A TALE NEVER TOLD

IS THERE A COW IN YOUR LIFE THAT IS KEEPING YOU MISERABLE?

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a Brazilian wise man and his follower.

One day during their travels, they saw a hut from a distance.

As they approached it, they realized that it was occupied, in spite of its extremely poor appearance.In that desolate place where there were no crops and no trees, a man lived with his wife, three young children and a thin, frail/fatigued cow.

Since they were hungry and thirsty, the wise man and his disciple stopped for a few hours and were well received.

At one point, the wise man asked:“This is a very deprived place, far away from anything.

How do you survive?

”“You see that cow?

That’s what keeps us going,” said the head of the family.

“She gives us milk, some of it we drink and some we turn into cheese.

When there is surplus, we go into the city and exchange the milk and cheese for other types of food.

That’s how we survive.”The wise man thanked them for their hospitality and left.

When he reached the first flex in the road, he said to his follower,“Go back, get the cow, take her to the cliff in front of us, and push her off.”The follower could not believe what he was hearing.“I cannot do that, master! How can you be so ungrateful?

The cow is all they have.

If I throw it off the cliff, they will have no way of surviving.

Without the cow, they will all die!”The wise man, an elderly Brazilian man, took a deep breath and repeated the order:“Go ahead.

Push the cow off the cliff.”Though outraged at what he was being asked to do, the disciple had to obey his master.

He returned to the hut and quietly led the animal to the edge of the cliff and pushed.

The cow fell down the cliff and died.As the years passed by, remorse for what he had done never left the disciple.

One spring day, the guilt became too much to bear and he left the wise man and returned to that little shack.

He wanted to find out what had happened to that family, to help them out, apologize, or somehow make amends.

Upon rounding a turn on the road, he couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him.

In place of the poor shack, there was a beautiful house with trees all round, a swimming pool, several cars in the garage,a setlite dish and more.

Three good looking teenagers and their parents were celebrating their fast million dollars.

The heart of the disciple froze.

What could have happened to the family!?

Without a doubt,they must have been starving to death and forced to sale theirpossessions to survive.

Maybe they had to leave the area in search of work.

Or perhaps the worst had happened, and they had perished without the cow to sustain them.



With a heavy heart and a deep sense of responsibility, the disciple knocked on the door.

A well-dressed man answered and, to the disciple's surprise, it was the same man who had once lived in the poor shack.The disciple, struggling to find the words, asked, "What happened here?

A few years ago, I was here, and you were living in a small, run-down hut.

I see now that you have prospered greatly.

How did this come about?

"The man, recognizing the disciple, smiled and invited him in.

"You see," he said, "after you and your master left, something terrible happened.

Our cow, which was our only source of sustenance, fell off the cliff and died.

At first, we were devastated, as we thought we had lost everything.

But with no other option, we began to look for other ways to make a living.

We learned to cultivate the land, we found better ways to sell our produce, and eventually, we discovered talents and resources we never knew we had.

The loss of the cow forced us to explore new opportunities and work harder.

Now, we have everything we could ever need, and more."The follower realized the wisdom of his master's actions.

The cow, which had once seemed essential to the family's survival, was actually holding them back from discovering their true potential.

Sometimes, it is necessary to let go of what we think is keeping us secure, even if it seems like an essential part of our lives, in order to grow and achieve greater things.The question then arises: **Is there a "cow" in your life that is keeping you miserable?

** Something you cling to because you believe it is essential, but which may actually be holding you back from reaching your full potential?

Sometimes, it is necessary to take a leap of faith and push that cow off the cliff, so to speak, in order to discover the better life that awaits you.