Once upon a time, there was a poor person.
A rich man came by one day and saw him sitting on the ground, begging for money.
The rich man wanted to help this poor person. He wanted this person to get rich and enjoy life.
So the rich man gave the poor man a cow so that he can farm on the land that was wasted before.
“In spring next year, I will bring you some seeds, by autumn you can harvest and enjoy the fruits of your labour. This farm land that you spent a year developing can serve you for years to come.” The rich man said.
The poor man was grateful for the gift, he thanked the rich man dearly and promised to work hard and develop the land to its rich and furtive state, ready for the seeds. He was so excited because he could finally stop being poor and had a path to riches.
The rich man nodded and left.
The poor man woke up early next morning and starting working on the land. His excitement turned into motivation and he could see his bright future coming.
Despite the excitement, life became harder because he had to find grass and take care of his cow in addition to feeding himself. So the poor man was having an even harder times than when he was begging. And developing a raw land from scratch is no easy task — it really takes sweat and consistent efforts.
Three months passed by, the excitement soon faded.
And with hungry stomach and a cow waiting to be fed, the poor man thought “why don’t I sell the cow for several goats? I can kill one goat for its meat and the others will give birth to lambs which I can sell to earn more money.” The more he thought about this, the more he thinks this is a good idea.
A week later, he went to the local market and exchanged his cow for 3 goats and a few silver to feed and maintain the goats. He killed one immediately to feed himself. And then spent his days sitting around waiting for his 2 goats to give birth to little lambs.
Three months passed by, and the little lambs were nowhere to be seen. The poor man got frustrated with the goats.
So he thought to himself “why don’t I sell the goats for several chickens? Chickens lay eggs faster and I can very soon sell the eggs for money. And they will continue to lay eggs so I can continue to earn money for the rest of my life.” The more he thought about this, the more he thinks this is a good idea.
A week later, he went to the local market and exchanged his 2 goats for 3 chickens and a few silver to feed and maintain the chickens. He killed one immediately to feed himself. And then spent his days sitting around waiting for his chicken to lay eggs.
The eggs came three days later and the poor man was so excited! His plan worked!
He went to the local market and sold the eggs. “Even though eggs are not as valuable as a little lamb, small money counts.” He thought while holding a few silver he just earned in his hands.
Three months passed by, even though the poor man is still selling eggs every other day, he found it hard to really get rich this way. He got tired looking after the chickens and going back and forth to the local market to sell eggs. And he has not eaten a full meal for a while now.
He killed one more chicken and enjoyed a full meal.
Now there is only one chicken left. The poor man realised that his plan to get rich has gone astray and there was no chance he could change his life for the better.
He sold the last chicken at the local market the next day and bought himself some wine. He got drunk that night, feeling heartbroken, disappointed, and angry that all hope is gone.
Finally, spring arrived and the rich man came with his seeds. He was elevated and thrilled thinking that the poor man had everything ready for planting and that one more man on earth can live a better life.
When the rich man arrived, he saw no developed land, no cow, and the poor man was sitting on the ground begging for money — everything was the same as when he first saw the poor man.
The rich man did not say anything. He turned away and left.
And the poor man remained poor for the rest of his life.
