Week 6 Story: The Awakening of D-Bo

Once upon a time, in land not-so-far-away (in fact, in this very spot), there reigned a kind and beautiful prince named David L. Boren. This great and benevolent leader, more often known as D-Bo, was admired by all who lived in the Kingdom of OU. D-Bo was much loved by his subjects, and he would have been loved by his peers if any could have equaled him.

David L. Boren. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The Kingdom of OU was a lovely campus; it was a safe place with young, beautiful students who could all afford to attend (with the help of scholarships, of course). The Board of Regents liked to keep OU that way, for D-Bo’s sake. They feared that if he saw the truth of the world – the lack of funding for the Kingdom and the inability of many students to attend without substantial financial assistance – he would lose his joyful demeanor and rosy outlook.

But the Board could not keep the truth away from D-Bo for long, for he had always been a curious, sincere man who sought veracity and refused to overlook injustice (and, uh, because he was the ruler of the Kingdom and therefore received important information directly from its source).

One fateful day, despite the Board’s best efforts, D-Bo came upon a statement from the King of Oklahoma, OU’s governing province, saying that funds for the Kingdom of OU had been dropping steadily for decades and would continue to do so, barring many students from coming to the Kingdom and receiving the education that they desired.

D-Bo wrung his hands and cried out, “How can I experience joy or pleasure when I know such pain and injustice exist in the world? Just outside of my very own kingdom, would-be students are neglected. How can I wear these robes and walk among these lovely willow trees when I know that lack of government funding for education plagues our world?”

With that, he made up his mind. “I must retire from leading my kingdom and escape to I-35, where I will roam in solitude until I find the Supreme Truth and solve the problem of sufficient government funding for universities,” he said solemnly.

I-35 Oklahoma City. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The people of OU grieved bitterly for D-Bo’s departure. Although they knew it was perhaps for the best and that there was no better person to search for truth and put an end to government defunding, they found it difficult to cope with the loss of their prince.

The squirrels slowed down, digging their pointless holes with less vigor. The birds’ chirping dropped an octave. Those athletes who still rode hoverboards to class hung their heads and traveled so slowly that they failed to run over any innocent passerby for a week.

D-Bo continues to search for the answers. His people, though saddened by the loss, stand behind him.

Sad squirrel, photo by Brian Fuller. Source: Flickr.

Author's Note: This story is based on The Life of Buddha, which tells the story of how a prince named Siddhartha became the Buddha. I focused specifically on three "episodes" of the bigger story: "First Encounter," "The Greath Truths," and "Gopa and Suddhodana Grieve." Together, these three stories tell how Siddhartha, who was a privileged and sheltered boy, came across old age and death for the first time and decided to leave to put an end to such horrible things. Siddhartha's father, Suddhodana, loves him very much and shelters him from painful realities such as old age and death. He goes so far as to order all old, sick, crippled, and dead people off the streets when Siddhartha goes out. However, one day Siddhartha comes across an old man. He is so struck by the pain and horror of old age that he feels he can no longer enjoy anything in life. After two more similar encounters, he decides to leave the palace to become a monk and put an end to suffering. His wife, stepmother, and father grieve very intensely for his departure even though they know that he will eventually end suffering and death. I decided to retell this story on the OU campus, replacing Siddhartha with D-Bo, who recently announced his retirement. I don't think this is really why D-Bo retired, and I know he's known about government defunding for a long time, but I thought that education funding would be a cause that would rouse him to pursue a higher truth. I like the image of solitary D-Bo wandering I-35, thinking up ways to bring education to more people!

Bibliography: The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold. Link to the reading online.