Once upon a time, there was a wise and experienced teacher. He wants to teach one of his students the secret to a happy and prosperous life. Knowing the difficulties and barriers that many people face on the path to pursuing happiness, he thinks that the first lesson is to explain to everyone how many people live a peaceful life and trivial.
After all, he thought, there were so many people, both men and women, who seemed unable to overcome obstacles that prevented them from succeeding and willingly lived a life of deprivation and misery. The teacher knows that for a young person to receive this very important lesson, one should see with his own eyes what happens if we allow the triviality that governs our lives.
In order to teach these important lessons, he decided to go with his student to a poor village in the area. The scene of suffering and desolation unfolds everywhere, and the inhabitants there seem to have surrendered their lives to fate.
As soon as he arrived, the teacher asked the student to help him find the poorest family in the area.That would be where they stay overnight. Walking for a while, they came out to the edge of the town. And there, in midst of it, they stopped in front of the smallest shabby tent they had ever seen.
This collapsing structure lies at the farthest edge of a small group of several country houses.Obviously this tent belongs to one of the poorest families in the village. The walls just like the miracle, threatening to collapse at any time. Water permeates the temporary roof that does not have the strength to shield anything, and all the garbage collected by relying on the walls of the house as it adds to the mosaic.
The owner was alerted by a little boy about the presence of two strange guests, came out and greeted enthusiastically.
"Hello, my dear friend!"
"Did you know that he would please these two tired men for a night here?"
"It's cramped here, but if you do not mind, we would like to invite you."
When the two teachers came in, they were shocked to see a tiny space, no larger than fifteen square meters, the dwelling place of eight human beings. My father, mother, four children and grandparents try their best to give each of us some space in this cramped situation. Sloppy and painfully thin bodies with ragged clothing are clear evidence of the lack of their daily life. Faces of sadness and unbearable gaze show that poverty is not only overpowering their bodies, but also ingrained in their souls.
The two guests could not resist the look around, wondering whether in this miserable place there is something worthwhile. Nothing!
However, when they step outside, they realize that they are wrong. It is amazing that this family also has an unusual property - quite special in this situation ... a cow.
Cows are not worth talking about, but their daily lives and activities seem to be just around the animal.
"Feed your cow."
"Do not let it get thirsty."
"Forced it back".
"Do not forget to take it to eat."
"Cattle milking!"
So, we can see that cows play an important role in this family, although the little milk provided by it is enough to keep them going through the day. However, the cow seems to serve a larger purpose: It is the only thing keeping them from falling into the same line.
In a place where everything is scarce, owning a property of such value gives them admiration, if not jealousy, from neighbors. And in that place - in that filthy and clumsy place - two teachers laid their backs to rest overnight.
The next morning, before dawn, two teachers quietly walked on the road carefully to not wake up others. The student looked back, as if wanting to re-enact mentally into that shabby atmosphere.From the inside, he completely did not understand why he led me here.
However, before reaching the main road, the old man whispered:
"It's time for you to know what brought us to this shabby place."
During their brief visit, they witnessed a life almost completely abandoned, but the student still does not understand the reason why the family is so miserable. Why are they so angry? What has forced them to stay here?
The teacher walked slowly toward the cow being forced into a fence pillar less than twenty yards from the house. When a cow was about a foot away, the old man pulled out a dagger that he carried with him. The student feels puzzled. When the teacher raised his hand, he felt dead as he realized what he was about to do. He could hardly believe his eyes as the old man brought the sweet knife across a bull's neck. The cut of the head causes the animal to collapse.
"Look what did you do?" He asked painfully in his voice in a whisper for fear of waking people."How can you kill the poor thing? What kind of lesson can this family cause to fall into total depression? This is all they have. What will they be?
Without hesitation, the student's distress and ignorance of his questions, the teacher left, leaving a scene of horror behind, blurred by the tragedy that the family will have to face. face when they have lost the cow. His pupil followed, still many questions in his heart, and they continue on the road.
And that family is forced to face a precarious situation, filled with difficulties and impoverishment.During the following days, the student was obsessed with the terrible thought that the whole family would starve to death if they did not have a cow. Can you draw any other conclusion from the loss of their only source of life? Over the next several months, he was always ravishing with these thoughts and with the sadness of that sad morning.
One year passed and one afternoon, the old teacher suggested they go back to the village and see what happened to the family. Just a small hint of an event that seems to have been forgotten but enough to awaken the student's vivid memory of the lesson that, until now, he still could not understand. .
Again, his mind bogged down in the thoughts of the miserable family and the role he was involved in in their numbers. What happened to them? Have they survived the heavy blow? Do they start a new life? Can I face them after what you did?
Despite the confused mindset, the student unwillingly accepted the invitation and reluctantly attended the trip which could shed light on the affair that had made him miserable all year.
After several days, two people came to the old village. They searched for the hut the previous year in vain. The surroundings were still the same, but they did not see the shabby place where they had spent the night. Instead, it was a beautiful house that had just been built on the ground. They stopped and looked away in reverse look to make sure they were in the right place.
The student worries that the death of a cow is such a blow that a family is bare as they can not survive. Perhaps they were forced to leave and a wealthier family was fortunate to own the land and build this new home. What other possibilities? Shame must have led them to exile.
While those thoughts were lurking in the mind, the student hesitated between knowing what had happened to the family and ignoring them to keep going, avoiding the unpleasant thing. was to verify the bad suspicion in his head, but eventually he decided to explore - he needed to know, so he knocked on the door and waited.
For a moment, a cheerful man from the house came out. At first he did not recognize him. But then he could not hide his faint-heartedness as he realized that it was the man who gave them sleep last year. Obviously the same person, but there is something very different in this person.
He was dressed neatly and groomed. He has a smile on his lips and the flexibility in his eyes.Apparently, something of great significance occurred in his life. The young man almost did not believe his eyes. How can that be? What can happen in just one year? He dives to greet the man and immediately "inquires" about what good fortune has come for him and his family.
"Just last year, when we came here ...", he said, "... you seem to be living in unhappiness and hopelessness. Please tell me what happened that made you so much change. What made you so lucky? "
Regardless of whether the two of them were the culprits to kill the cow, the man invited them into the house and began to tell the story of his family thrilling.
The story will change the lives of our young friends forever.
The host said that it was a strange coincidence, when the day when the two teachers left, do not know the evildoer by jealous of his family's rare wealth, heartlessly cut the neck that poor thing.
"I have to admit that ...", the man said, "... our first reaction was extremely desperate and miserable. For a long time, the cow's milk was our only source of life. Moreover, it is the only property we have; Our lives depend on it. That cow is the centerpiece of our daily existence, to be honest, having that animal gives us a sense of security and gives us admiration from our neighbors ... "
"... Not long after that tragic day, we realized that if we did not do something, we would just be in a worse situation. We have reached the bottom of our lives when we lose the animal. We also need to eat and raise our children. And then we unleashed a piece of land behind the house, sowing some seeds and vegetables. That's how we lived through the first few months. "
"... Some time later, we realized that the garden provided more food than we needed. If we can sell to people around us, we can buy more seeds. So, not long after, we have not enough to eat but also can be sold in the market.
"... And then that happened!", The man asked, "... For the first time in our lives we have money to buy food and clothes. And we see the hope for a new life, a life we have never thought, even in the dream, to be possible. We built this small house last month. It seems that the loss of a cow has opened the eyes for us to see another promising life. "
The young man was surprised to hear the story. Finally, he realized the lesson the respected teacher wanted to teach him. Suddenly everything becomes clear. The death of a bull is not the end for them as he feared, but opened up a new life with better opportunities.
The host invited two teachers to stay overnight and they happily accepted. The next morning, they bid farewell to the boss and family, continuing his journey.
The teacher, who had been silent for so long, asked his student, who was still amazed at what he had heard and witnessed:
"Do you think the family can still achieve what they earned last year if they still have that cow?"
"Maybe not!", The student replied without hesitation.
"So now do you understand? The cows they love as treasures are the chains that tie them up with extreme poverty. They have determined that the cow helps them from collapsing, but must wait until they lose that artificial security they are forced to look at a new breed. "
"In other words ..." he added, "... the ox - the animal their neighbor sees as the blessing - gives them the feeling that they are not living in poverty, but actually Their life is very pathetic. "
"That's right!" Said the old man, "... that's what happens when you believe that the little thing I have is enough. Just one thought was a heavy chain that prevented me from looking for other things better. Satisfaction begins to ruin your life. I accept my circumstances even if I am not satisfied with them. I know that I'm not happy with my position in life, but I do not feel miserable. I'm disappointed with the life I enjoy but the dissatisfaction is not big enough for me to find a way to do something with it. Do you find it so dramatic? "
"When I have a job I do not like, a job that does not even meet the minimum needs and does not bring me any personal satisfaction or the life I want. , the decision to leave and find another job is easy. But when the work that you do not like that helps me pay off debt, survive, and also enjoy some little comfort, then I easily fall into the trap of being contented with the thought that at least I get something. Finally, I justify that the masses want the job. "
"Like bulls, that attitude always holds back you. If you do not get rid of it, you will forever be able to see nothing but the things you have known for so long. You will become a lifelong victim of the limits that you set yourself in your life. It's like you blind yourself at the starting line and pray for your victory. "
The more surprised the student. He was fascinated with his teacher's insights and began to comprehend the problems.
"We all have cows in our lives. We carry on us the burden of false beliefs, exaggerations, fears and prejudices. Alas, all the restrictions imposed on us by ourselves have bound us into a mediocre life. "
"Not only that," said the old teacher, "many stubbornly retain the reason they can not live the life they always dreamed of. They make almost credible pleas to defend themselves and others, and continue to live with inner disturbances when they realize that these arguments may fool others. do not fool yourself ".
"What a great lesson."
The student said thoughtfully, thinking at the same time about his cows. On the way back, he carefully considered all the restrictions that he had committed himself to in life. And he decided to get rid of all the beliefs that bound him into a normal and mediocre life, as well as prevented him from showing his true potential.
No doubt, he told himself, that day marked the beginning of a new life, a life without cattle.
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