Found in “NLP (Neuro‑Linguistic Programming) at Work”, by Sue Knight (no further attribution)
Decide what you think of this short story. Some suggestions follow…
Many years ago, in the hills of Patagonia, there was a tiny village. Its inhabitants were starving because they lived in fear of the dragon that they had seen in their fields, they would not go to harvest their crops.
One day a traveler came to the village and when he asked for food, they explained that they could not give him any because the dragon kept them from their fields. He was brave and offered to slay the dragon. When he arrived he saw that there was no dragon, only a large watermelon. So he returned to the village and said, “You have nothing to fear; there is no dragon, only a large watermelon.” The villagers were angry and hacked the traveler to pieces.
Some weeks later, another traveler came to the village again. When he asked for food, he was told about the dragon. He too was brave and offered to kill the dragon. The villagers were overjoyed. When he arrived at the field he also saw the giant watermelon and returned to the village to tell the villagers that they were mistaken about the dragon. They needed have no fear of a giant watermelon. They hacked him to pieces.
More time passed and the villagers were becoming desperate. One day a third traveler appeared. He could see how desperate they were and asked what the problem was. They told him, and he promised he would slay the dragon so that they could go to the fields to harvest their crops. When he got to the field, he too saw the giant watermelon. He drew his sword, leaped into the field, and hacked the watermelon to pieces. He returned to the villagers and told him he had killed their dragon—they were delighted. The traveler stayed in the village for many months, long enough to teach the villagers the difference between dragons and watermelons.
The End.
What is the meaning of this story? Here are some thoughts:
Why did they believe the 3rd traveler—emotional relief?
Why did they believe there was a dragon, hearsay?
Why did they not believe the 1st or 2nd traveler?
How could a watermelon look like a dragon?
Appearances may not tell the whole story.
Did they know what a watermelon was?
How can knowing something be wrong?
Was there any proof of a dragon?
Did they look at the watermelon?
(Send comments to fredmonroe@aol.com for posting.)
03/22/26
YS: Groupthink at its best!