The Geographer and the Businessman

To be a Geographer or to be a Businessman - this is the question. One counts the mountains, the other counts the stars. Both are careers of paramount importance, for how can people continue to exist without knowing how many stars or mountains there are in the world? Both are careers of ultimate prestige, for how will society continue to flourish without stars being owned and mountains being recorded? Count away, my dear, count away. The stars, the mountains, the flowers, the asteroids...they are what the world amounts to.
"Devoid of meaning, devoid of hope - that is what your career amounts to," a naive one said.
"Hush," the crowd chimed, "hush." The geographer and the businessman were amused.
"Take pity on him, our beloved people, take pity on him. He is rightly ignorant and erasing this ignorance is precisely our goal. Listen, this young one, listen. The meaning is greatness, and the hope is salvation. Without counting, we do not know how many there are. Without knowing how many there are, we do not know how many we have counted. Without knowing how many we have counted, we do not realize how magnificent we are, for we are the first to count and the first to know of what we have counted. Being first makes us great. Who does not desire greatness?"
"Greatness," the crowd chimed, "greatness."
"Let us pursue greatness, our beloved people, let us pursue greatness."
The crowd cheered. The naive one frowned.
"But..."
"Hush," the crowd chimed, "hush". The geographer and the businessman continued.
"From now on, you," they pointed to one in the crowd, "would be in charge of counting the flowers. You," they pointed to yet another, "would be in charge of counting the clouds..."
The crowd cheered louder. The naive one frowned harder.
"Let us count away, our beloved people, let us count away. Once we have counted everything there is, we will become the first, the best, the greatest of all."
The crowd became ecstatic. A hand suddenly shot up.
"Hush," the crowd chimed, "hush". The geographer and the businessman entertained the question.
"Yes, this young one?"
"But...The stars, the mountains, the flowers, the asteroids - none of them want to be counted."
"Yes," the two beamed a feline grin, "they want to. They are waiting to be counted. They are begging to be counted. Look at the flowers - look at how they droop their poor heads. Look at the stars - look at how they flash their frustration. Let us save them, our beloved people, let us save them."
"Save them," the crowd let out a shamanistic shrill, "save them." The crowd was drunk in the sheer thought of their impending greatness. Forgive them for their madness, for what can be more maddening than greatness? Then the most peculiar of the peculiar occurred.
The body of the two men dissipated. Their grin remained though. It was the grin without a man, and the grin that built mankind. The story of the two heroes went down in history, and every year, thousands upon thousands aspired to become geographers and businessmen. Not all of them succeeded in adopting the careers, but for the many who failed, they took comfort in one thing: at least they were successful in adopting the divine grin. Indeed, look around - the grin without a man is everywhere!