Once a sage was walking along the road, admiring the beauty of the world and enjoying life. Suddenly he noticed a man hunched over under an unbearable burden.
- Why do you condemn yourself to such suffering? - asked the sage.
“I suffer for the happiness of my children and grandchildren,” the man answered. “My great-grandfather suffered all his life for the happiness of my grandfather, my grandfather suffered for the happiness of my father, my father suffered for my happiness, and I will suffer all my life, only so that my children and grandchildren become happy.
—Was anyone happy in your family? - asked the sage.
- No, but my children and grandchildren will definitely be happy! - answered the unhappy man.
“An illiterate person cannot teach you to read, and a mole cannot raise an eagle!” – said the sage. “First learn to be happy yourself, then you will understand how to make your children and grandchildren happy!”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru