FOUR WIVESThere was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th
wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to
delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the
best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very
proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However,
the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some
other men. He loved his 2nd wife too. She is a very
considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's
confidante. Whenever the merchant faced problems, he would turn to her
and she would help him through the difficult times. Now, the
merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made
great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as
taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the
first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of
her. One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was
going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself
"Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How
lonely I'll be!" Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I
loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great
care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me
company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and
she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife
right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd
wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm
dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!"
replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm
going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and
turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always
turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your
help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?"
"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd
wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."
The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated. Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!" Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives .......
Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament. - Adapted - Author Unknown |