The devil was on a mission to convince the wise man to obey him, trust him, and be his partner to improve life for the people around them in this village.
They met often. Chatting and arguing with each other. Finally, the devil made it clear, “You are trying to improve these poor peasant’s lives. I can do it quickly.”
The wise man told the devil, “That way doing things does not sit well with me.”
The devil replied, “Just give me a chance. If you genuinely want to help these people, you will be happy with what I can do for them. You have nothing to lose. “If you obey me,” he went on, “and become my partner, we will achieve success. It is a win-win situation.”
The wise man had his doubts about the offer and the intentions of the devil. The wise man had the people of the village in mind and worried about what could happen to them. His perception of happiness is much different than how the devil looks at the whole situation.
The village was destitute. The land was unfertile, the animals were hungry and weak, and small huts were strewn across the land. The villagers meagerly sustained their lives upon what modest goods their farms produced. The villagers worked hard for very little in return.
Finally, the wise man gave in. Seeing how difficult the lives of the people were, working hard for next to nothing. The wise told the devil, “If you bring about real change in the lives of these people, I will obey you and work with you.” The devil was very excited and told the wise man that he would not be sorry.
The following day the wise man was looking through his window to the peasant’s hut who lived nearest to him, and he could not believe his eyes…
The wise man rubbed his eyes, astounded by what he was seeing…
…The hut became a beautiful mansion! The farm is now so beautiful, with fruitful trees all over. The animals have become fat, full of meat and milk
Chickens wandering around happily, and birds flying and singing.
The couple was dressed in nice clothes, walking around happy and healthy.
The poor peasant family now lived in a mansion! Their farm was beautifully organized, with animals filling the fields. But, as he looked further, he noticed the same fortune had come across the entire village as it now looked like something taken out of a fairy tale.
He thought the devil delivered what he promised.
Amid his excitement and confusion, He thought, what am I going to tell the devil? So he held up his end of the agreement, and I have no contention to make. I shall indeed obey him.
However, the devil was nowhere to be found. Confused, the wise man decided to talk to his neighbors instead, figuring he could at least share the happiness with them.
As he approached the mansion, the couple welcomed him and invited him to their house, offering him food and tea. They were clearly the same people he used to know, but everything around them had changed.
Indeed they were the same people, as they seemed to be unable to bear the new responsibility their wealth had brought them. They had a fabulous mansion, but their goats and sheep were lying around and wandering about just like they used to do in the hut.
They had everything, but their thinking was still the same as before. The wise man noticed that their wealth had become a curse for them. Even though they were happy with everything they had, they were unable to enjoy it.
Suddenly, the devil returned and asked the wise man with a smile, “So, what do you think? Look how they live now, are you not happy for them? Answer me, or perhaps you do not have anything to say.”
The wise replied, “I have a lot to say. I visited my neighbors, They have almost everything, yet they are still living in their past. You could not have prepared them mentally for this. You are a cheat, and the change you brought to their life is not real. You overwhelmed them, and they could not cope with what you brought upon them.”
The devil retorted, “You are selfish, and you were surprised by what I was able to do.”
The wise man replied, “You failed. Life can not happen overnight.”
“I agree,” the devil replied, “but time will solve most of the issues. They just need time.” The devil was taken aback by the wise man’s objection but calmed down and continued on, “They will love it once they get used to it. Poverty is worse. Just look at your neighbors now; they seem happy and bubbly.”
“We will see,” the wise man said.
Some time had passed, and the wise man would often overhear arguments coming from his neighbors. The families he once knew had become lazy. Their farms were neglected, the animals were not given their due care. After all this time, they did not know how to deal with these changes. He overheard his neighbor’s wife cursing her husband, and the husband often asking for his old life back.
After some time, the villagers came to see the wise man seeking answers about what had happened to these neighbors. Finally, the wise man told them the truth about it all. After that, the villagers shouted against the devil, throwing rocks at him.
The wise man asked them to stop and instead asked them to stand with him against the devil. The devil conceded and told them the deal with the wise man was off. In minutes, the village returned to what it once was.
The villagers united to work together with the wise man and built their life together. The wise man told them hard work and cooperation amongst each other is the key! And life went on.
Thank you for reading.
