One evening a beggar was returning to his home. Cursing his fate, he complained bitterly:
- Happiness... Where is it, Happiness? Damn this Happiness!
Fate wanted Happiness to respond and come to listen to his complaints and lamentations. And so, as soon as the beggar uttered these words, Happiness grabbed his hand and said:
- Come to me. Don't be afraid. I am your Happiness.
Happiness lifted him into the air and carried him far, far away; then it lowered him at the entrance to the cave and said:
“There, inside the cave, all the treasures of the world are hidden. Come down and take what you want. But don't take too much. Let your burden be light so that you can carry it home. The road ahead is long and difficult, and you will go alone, without a companion. If you drop a burden on the ground, you will lose it forever. Be prudent and don't be greedy.
So said Happiness and disappeared. The beggar went down into the cave, and his eyes ran wide from the many treasures and precious stones. He began to grab the most beautiful ones and fill his bag with them. An hour later he left the cave, carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders.
After taking a few steps with his bag, the beggar suffocated from fatigue; profuse sweat appeared on his face and covered his entire body. He felt that his strength had run out and he could no longer carry his load.
“What if I put the bag on the ground and swing it? - he thought. “It’s impossible that I won’t get him home in one piece.”
So he did. Triumphant and anticipating the joy of possessing wealth, the beggar rolled a stuffed bag. But almost at the house he straightened his back - and the bag suddenly disappeared. The poor man's hands squeezed the air. He looked around, began to scream and cry, cursing his unfortunate fate.
And at that very moment Happiness appeared again. It looked at him angrily and said:
- You are a criminal before your happiness and yourself. Nothing satisfies you, you lack any wealth. You were given much, and you had to take as much as you could carry. But you became greedy and took on an unbearable burden. Now you've lost everything. Let this serve as a lesson to you, teach you to be content with little.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru