Last night I
read one fascination short story; it is still on my mind which I wanted to
share with you all. Somehow it is a story which makes me feel how much we are
missing in our life.
A certain
shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest
man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and
finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that
the wise man lived. "Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero,
on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came
and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing
soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious
food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with every one, and the
boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man's
attention.
"The
wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but
told him that he didn't have time just then to explainthe secret of happiness.
He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
"'Meanwhile,
I want to ask you to do something,' said the wise man, handing the boy a
teaspoon that held two drops of oil. As you wander around, carry this spoon
with you without allowing the oil to spill."The boy began climbing and
descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the
spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.
"'Well,'
asked the wise man, 'did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my
dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years
to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?'
"The
boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only
concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.
'"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,' said the wise man.
'You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house.'
"Relieved,
the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this
time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw
the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the
taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man,
he related in detail everything he had seen.
'But where
are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?' asked the wise man."Looking down
at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
'"Well,
there is only one piece of advice I can give you,' said the wisest of wise men.
'The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to
forget the drops of oil on the spoon.'" The shepherd said nothing. He had
understood the story the old king had told him. A shepherd may like to travel,
but he should never forget about his sheep.
This story
tell me something about the life, we all miss so many thing in life while focusing
on the useless thing on life. We can only enjoy life if can maintain the
balance between what we want and what we have to do in life.
I have been
dreamer all my long life, I know most of my dream is like out of class but
still they are in my heart and close to me. One day even I can also find the
right balance between the life and dream. Hope I can do that.
P.S.: This is story I read in "The Alchemist" from Paulo. One of my favorite authors.
