Stories of the Enlightenment


Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

A parrot met a crow; the parrot lived in a cage at ease, but the crow was in the wild and free. The parrot envied the crow’s freedom, and the crow envied the parrot’s ease.
The two birds negotiated and decided to change places.
The crow was at ease, but his master never liked him, so he died of loneliness. The parrot was free, but because he used to live comfortably, he could not live on his own and die of hunger.

Enlightenment:
Don’t blindly envy other people’s happiness. Maybe there is a reason you don’t have what they have. Don’t compare yourself to others, live your own life and enjoy your own life.

Don’t Overthink It

Someone asked a farmer, “Have you planted wheat?”
The farmer said: “No, I’m afraid it won’t rain enough.”
“Did you grow cotton?” the man asked.
The farmer said: “No, I’m afraid worms will eat the cotton.”
The man asked, “So what did you plant?”
The farmer said: “Nothing. I want to make sure it’s safe first.”

Enlightenment:
Overthinking or over-worrying will lead to tied hands and nothing accomplished.

Give What the Others Want

On the first day, the little white rabbit went fishing and caught nothing. The next day, he went fishing again, and the same thing happened.
On the third day, a big fish jumped out of the river, shouting: “If you dare to use carrots as bait again, I will beat you to death!”

Enlightenment:
If what you give is not what the other person wants, but what you want to give, then it becomes worthless.

Chinese Version:

不要盲目羨慕他人
鸚鵡遇到烏鴉,籠中的鸚鵡安逸;野外的烏鴉自由。鸚鵡羨慕烏鴉自由,烏鴉羨慕鸚鵡安逸,二鳥便商議互換。

烏鴉得到安逸,但難得主人歡喜,最後抑鬱而死;鸚鵡得到自由,但長期安逸,不能獨立生存,最終飢餓而死。

感悟:
不要盲目羨慕他人的幸福,也許那並不適合你。老了,不要去攀比,過好自己的日子,享受自己的生活才是王道!

思慮太多,一事無成

有人問農夫:“種了麥子了嗎?”
農夫:“沒,我擔心天不下雨。”
那人又問:“那你種棉花沒?”
農夫:“沒,我擔心蟲子吃了棉花。”
那人再問:“那你種了什麼?”
農夫:“什麼也沒種,我要確保安全。”

感悟:
顧慮太多,思慮太多,就會導致束手束腳,一事無成。老了,不如放開自己,大膽去嘗試。

給對方想要的

第一天,小白兔去釣魚,一無所獲。第二天,它又去釣魚,還是如此。

第三天它剛到,一條大魚從河裡跳出來,大叫:你要是再敢用胡蘿蔔當魚餌,我就扁死你。

感悟:
你給的都是你自己“想”給的,而不是對方想要的,活在自己世界裡的付出,不值錢。老了,和兒女相處時更要明白這一點。

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