The Mottomon Empire consisted of towns and cities organized around different mottos. The empire’s capital, ruled by King Preacher, used the motto, “Practice what you Preach.” King Preacher’s daughter Colby watched her father struggle with his kingdom’s motto because her father preached many metaphors every Sunday to his citizens.
As a child, Colby watched her father plant trees in the middle of the town’s soccer field because he preached that week about sowing seeds. She watched her father try bull riding when he preached about grabbing life by the horns. After preaching about the giving tree, she watched her father give away all his clothes. Colby dreaded the sermon every Sunday because she knew her father’s preaching would upend their lives for the next six days.
The people of the capital were more careful about what they preached. They preached very little, gave little advice and spent most of their time asking each other questions. They advised their children to be kind and not promise too much.
The punishments for not practicing what you preached were mild, usually very literal and unpleasant. Colby’s favorite was that if someone lied, they literally had to lie down in the middle of the town square.
Colby wasn’t sure that “Practice What You Preach” was the best way to live, but she knew little about other towns’ mottos. Sometimes, towns would seek her wise father’s counsel.
One town, “Keep Calm and Carry On,” always endured through whatever hardship befell them. The main hardship was that another town, “Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword,” constantly invaded their town carrying swords. However, the invaders never met anyone with swords, so they frustratingly paraded around, challenging anyone who would listen to them to a duel.
The two sides met at her father’s castle every six months or so. The Keep Calm people would keep calm, and the Sword People would be infuriated by the lack of swords. So, the fighting continued.
After one visit, Colby asked her father why the towns didn’t adopt his motto.
“I think they both use our motto,” her father said. “Keep Calm and Carry on” does just that. That’s what they preach. Meanwhile, “Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword” keeps living by the sword because no one will fight them.”
“But they live so differently from us,” Colby said, very confused.
“The problem is in the interpretation of the mottos. The mottos all seem great. Each town in the kingdom offers different wisdom. Yet sometimes the consequences of those mottos can be hectic.”
That week, her father told the story of their own kingdom when his father ruled. “When my father ruled, he sent me on a journey to learn the mottos of the other towns. He wanted me to return and decide what motto to use to rule our kingdom. It has now come time for us to travel again.”
The sermon surprised Colby.
“Father, you cannot travel,” Colby said after the sermon. “The people need you here. I must ask that you not take this sermon so literally.”
“You are right that I cannot leave. However, you can also practice what we preach. That is why I will send you out to explore the many towns in the Mottomon Empire.”