Stone Soup

The book Stone Soup, in the most simplistic sense, is a children’s book written by Marcia Brown.  The basis of the story, however, has been inspiration for many a discussion, and, as was the case in my Design Intro class, art project.  Taken literally it is simple, yet conceptually, it can be powerful. 

In the story of Stone Soup, three soldiers, hungry and tired, wandered into a village and, having noticed they were unwelcome, decided to share their recipe for “stone soup.”  Curious, villagers watched as the soldiers unloaded a big iron caldron, lifted it over a fire, filled it with water, then lowered a large stone inside.   Villagers gathered as it boiled.  Eventually, one soldier slyly suggested that stone soup alone is delicious but “Stone Soup with cabbage” can’t be beat.  Thus, a villager thought he could spare a little and cabbage was thrown into the pot.  Then, another soldier hinted that “stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef“ was “fit for a king," and the butcher decided a little beef could be spared.  The same occurred with many other ingredients until the soup was full and flavorful.  By the end of the night, all the villagers wanted the recipe to that stone soup.

If one family had been given the sole burden of feeding those soldiers, it would have hurt them.  By design, however, all the villagers in the story, without even thinking about it, shared the burden equally, and no one was hurt financially or otherwise. 

I can only imagine how much good could be done collectively if this same concept is applied to other situations.  For example, if every person in the United States donated one dollar a year to a cause like cancer research or helping children in underdeveloped countries, imagine how much good just this country could do without it harming any individual’s bank account.

Our Design Stone Soup didn’t change the world in the way the above example has the potential to, but it did give everyone in our group a reason to come together, donate an idea or a craft supply to a common goal, and get to know each other better.

No matter its weight, people coming together and contributing something to the greater good is never a bad thing.  Thus, in this way, the simple story of Stone Soup is inspiring.