A story I want to share with my dear readers whose self-esteem might be low. The story starts with a young man seeking advice from a wise elder.
-I come to you, master, for I feel so insignificant that I don't want to do anything. I was told that I am of no use, that I do nothing well, that I am clumsy and rather stupid. How can I improve? What can I do to be appreciated?"
The master said to him without looking to him: "How sorry I am to hear that, boy. I can not help you now for first I must solve my own problem. Perhaps later..." And after a moment of short silence he added: "If you would help me I could solve my problem in less time and even help you after that."
- Wi...th pleasure, master - stammered the young man, who felt unappreciated and that his needs had been delayed yet another time.
-Good, continued the master. He took a ring of the little finger of his left hand, passed it to the boy and added-: Take the horse that is here outside and go to the market. I need to sell this ring to pay one debt. It is necessary that you receive for it the highest possible price and do not settle for less than one gold coin. Go now and come back with the money as soon as you can.
The young man took the ring and left. As soon as he reached the market he began to offer the ring for sale and was shown interest by many until the young man explained what he wanted for it.
When the boy mentioned the gold coin some began to laugh, others turned away and one one old man was so decent as to take the trouble to explain to him that one gold coin was too valuable to exchange for a ring. Someone offered him a silver coin and a copper container, eager to help him, but the young man had received an order to not agree to less than one gold coin and so refused the offer.
When he had offered the jewel to all those he met in the market, more than a hundred, he went back on the horse and returned, unhappy about not achieving his plan.
The young man desired so greatly to have a gold coin for the master so that he might ease his worries in order to finally receive advice and help from him.
He went in to him.
-Master -he said-, I am sorry. It is not possible to get what you asked me for. I might perhaps have gotten two or three silver coins, but I doubt that I can deceive anyone about the true value of the ring.
-That which you say is very important, young friend - answered the master smiling-. We must first know what the true value of the ring is. Get back on the horse and go this time to the goldsmith. Who should know it better than he? Tell him that you want to sell the ring and ask what he is willing to offer for it. But no matter how much he offers you do not sell it. Return afterwards here with my ring.
The young man went riding off another time.
The goldsmith appraised the ring in the light of an oil lamp, examined it with a magnifying glass, weighted it and then said to the boy:
-Tell the master, boy, that if he wants to sell the ring right now on this hour, then I can not give him more than fifty-eight gold coins for it.
-Fifty-eight gold coins? - shouted the young man in surprise.
-Yes - answered the goldsmith-. I know that with more time we could get almost seventy coins for it, but not if the sale is in a hurry...
The young man ran excited back to the master in order to tell him what had happened.
After listening to his tale the master said: -Sit down. You are like this ring, valuable and an extraordinary jewel. And as such you can only be appreciated by a true specialist. Why do you go through your life believing that anyone might appraise your true worth?
And having said this he put the ring back on the small finger of his left hand.
Truly, everyone is worth the world. Truly. However, not everyone will be able to see that. In fact, I think the number of people who will understand this about each person will only be about two to three.
I remind you, dear reader, that when you feel worthless then you must not trust in your own feeling but rather you must believe the words of those friends who try to cheer you up, for without exceptions they are always right.
(That aside I wonder why the young man ran back to the master when he rode to the goldsmith on a horse. Truly, this text is mysterious.)
8 comments:
What a great story--very proverbial and uplifting. Where did you find this story? Is it in a book, or passed down to you orally, or did you receive it some other way? Thanks for sharing it.
I found this story in an Icelandic translation of a book by Jorge Bucay named Déjame que te cuente. The book is a collection of such stories, and was a much appreciated gift a few years ago, though I have heard many of these stories again, and in more laconic/original-seeming versions. Even so, the book is very nice, and very helpful for living, so to speak.
The story itself is said to be an old Sephardi legend, but I don't know anything about that.
Anyway, I'm glad that you approve.
Beautiful story. I remember telling someone something similar, quite recently - the moral, that is, as I'd not heard the story, though the message seems intuitive and thus it rings familiar - and they laughed and started talking about status.
I was not a happy bunny. >_>
Often the greatest problem about understanding something is that other people don't.
I hope that you are at least a happy bunny now, and that this reflects on the company of someones you keep.
(Also, this comment makes me think about the thoughts passing through the head of the bunny that is pulled out of the wizard's hat. Hrm.)
This is indeed a great problem about understanding anything. That, and the fact that the deluded never realise that they are deluded whilst immersed in their delusions.
I cannot honestly say that I am now a happy bunny, having just freed myself from a terrible mess darkly disguised as a meant-for-marriage relationship. But looking back, I was hardly a happy bunny then either, because though he might have appreciated this story and its theory, his actions do not reflect such an understanding, and what good are intentions without actions? In fact, insight into such stories in the absence of follow-up action or even just the intention to act is far worse than lack of insight, as it makes one the vilest of hypocrites.
And though we are all hypocrites, some of us are at least trying to snap out of it.
Therefore, via the exquisitely unhappy bunniness of the entire business, I hope to be a much happier bunny in the future : )
I would imagine bunnies passing through hats of any kind would rather they were very differently engaged. Or perhaps they pause briefly to snort at what may to them appear to be our attempt to trick them into mistake hats as bunny holes.
Silly humans.
!
into mistaking*
My friend once described me as seeing what is good, knowing that it is good, but being unable/unwilling to act according to what is good. Having good intentions without actions is facing the right direction without moving. It is the curse of being born with a good sense accompanied with weak will. We all want to do good, be good, but we do not all have the necessary willpower to make the sacrifices or to progress as we should. Some people even lack the willpower to be happy.
I am sorry to hear about the fate of your previous relationship. Being unhappy is not for anyone, and I share your hopes for a better future for you and all the bunnies of the world. And at least, though you are not a happy bunny, you are a bunny free from the fate of your previous relationship.
May I remind you in your search of a new fate, that there is still reason to believe that you will get everything that you want. Not in the satiating of endless wishes and desires, but rather in understanding what it is that matters in life and attaining it.
To me that curse you describe seems to be the very point of life - what greater challenge is there than building one's willpower? However many foes and trials the world may present one with, the self remains one's greatest enemy. We have been equipped with the capacity to identify goodness, and are blessed with the desire (though of varying strengths in various people) to seek it. The inherent weakness of man thus presents him with a challenge: to actually get over himself and acquire the self control necessary to DO, rather than merely DREAM of doing.
I believe we have the tools necessary to start us off on this course, should we wish to pursue it; after we all, of all the animals we alone have the higher cognition needed to discern between good and bad at all.
If willpower and self-control were so easily acquired, life would simply be too convenient, like an exam that is too easy for its results to be of much use to the examiner.
As such, I have little sympathy for those who hide being their 'weak willpower' and use it to excuse themselves for their flaws; passively acknowledging weakness and doing nothing to improve upon it though they actively engage in the flawed behaviour, and generally behaving as though a weakness is no fault of their own (which may or may not be true) and can never be remedied. We're all weak until we start trying to be otherwise. It's not meant to be easy. And most of us will never acquire full control - I know I never will - but so long as we're really genuinely trying...
... and, given we can't see into the hearts of others, man can't be the judge of that.
It's astonishing that man is ever seeking 'challenges' and novelties and new mountains to climb, when the greatest mountain of all - himself - is right there inside him. Worse - he usually spends life avoiding that particular conquest.
My dear Sophist, there is never a reason to despair of finding one's heart's desire - the heart's desire being often entirely different to the self's desire(s). One must just be prepared to accept that this realisation may take many forms, some unexpected and some even detestable were they to be revealed prematurely or out of context... whatever comes, it comes for a reason, and a good one at that.
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