Whenever we live, we find beautiful, promising things with opportunities. However, as they say, not all that glitters is gold. From the lesson, Rahmat, a simple farmer, learned this lesson.
The Dream of a Better Life
He had plowed the fields, worked hard but poor farmer by the day. He did try but was always envious of the wealthier traders in the village. He, too, desired to be rich in such a way so that he could live a life of ease.
One day, a well-dressed stranger came to the village carrying a golden staff. According to him, he had a special way of transforming ordinary metals into gold. The villagers clustered around him to hear his words.
The Temptation of Wealth
Rahmat stood a distance away, skeptical but intrigued. The stranger proved his so-called ‘magic.’ He took a piece of common metal, spoke some unknowable words over it, and out of nowhere, a golden coin shimmered in his hands. The villagers gasped in amazement.
As Rahmat saw this, his heart was excited. Was this his chance to escape poverty and experience Something more? After a brief reflection on himself, he decided that this opportunity was one he had to take.
Falling for the Illusion
Rahmat sat that night, propped against his oil lamp, his eyes were into his small savings. He understood that he must give them, whether these are hard earned. That evening, after giving all his copper coins to the stranger, the next morning, he was back again.
Then, Rahmat was given a sparkling gold coin in return by the man who repeated his trick. His joy knew no bounds. As he was convinced that he had found a shortcut to wealth, he rushed home and had to gather every piece of money he had.
The Moment of Truth
Rahmat invested everything into the stranger’s scheme. However, the stranger immediately vanished into the crowd when he gave him his last coin and has never been seen since. Panic set in. Had he been tricked?
Rahmat raced to the local jeweler to seek confirmation of the amazing gold coin. The jeweler examined it closely, scraping its surface. Rahmat shocked when he saw that the coin was nothing but cheap metal painted as gold.
They shattered his dreams; they did it all in an instant. Not only his money, he lost his faith of instant success.
The Lesson Learned
Rahmat sat under a tree, regretting as he stared at the ground. Finally, he realized that there is no shortcut to best things in life. In life, the real treasures are hard work and honesty.
Henceforth, he swore that he would no longer deceive illusions. Returning to his fields, he knew that success comes only after patience, effort, and perseverance.
Final Thoughts
The lesson from this story is this: Not everything that shines is Gold. In this world of lies, we should learn to differentiate between reality and Illusion.
💡 Something is too good to be true. Drop your thoughts on this in the comments
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