Theme: Goodwill

The stone in the path

Once upon a time there was a very wise king. From time to time he had attitudes that seemed strange. It is because the king spared no effort to teach good habits to his people.

- Nothing good can come from a nation - he said - whose people complain and expect others to solve their problems. God helps those who help themselves.

One day, before dawn, while everyone was still sleeping, the king placed a huge stone in the road that passed through the palace. Then he hid to watch people's reactions.

In the early hours of the day, a farmer appeared on the way with a cart loaded with grain that he was taking to the mill.

– Who ever saw such carelessness? – he said annoyed, as he walked around the stone. – Why don't these lazy people have this stone removed from the road?

As he dodged, he just complained, with no intention of touching the stone himself.

Before long, a soldier came walking down the road. His body was young and strong. He walked with his head held high and his posture erect, as his courageous and confident temperament.

However, the soldier, not seeing the stone, stumbled and fell. He rose up, brushing the dust off his clothes, and was enraged at the careless people who had left that stone in the road, causing such danger. But he also walked away, not thinking that he could remove the stone himself.

And so the day passed. Everyone who passed by, swerved, complained and grumbled about the stone placed in the road, but no one solved the problem.

Finally, at dusk, a farmer's daughter passed by. She was tired. From an early age she had dedicated herself to many tasks. The stone was heavy and would take effort to remove, but the young woman, used to the work and the benefits it provides, told herself: “It is almost dark, someone could trip over this stone and seriously get injured. I'll get it out of the way.”

The girl then pushed, pulled, struggled until she was able to move the stone and drag it off the road.

What happened next she didn't expect. In fact, no one who had passed through it all day could have imagined it.

When removing the stone, the girl found a box that had been under it all the time, in which it was written: “This box belongs to whoever removes the stone”.

When picking up the box, the farmer's daughter realized that it was heavy and, when she opened it, found that it was full of gold. The girl could hardly believe it. She closed the box again and went home happy.

The next day everyone found out what had happened. The farmer, the soldier, and everyone who had passed along the road lamented that they didn´t have removed the stone and found the treasure.

The wise king, with the desire to teach, spoke to his people about the event and explained:

– Often we find obstacles in our paths. We can complain, rebel, stand before them, or go astray. Or, we can strive to solve the problem and get our way clear. The choice is ours! One who has positive attitudes is always rewarded in some way, even if it is not with gold or material goods.

Saying this, the king mounted his horse and returned to the palace satisfied. His people had received an important lesson.

(Adaptation of text by unknown author.)

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