Monday, February 22, 2016

The Stone Cutter


This story will really make you think about
where you are in life and where you wish you
were. Maybe where you are right now is
exactly where you're meant to be.
There was once a stone cutter who was
dissatisfied with himself and with his position
in life.
One day he passed a wealthy merchant's
house. Through the open gateway, he saw
many fine possessions and important visitors.
"How powerful that merchant must be!"
thought the stone cutter. He became very
envious and wished that he could be like the
merchant.
To his great surprise, he suddenly became the
merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power
than he had ever imagined, but envied and
detested by those less wealthy than himself.
Soon a high official passed by, carried in a
sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and
escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone,
no matter how wealthy, had to bow low
before the procession. "How powerful that
official is!" he thought. " I wish that I could be
a high official!"
Then he became the high official, carried
everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair,
feared and hated by the people all around. It
was a hot summer day, so the official felt very
uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He
looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the
sky, unaffected by his presence. "How
powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that
I could be the sun!"
Then he became the sun, shining fiercely
down on everyone, scorching the fields,
cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a
huge black cloud moved between him and
the earth, so that his light could no longer
shine on everything below. "How powerful
that storm cloud is!" he thought. " I wish that I
could be a cloud!"
Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields
and villages, shouted at by everyone. But
soon he found that he was being pushed
away by some great force, and realized that it
was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he
thought. " I wish that I could be the wind!"
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off
the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared
and hated by all below him. But after a while,
he ran up against something that would not
move, no matter how forcefully he blew
against it - a huge, towering rock. "How
powerful that rock is!" he thought. "I wish
that I could be a rock!"
Then he became the rock, more powerful
than anything else on earth. But as he stood
there, he heard the sound of a hammer
pounding a chisel into the hard surface, and
felt himself being changed. "What could be
more powerful than I, the rock?" he thought.
He looked down and saw far below him the
figure of a stone cutter.