Weekend Story- The Unhappy Man

Once there was a person who was very unhappy in life. He was dissatisfied with the way his life was going. Life felt like a drag to him – wrong job, unhappy family, etc.

One day, a friend of his suggested he meet a wise master who was in town.

“It seems like he can solve any problem. Who knows- he may be able to help you deal with your unhappiness as well.”

The unhappy man thought, “What do I have to lose? I’ll go and meet this Master.” The following evening, he met the wise Master and shared his dilemma with him.

“Oh Wise Master, I am so unhappy. Nothing in my life is going the way I want. So much pain surrounds me, and I need help dealing with this.”

The wise Master placed a bag of salt on the table and asked the unhappy man to pick up a fistful of salt, drop it into a glass of water, and drink it. Wondering what the Master was doing, the unhappy man obeyed the instruction.

“How does it taste?” the Master asked.

“Very salty and undrinkable,” responded the unhappy man grimacing.

Again, the Master asked the man to pick up another fistful of salt from the bag.

“Now, follow me to the lake,” he said.

They walked silently to a freshwater lake nearby, with the wise Master leading the way.

“Now drop the salt into the lake and drink the water.”

Again the unhappy man did as he was instructed.

“How does the water taste?” the Master asked the man.

“The water tastes normal only, Master. It is not salty at all.”

The Master looked at the unhappy man and said, “The salt you picked up in your fist is like the unhappiness and pain everyone experiences in life- No more, no less. It is the same for everyone. But the amount of “unhappiness and pain” you taste depends upon the size of life you lead. If you lead a small life, you will experience pain like salty water in a glass. However, if you lead an enlarged life, like a lake, the salty pain will not bother you so much because you will be able to experience the positive aspects of the rest of your life. So expand your life to operate like a lake instead of a glass.