We all know the parable of The Prodigal Son, but how about a new parable to warn of the dangers of obesity? It could be called The Prodigious Son, and it would go something like this:
There once was a family with three sons, two of them hard-working and moderate in their eating habits, and one who was slovenly and gluttonous. One day, the slovenly gluttonous son left for the city, taking his inheritance with him that he might indulge his appetites for gourmet foods, while his other brothers stayed home to help work the fields. And one day, the prodigious son ran out of money, having eaten every delicacy in sight, and growing to an even more enormous, morbidly obese size. So the prodigious son returned home in shame, and his father was so pleased to see his son return home, he asked his servant to have the fatted hog slaughtered for a feast to welcome home the prodigious son. Well his other two sons protested, saying they had stayed and worked hard, toiled in the fields, and eaten with moderation such that they could be good and responsible workers, but the father said they should rejoice in the prodigious son’s return. But, unfortunately, the servant mistook the prodigious son for the fatted hog, and he slaughtered the prodigious son instead by accident. Oops!
And so let that be a lesson to all about obesity: go on a diet now, or someone will mistake you for a fatted hog and accidentally slaughter you for bacon. And so obesity really is deadly after all! (<Especially on a farm!)
