"A certain shopkeeper sent his son to
learn about the secret of happiness
from the wisest man in the world. The
lad wandered through the desert for
forty days, and finally came upon a
beautiful castle, high atop a mountain.
It was there that the wise man lived.
"Rather than finding a saintly man,
though, our hero, on entering the main
room of the castle, saw a hive of
activity: tradesmen came and went,
people were conversing in the corners,
a small orchestra was playing soft
music, and there was a table covered
with platters of the most delicious food
in that part of the world. The wise man
conversed with everyone, and the boy
had to wait for two hours before it was
his turn to be given the man's attention.
"The wise man listened attentively to
the boy's explanation of why he had
come, but told him that he didn't have
time just then to explain the secret of
happiness. He suggested that the boy
look around the palace and return in
two hours.
" 'Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do
something,' said the wise man, handing
the boy a teaspoon that held two drops
of oil. 'As you wander around, carry
this spoon with you without allowing
the oill to spill.'
"The boy began climbing and
descending the many stairways of the
palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the
spoon. After two hours, he returned to
the room where the wise man was.
" 'Well,' asked the wise man, 'did you
see the Persian tapestries that are
hanging in my dining hall? Did you see
the garden that it took the master
gardener ten years to create?
Did you notice the beautiful
parchments in my library?'
"The boy was embarrassed, and
confessed that he had observed
nothing. His only concern had been not
to spill the oill that the wise man had
entrusted to him.
" 'Then go back and observe the
marvels of my world,' said the wise
man. 'You cannot trust a man if you
don't know his house.'
"Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon
and returned to his exploration of the
palace, this time observing all of the
works of art on the ceilings and the
walls. He saw the gardens, the
mountains all around him, the beauty
of the flowers, and the taste with which
everything had been selected. Upon
returning to the wise man, he related in
detail everything he had seen.
" 'But where are the drops of oill I
entrusted to you?' asked the wise man.
"Looking down at the spoon he held,
the boy saw that the oill was gone.
" 'Well, there is only one piece of
advice I can give you,' said the wisest
of wise men.
'The secret of happiness is to see all the
marvels of the world, and never to
forget the drops of oill on the spoon.'
Good afternoon🤗👍
Great