The peasant boy was bored with life in the village. Having heard stories about the Big World, he longed to enter it and free himself from the restrictions that surrounded him everywhere. Finally, he made up his mind and walked along the road leading from the village to the Big World. Soon the guy caught up with a man who seemed experienced to him and decided to join him. A little time passed, and his fellow traveler (let's call him the Sage) said:
- Look, what is this thing lying on the side of the road and what can you do with it?
Our hero looked and saw that it was a swarm of bees attached to a rotten stump.
- It's a swarm of bees! It makes sense to take it with you, maybe you can sell it.
With these words, he took off his cloak and, collecting the bees in it, threw it on his back. Some bees managed to crawl out. Buzzing angrily, they pounced on the traveler and bit him. He dropped his cloak and jumped up and down, rubbing his hand. Then he grabbed him and began to beat him on a stone until he knocked out all the bees from there.
The sage said:
- Let's sit down and think about what you're doing.
- It was a normal reaction. After all, the bees stung me.
- Is it normal to punish all the bees for what some have done?
“Anyone in my place would do that!” - said the guy, thinking about how slow-witted philosophers are.
- Do you know what the bees think? “The sage made a magic sign, and they heard the conversation of three bees sitting nearby.
One of the bees addressed the other:
- Oh, wisest Teacher! Maybe you can explain to us what happened?
- Of course. Creatures from the Big World tried to capture us. Some of us bit them, it was a normal reaction. Then one of the creatures threw us against a stone in anger.
The third bee asked:
- Do they always act like this?
- They always behave the same under the same circumstances. But nothing would have happened if some of you had not longed to get into the Big World, not knowing anything about what awaits them there.
- If this is the Big World, then I give up searching for it and leave your School, master...
“You are the same,” the Sage said to the guy. “You want to enter the Big World, but as soon as you step on the road, you do things that you regret.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru