The sad old man

 An old man lived in the village. He was one of the most unfortunate people in the world. The whole village was tired of him; he was always gloomy, he constantly complained and was always in a bad mood.

 The longer he lived, the more bile he was becoming and the more poisonous were his words. People avoided him, because his misfortune became contagious. It was even unnatural and insulting to be happy next to him. The old man e created the feeling of unhappiness in others.

 But one day, when he turned eighty years old, an incredible thing happened. Instantly everyone started hearing the rumour: "An old man is happy today, he doesn’t complain about anything, smiles, and even his face is freshened up."

 The whole village gathered together and one of them asked the old man "What happened to you ?"

 "Nothing special. Eighty years I’ve been chasing happiness, and it was useless. And then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy life. That’s why I’m happy now." The old man replied.

In short, don’t chase happiness and enjoy your life.

The elephant rope story

 One day, a gentleman was walking through an elephant camp, and he spotted that the elephants weren’t being kept in cages or held by the use of chains. All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small piece of rope tied to one of their legs.

 As the man gazed upon the elephants, he was completely confused as to why the elephants didn’t just use their strength to break the rope and escape the camp. They could easily have done so, but instead, they didn’t try to at all.

 Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked a trainer nearby why the elephants were just standing there and never tried to escape.

 The trainer replied "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."

 The only reason that the elephants weren’t breaking free and escaping from the camp was that over time they adopted the belief that it just wasn’t possible.

 This short story give us a very good moral about one of the most important keys to success that anyone must have to achieve his goals, it is a constant belief that we have the ability to do what we dream. So no matter how much the world tries to hold you back, always continue with the belief that what you want to achieve is possible. Believing you can become successful is the most important step in actually achieving it.

The miser and his gold

 This is a story of an old miser who lived in a house with a garden. The miser hid his gold coins in a pit under some stones in the garden. Every day, before going to bed, the miser went to the stones where he hid the gold and counted the coins. He continued this routine every day, but not once did he spend the gold he saved.

 One day, a thief who knew the old miser’s routine, waited for the old man to go back into his house. After it was dark, the thief went to the hiding place and took the gold. The next day, the old miser found that his treasure was missing and started crying loudly.

 His neighbor heard the miser’s cries and inquired about what happened. On learning what happened, the neighbor asked, "Why didn’t you save the money inside the house? It would’ve been easier to access the money when you had to buy something!"

 "Buy ?", said the miser, "I never used the gold to buy anything. I was never going to spend it."

 On hearing this, the neighbor threw a stone into the pit and said, "If that is the case, save the stone. It is as worthless as the gold you have lost."

The moral of this short story is that possession is just as worthy of what it is used for.

King Midas golden touch

 This is the story of King Midas, many centuries ago, there was a beautiful kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and everything he needed. He also had a beautiful daughter. Midas loved his gold very much, but he loved his daughter more than his riches.

 One day, a satyr named Silenus got drunk and passed out in Midas’ rose garden. Believing that Satyrs always bring good luck, Midas lets Silenus rest in his palace until he is sober, against the wishes of his wife and daughter. Silenus is a friend of Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration. Upon learning Midas’ kindness towards his friend, Dionysus decides to reward the keg.

 When asked to wish for something, Midas says "I wish everything I touch turns to gold". Although Dionysus knew it was not a great idea, he granted Midas his wish.

 Happy that his wish was granted, Midas went around touching random things in the garden and his palace and turned them all into gold. He touched an apple, and it turned into a shiny gold apple. His subjects were astonished but happy to see so much gold in the palace.

 In his happiness, Midas went and hugged his daughter, and before he realized, he turned her into a lifeless, golden statue! Aghast, Midas ran back to the garden and called for Dionysus. He begged the god to take away his power and save his daughter. Dionysus gives Midas a solution to change everything back to how it was before the wish. Midas learned his lesson and lived the rest of his life contended with what he had.

So, do not get greedy. Be happy and content with what you have.

The true friend loves you anyway

 It is said that lord Krishna and Sudama were childhood friends. While Krishna thrived and prospered, Sudama didn’t. He lead the life of a poor Brahmin man, living in a small hut with his wife and kids. Most days, the kids wouldn’t even get enough to eat from what Sudama got as alms. One day, his wife suggested that he go and ask his friend Krishna for help.

 Sudama was reluctant to seek favors, but he also didn’t want his kids to suffer. So his wife borrows some rice from the neighbors to make some rice snacks that Krishna liked, and gave it to Sudama to take it to his friend. Sudama took it and set out to Dwaraka. He was amazed at the gold that was used to build the city. He reached the palace gates and was obstructed by the guards, who judged him by his torn dhoti and poor appearance.

 Sudama requested the guards to at least inform Krishna that his friend Sudama has come to meet him. The guard, although reluctant, goes and informs the lord. On hearing that Sudama was here, Krishna stops doing whatever he was doing and runs barefoot to meet his childhood friend.

 Krishna hugs Sudama welcomes him to his abode and treats him with utmost love and respect. Sudama, ashamed of the poor man’s rice snacks he got for Krishna, tries to hide it. But the all-knowing Krishna asks Sudama for his gift and eats his favorite rice snacks that his friend brought for him.

 Krishna and his friend spend time laughing and talking about their childhood but Sudama, overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion showed by his friend, is unable to ask Krishna for help. When he returns home, Sudama finds that his hut has been replaced by a huge mansion and his wife and kids are dressed in fine clothes.

 Sudama realized how lucky he was to have a true friend like Krishna. He didn’t even ask, but Krishna knew what Sudama wanted and gave it to him.

 Based on the events of this short story, we can say that true friends do not distinguish between rich and poor. They are always there for you when you need them.

The prisoners of the King

 A long time ago, one King visited his palace prison. There he meet prisoners and listened to their complaints.

 One of the prisoner who was accused of murder said to him, "I am innocent ... please release me ... I am here just because i wanted to give my wife a fright but accidentally killed her."

 King went further. Here another prisoner said "I was accused of taking bribe but all i did was accepted a gift."

 While walking through prisoners, many declared their innocence to King until he meet a young man.

 Young man pleaded "I am guitly. I wounded my brother in a fight and deserve punishment . This place had made me reflect on pain i had caused him."

 Listening to him King called his guards and said "Remove this criminal from prison immediately ... if he stays here, he will end corrupting all these innocent men here."

 One who realize his mistake feels guilty and try to correct that while those who don't realize find excuses for their innocence. 

Changing our vision is the way to change the world

 There once lived a wealthy man who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians,  but none could treat his ache.  He went through a myriad of treatment procedures but his pain persisted with more vigor. He looked and for every available solution for his pain, and approached a wise monk, renowned for treating various illnesses. The monk carefully observed the man’s eyes and offered a very peculiar solution.

 The monk told the man to concentrate only on green color for a few weeks and avoid any other colors. The man was desperate to get rid of the pain and was determined ready to go to any extent.The wealthy man appointed a group of painters and purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object, his eye was likely to fall to be painted green.

 After a few weeks the monk came to visit the man to follow up on the man’s progress. As the monk walked towards the man’s room, the appointed painter poured a bucket of green paint on the monk.  The monk could see that the whole corridor and the room was painted green. As the monk inquired for the reason for painting everything green, the wealthy man said that he was only following the monk’s advice to look at only green.

 Hearing this, the monk laughed and said "If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few dollars, You could have saved a large share of your fortune. You cannot paint the world green."

 This short story contains a good moral for everyone, it is foolish to shape / Change the world, let's shape ourselves ... Let us change our vision and the world will appear accordingly.

The wise man and the boy with bad habits

 One day a wealthy man requested an old scholar to wean his son away from his bad habits. The scholar took the boy for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there.

 The boy held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The boy pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all. "Now pull out that one." said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out.

 “Now take this one out.” said the old man, indicating a guava tree. The boy grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge. "It’s impossible." said the boy, panting with the effort.

 "So it is with bad habits.", said the sage, "When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted."

The session with the old man changed the boy’s life. He got rid of all his bad habits.

 So, Don’t wait for Bad Habits to grow in you, drop them while you have control over it else they will get control you.

The bridge story

 Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side. They had been sharing machinery, trading a labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference which exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

 One morning there was a knock on elder brother’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. "I am looking for a few days of work", he said, "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you ?"

 "Yes !" said the elder brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor, in fact, it’s my younger brother and we don’t get along. Last week he dug a wider passage for water into his farm. But he ended up creating a very wide creek in between our farms and I am sure he did it just to annoy me. I want you to build me something so that we don’t have to stand and see each other’s face from across."

 The carpenter said "I think I understand the situation. I will be able to do a job that will please you." The elder brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.

 At sunset when the elder brother returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The elder brother’s eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped. It was not what he had even thought of or imagined. It was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, beautiful handrails. And to his surprise, his younger brother across the creek was coming to meet him with a big smile and arms wide open to hug him.

 "You are really kind and humble my brother ! After all I had done and said to you, you still shown that blood relations can never be broken ! I am truly sorry for my behaviour", the younger brother said as he hugged his elder brother. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. "No, wait ! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other projects for you." said the older brother.

"I’d love to stay on", the carpenter said, "but, I have many more bridges to build !"

 This short story is for us, there is no shame in accepting your mistake or forgiving each other. We should be kind and humble. We should try to stay together as a family and not break away from it over the petty arguments.

The wise man and the secret of happiness

 Once an old man wanted his son to learn about secret of happiness so he sent his son far away to meet a man who was known for being wisest man. Son obeyed his father. it took him weeks to reach that place. There young man saw a very big and beautiful castle on mountain top. 

 After entering castle, while moving toward the main hall of castle he saw lots of people. some were tradesmen, some playing soft music, some were conversing in the corner, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world.

 The wise man conversed with everyone who came to meet him, and the boy had to wait for 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 time just then to explain the secret of happiness. The wise man listened to him and said : "I will answer you later ... Meanwhile you look around castle and return after 3 hours."

 At the same time, the Wise man handed the boy a teaspoon with some of drops of oil in it and said : "As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without dropping or spillinig any oil from spoon."

 The boy agreed and 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.

 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 tasted 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.

 The wisest of wise said to the boy : "Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you. The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."

 In a clearer way, the lesson that we can deduce from this short story is that the secret of happiness is to enjoy life but never to forget our responsibility.

The boy and the apple tree

 A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples and took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by. The little boy had grown up and he now longer played around the tree every day. 

 One day the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. "Come and play with me", the tree asked the boy. "I am no longer a kid. I do not play around trees any more" the boy replied.

 "I want toys. I need money to buy them." "Sorry….but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money." The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad. 

 One day the boy who now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited. "Come and play with me" the tree said. "I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me ?" "Sorry…. but I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house." So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad. 

 One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me !" the tree said. "I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself, can you give me a boat ?" said the man. "Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy." So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. 

 Finally, the man returned after many years. "Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you." the tree said. "No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite" the man replied. "No more trunk for you to climb on." "I am too old for that now." The man said. "I really cannot give yon anything, the only thing left is my dying roots." the tree said with tears. "I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years." the man replied. "Good ! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest come sit down with me and rest." The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears. 

 This is a story of everyone, the tree is like our parents, when we were young, we loved to play with our Mum and Dad. When we grow up, we leave them… only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could just to make you happy. On the other hand, you may think the boy is cruel to the tree, but that is how all of us treat our parents. We take them for granted. We don't appreciate all they do for us, until it's too late.