The last straw

Remember the story of the last straw that broke the camel’s back? I think it was part of the English text book in class 3 or 4 (can’t recall the exact year). I would always get confused when I read that lesson, how can one straw break the camel’s back? The camel was so big and strong, and the straw was so light and seemingly weightless! What would one more straw matter to the ship of the desert?!! It kept me foxed for many years, though I passed the exam wherein surely there was a question from that lesson.

Recently, the “last straw” fell on my back and an old friendship crumbled into a heap at my feet. Just like Kotler explains the PLC (Product Life Cycle) in his books on marketing, the life cycle curve of this beautiful friendship had risen, flattened to a stable line and then, slowly, had started to dip. Each instance that pushed the curve downwards, was a straw on my back. Yet, the camel that I am, standing tall and strong, relentless of the load, continued walking on, taking the relationship along. My nose would be up in the air, sniffing for water, some food and rest, while my feet kept moving ahead. The Arab was unaware of the load he was piling on the camel’s back, always assuming that the camel could take more. Oh, a little more wouldn’t hurt! After all, it was his camel! When the camel finally collapsed, the Arab stood stunned, rooted to the ground, with absolutely no idea what had triggered the fall! What on earth was the camel thinking, falling in the middle of the journey like that? Was he, the Arab, not feeding the camel enough? Of course, he was spending a small fortune in nourishing and taking care of the camel. And this is how the camel repays?!! Simply slumping down, beaten and refusing to get up? How unfair was this and how ungrateful was the camel!

The camel looked up with huge, pain-filled eyes, appealing and hoping that the Arab would see the camels’s struggle, the endurance and the tenacity. But the camel found only disappointment in the eyes of the Arab. With a sigh, the camel lay down. The last straw had done it. There would be no more of this journey. The camel, relieved for having taken the decision to end, a satisfaction of having given its best, closed his eyes and let out a deep breath….. Oh, but for the last straw!

Do we not often become the camels in our relationships and sometimes even Arabs? Let us be more mindful of the PLC and the last straws!!!