Here lies the skull of a man, who got too big for his boots (actually, hat) and was banished out of the kingdom. His brain was too large, and he could comprehend matters in a jiffy. The King was happy with his performance for some time, but it rendered all the other courtiers useless.
Certainly, the King needed to protect the self-esteem of his team, and keep them in working condition. Generating more work for welfare and security was a way out. But Big Head was needed to generate ideas and chalk out plans. That would again, be giving him too much of importance and inflating his giant ego.
They settled on Plan B. Let him be sent to the desert, and find something useful to do. The kingdom would be run by nice, agreeable yesmen and yeswomen who paid obeisance where it mattered.
The legend of this fossil is that it has never been worshipped. It is considered inauspicious.
(160 words)
Photo Credit: Joy Pixley

Was the reference to his big ego from the perspective of the King, or was it an actual trait? I read the story in the way it was interpreted by others except for the ego part. If he was an egotistical brainiac, i too might banish him to the desert. No one is irreplaceable.
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Capability is seen as arrogance, if it does not bow.
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Thanks!
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Always a moral to the story….well done!
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Thank you, Donna!
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Great parable about the downside of being a round peg when the leaders only have square boxes to put you in. Being “too” smart, in particular, can get you in as much trouble as being too stupid, sometimes.
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Right, Joy! Thanks a lot!
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Yep, he didn’t fit the mold so he was considered a threat. The stifling of creativity – happens a lot in the corporate world.
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Cultural fit has become an accepted term now. I also hear that hiring through referrals is preferred, to confirm acceptability. One needs a sponsor to succeed, more than competence.
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Agreed!
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Society is often challenged by giant brains, this story led me into thinking about computers, interesting.
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Thank you, Michael!
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Too good Reenaππ
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Thanks!
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Love the moral behind this Reena, and so true. Anyone with new, different ideas that might work, is brandished a radical and dismissed. No wonder we’re in such a mess. Well done.
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Thank you so much! This happens in corporates all the time. Compliance matters more than competence.
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