A Monarch had twin sons. As they grew to young manhood, the king sought a fair way to designate one of them as the crown prince. All who knew the young men thought them equal in intelligence, wit, personal charm, health, and physical strength. Being a keenly observant king, he thought he detected a trait in one which was not shared by the other.
Calling them to his council chamber one day, he said, "My sons, the day will come when one of you must succeed me as king. The weight of sovereignty is very heavy. To find out which of you is better able to bear them cheerfully, I am sending you together to a far corner of the kingdom. One of my advisors there will place equal burdens on your shoulders. My crown will one day go to the one who first returns bearing his yoke like a king should."
In a spirit of friendly competition, the brothers set out together. Soon they overtook an aged woman struggling under a burden that seemed far too heavy for her frail body. One of the boys suggested that they stop to help her. The other protested: "We have a saddle of our own to worry about. Let us be on our way."
The objector hurried on while the other stayed behind to give aid to the aged woman. Along the road, each day, he found others who also needed help. A blind man took him miles out of his way, and a lame man slowed him to a cripple's walk.
Eventually he did reach his father's advisor, where he secured his own yoke and started home with it safely on his shoulders. When he arrived at the palace, his brother met him at the gate, and greeted him with dismay. He said, "I don't understand. I told our father the weight was too heavy to carry. However did you do it?"
The future king replied thoughtfully, "I suppose when I helped others carry their yoke, I found the strength to carry my own."
Khalil Gibran prophesied, "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome. And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty. It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding. You often say, 'I would give, but only to the deserving'.
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. Surely, he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else from you. And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream."
You will get everything you want from life, if you can help enough other people
get what they want from life.
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