The Doctor and the Stomach Ache
One day, a man rushed to the clinic of a well-known doctor, complaining of severe stomach pain. He sat down in the chair, wincing, and the doctor asked him with a calm smile, "What did you eat today?" The man replied hesitantly, "I ate spoiled food, and I couldn't tolerate it." Then the doctor called for kohl to apply to the patient's eyes, which greatly surprised the man, who said, "I have a stomach ache, so why are you focusing on my eyes?" The doctor smiled and said, "I know that, but I'm applying kohl so you can clearly see the spoiled food and avoid it in the future. Learning before a mistake is better than treating it after the damage has been done." From that moment, the man learned an important lesson: prevention and thinking before acting are better than facing painful consequences later.
The Two Doves and the Turtle
In a faraway forest, two beautiful doves lived on the banks of a small pond, but a shortage of water forced them to leave and search for a better place. Their friend, the turtle, was sad because she couldn't fly and begged them to take her with them. The two doves thought for a long time, then a clever idea struck them: they brought a sturdy stick, each holding one end, and told the tortoise to bite down on it tightly, warning her not to open her mouth no matter what. The two doves began to fly, and the tortoise obeyed, but her curiosity and her talking in front of the people led to her falling and breaking her ribs. From this incident, everyone learned a lesson about keeping promises and the importance of following instructions in times of danger.
Gandhi and the Single Shoe
Mahatma Gandhi was hurrying to catch a train that was about to leave when one of his shoes fell off. He took off the other shoe and threw it next to the first one. His friends were surprised and asked him, "Why did you do that?" Gandhi replied, "I wanted the poor person to find the complete shoe so that both would be useful. One shoe is useless, and I wouldn't benefit from just one shoe either." Thus, everyone learned a great lesson about thinking of others and considering their needs, even at the expense of one's own comfort. The Envious and the Miserly
One day, an envious man and a miserly man stood before a generous king. The king told them he would give the miser double what the envious man asked for. Each tried to outsmart the other, but envy prevented them from choosing a reasonable option. They argued for a long time about who would ask first. In the end, the envious man chose to cut out one of his eyes so the other wouldn't receive double what he asked for. Thus, he lost everything because of his malice and envy. The story teaches us that envy and greed squander opportunities and lead to loss.
The King's Sandals
A king ruled a very vast kingdom and wanted to embark on a long journey. However, he felt severe pain in his feet after walking on rough roads. He considered covering all the roads with leather to alleviate the pain, but his wise advisor advised him to simply place a small piece of leather under his feet. This simple idea was the beginning of the invention of shoes, and proof that clever solutions don't require complicating the world; they begin with a simple change where the need arises.
The Fool and the Boy
In a small town, a careless man went out carrying a boy wearing a red shirt over his shoulders and began asking passersby, "Have you seen this boy?" When someone pointed out the boy, the man glared at him and said angrily, "Didn't I tell you not to leave me alone?" This illustrates how carelessness and a lack of awareness of reality can lead to constant confusion, and that paying attention to our surroundings is essential to avoiding mistakes.
A Dirham in the Desert
A man came across a hole in the desert and saw someone digging diligently. He asked him, "What are you doing?" The man replied, "I buried some money here, but I can't find it anymore." The other man suggested, "You should have marked it." The first man responded, "I did, but it was a cloud in the sky, and now it's gone." The lesson from this story is that signs and methods must be practical and realistic, not illusory or temporary, in order to be effective.
The Advertisement and the Blind Man
A blind man sat on the sidewalk begging for alms. He had written on a sign in front of him, "I am a blind man. Please help me." An advertising man passed by and rewrote the sign in a more impactful way, then put some money in his hat. The blind man noticed his hat was full and asked about the new sign. It read: "It's springtime, but I can't see its beauty." The story teaches us the power of words and their great impact on motivating others to do good and help others.
The Eagle's Tale
A female eagle lived high on a mountain peak. She laid four eggs, but an earthquake dropped one of them into a chicken coop. A hen incubated it. The eagle grew up among the chickens and thought he was one of them. When he saw eagles soaring, he tried to fly but failed, and the chickens mocked him. So the eagle lived his life like a chicken, even though he was created to fly high. The story teaches us that the environment influences an individual's behavior, and that it's important to discover our true identity and not just conform to what's around us.
Contentment is an Inexhaustible Treasure
A king wanted to reward one of his subjects, so he told him: "Own all the land you can walk across." The man walked quickly, traversing the land without stopping, but he didn't know when to stop. He lost his way and became lost in his own life, dying without ever feeling content. The story teaches us that contentment and satisfaction with what we have are more important than constant greed, and that greed can cause a person to lose everything.
The Trap of Ambition
Two fishermen went fishing. One of them caught a large fish and decided to return home. But the other said to him, "Why don't you catch more and sell them?" The fisherman began to think about money and wealth, until he concluded that he should always work for the future and postpone his happiness. But the wise friend said, "I am living my happiness now, so I shouldn't postpone it." The story teaches us that ambition should not prevent us from enjoying the present life.
The Fruits of Honesty
A prince wanted to marry a girl of high morals, so he issued a decree that all girls should come to the palace with a seed in a pot. Each girl was to care for her seed for a month. Maria's seed did not germinate, but she remained honest and did not cheat or replace it. When the prince learned that all the seeds were rotten, Maria won the competition and he proposed marriage, because she was the only one who proved her honesty. The story teaches us that honesty and integrity are more important than deceit or outward appearances, and that they are the true path to success.