King’s project were the only way for the poor to get them. They decided, therefore, to begin providing broken windows on their own and selling them to the poor. They knew, once some of the poor got the windows, that the others would want them, too.
But there was a problem; all of the broken windows were gone. A few of the villagers began to venture out to neighboring villages to purchase their broken windows, while others, even more energetic, decided to set up production facilities to make their own. Yet another group set out to find a way to get the poor left out of the King’s mission to buy them.
They soon proved that the legends about their prowess were true and then some. It did not take long for the poor to beat down their doors in search of the windows and at first it proved easy to sell them. The villagers bought the windows from the suppliers who in turn made more. The strangeness of making broken windows to sell only lasted as long as the first sale.
Soon, however, they found fewer of the poor who were able to buy the windows. Faced with an impending collapse in their sales, the villagers once again proved more than adequate for the task. If the poor did not have money of their own to buy the windows, then they would provide it. A profit could be made on both the loans and the windows. This proved successful beyond their wildest expectations and the money flowed as never before.
Being just a small village, though, they soon found that their financial resources were limited. They would be unable to continue lending and thus sales would cease, throwing the village into a tailspin. Ah, but the villagers proved once again why they were the best businessmen in not only the Kingdom, but the world. Through their many contacts they were soon borrowing vast sums to finance the construction of the windows and for lending to the poor for purchasing. What had once been a flood of money turned into a raging torrent. There was no end to their prosperity.
And, the selling of broken windows was having a salutary effect on the Kingdom’s economy. Factories were humming night and day, while workers in the plants and window installers were growing prosperous as never before. They, too, desired broken windows for themselves and soon demand was outstripping the supply.
The situation was made worse, too, because the villagers, knowing a good deal when they saw one, had begun to hoard some of the windows, cutting the supply and driving up the price. This proved no obstacle to the villagers who became even more aggressive in their sales and lending to keep the process going. The villagers grew even fatter and more prosperous than even their dreams had allowed them.
The villagers then thought, now that we have all this money and window-making factories, this would be a good time to make new windows for ourselves. We can even break our old windows and sell them for a handsome price. And so that’s what they did. Soon every window in the village was removed, broken, and put up for sale.
But, no one came to buy them. The villagers were perplexed. Where had all the poor gone to? Why did they no longer want to buy the windows? To their horror they discovered that they had sold windows to just about everyone who wanted one. Those who did not have them were truly the poorest of the poor and they could not afford them at the high prices the villagers now charged. Not even if the villagers lent them the money at the most favorable rates imaginable. There were no more customers for the villagers to sell to.
Then, to their greater horror, they found that many of the poor who had bought windows could not repay their loans – they were poor after all. Income dried up, repayments disappeared, their loans went unpaid, and they found they were holding large quantities of now useless broken windows. The collapse was as sudden and complete as the rise was meteoric. The factories shut down, the installers were laid off, and the villagers were left wondering how it had all gone wrong.
Worse, winter was coming and they could not now afford to put in new windows. They put back their broken windows and prayed that the winter would not be too harsh. They, along with the poor, would have little to protect them from winter’s cruel vengeance.
And, that is how it should have ended. But the King, seeing what had happened to the villagers, took pity on them and opened his treasury to give them the money for their new windows. He took pity on the poor as well and bought up many of their loans, but did not provide new unbroken windows. The purchase of the loans restored much of the fortune of the villagers and they were made almost as whole as before. And, yes, it was a long, cruel winter that the poor suffered mightily from, but the villagers had a grand time all winter regaling each other with their newest legend in the making as they put another broken window on the fire to keep themselves warm. And they lived happily ever after. Except, of course, for the poor.
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