Once, there lived a stone-cutter who was discontented with his life and the modest position he held in society. One day, while passing by the residence of a wealthy merchant, he noticed through the open gates the luxurious possessions and the arrival of distinguished guests. The stone-cutter thought to himself, “How powerful that merchant must be!” Consumed with envy, he wished to become like the merchant. To his astonishment, his wish was granted. He found himself transformed into a wealthy merchant, enjoying luxuries and authority beyond his imagination. Yet, he was envied and despised by those with lesser means.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Soon after, a high-ranking official passed by, carried in a grand sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and soldiers beating ceremonial gongs. All, regardless of status, bowed low in reverence. The stone-cutter, now a merchant, thought, “How powerful that official is! I wish I could be like him.” Instantly, he became the high official, feared and respected, carried in splendor and treated with great deference. However, on that sweltering summer day, he became uncomfortable in the stuffy sedan chair and looked up to the sky.
There, the sun blazed brightly, indifferent to all below. He thought, “The sun is more powerful than any official. I wish I could be the sun!” He then became the sun, radiating intense heat, scorching the earth, and drawing curses from farmers and laborers alike. But soon, a vast dark cloud obscured his rays, blocking his light. “That storm cloud is mightier than I,” he thought. “I wish I could be the cloud.”
He became the storm cloud, pouring rain across the land, inundating villages and fields, and drawing the anger of all. But before long, he was driven away by an invisible force— the wind. “How powerful the wind is,” he mused. “I wish I could be the wind!”
Now the wind, he swept through the land, toppling trees and tearing roofs apart. Yet, he eventually collided with an immovable object—a massive, towering rock. No matter how hard he blew, it would not yield. “That rock is the most powerful of all,” he thought. “I wish I could be the rock.”
And so, he became the rock—solid, strong, and impervious to all forces. But as he stood in silent triumph, he suddenly felt a chisel striking his surface, breaking away pieces of him. “What could be more powerful than I, the rock?” he wondered.
Looking down, he saw at his base the figure of a stone-cutter.
Learnings:
The story teaches us that true contentment lies in accepting and valuing one's own identity and role. The constant desire to become someone or something else, believing it to be more powerful or satisfying, often leads to a cycle of dissatisfaction. Ultimately, the stone-cutter realizes that the very person he began as—whom he considered insignificant—holds immense power in his own right.
In essence:
The pursuit of power and status is endless, but real strength comes from self-awareness and appreciation of one’s own place in the world.
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