Today I want to tell you a little story that happened a long time ago. It sounds a bit like a joke, but there are actually quite a lot of truths about being a human being hidden in it.
Once upon a time, there was a man named Zhang San who had saved 300 taels of silver.At that time, money was not as easy to earn as it is now, and to save so much silver, it had to be frugal for many years to do.Zhang San was especially happy, but also began to worry about a problem – where to put this money is safe?
He was afraid that others would steal it, but also afraid that he would lose it, so he began to think about how to hide it.One day when he went out to buy something, he walked to the door of a store selling calligraphy and paintings, and saw a painting hanging on the wall, on which was written only one sentence: “There is no silver here.”
Zhang San laughed when he saw it, thinking: “Who would believe such words?It’s obviously a lie.”But he was suddenly struck by an idea that he could learn the same way.So he rushed home and found a remote place behind his own yard, buried the silver, and then also put a note on the ground: “There is no silver here.”
Do you think that’s the end of it?It’s not over yet.
The next door neighbor, Wang Er, happened to be passing by and saw Zhang San’s every move.He didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but then he couldn’t help but be curious, so he sneaked off to see what kind of treasure was in that area.As a result, he saw the note at a glance, and immediately understood in his heart: there must be something valuable buried here!
Wang Er is not a light, he immediately ran home to bring tools, the silver dug out, and fill back the soil, but also in the side of a note: “next door Wang Er never steal.
The next day, Zhang San came to get the silver, found the silver disappeared, only to see the “next door Wang Er never steal” note, immediately understand what is going on.He was so angry that he stomped his feet and immediately ran to the government to file a complaint.Wang Er was arrested and sentenced to jail.
The truth behind the story
After listening to this story, you may find it funny that Zhang San and Wang Er were both quite stupid.But in fact, the behavior of the two of them reflects the mistakes that many people also make in real life.
Zhang San thought he was smart enough to fool everyone by saying “There is no silver here”.But he ignored the simplest truth: if you don’t want people to know something, then don’t leave any clues.He even took the initiative to write it out, which was tantamount to telling others “come and steal me”, wasn’t it?
Wang Er, not to mention, stole someone else’s money, but also cleverly wrote “I didn’t steal it” on the side, which exposed himself.This is just like some people who try to cover up bad things, but the more they do it, the darker it gets, and they end up getting themselves into trouble.
What does this story tell us?
Although this is an ancient story, it is just as applicable today.We can learn a few very important lessons about being a man and doing things:
1. Don’t always try to be smart.
Many people like to take shortcuts and think that they can solve problems by a little ingenuity.But very often, these so-called “smart” approach, but will get themselves into more trouble.For example, Zhang San buried silver also wrote a note, Wang Er stole something also want to leave a message, are typical of “smart counterproductive”.
2. It’s better to hide than to face honestly.
Sometimes when we do something wrong, our first reaction is not to admit it, but to try to cover it up.But the more we cover it up, the easier it is for things to be exposed.Instead of remedying things after the fact, it’s better to face it honestly from the beginning.
3. Don’t underestimate other people’s judgment
Zhang San thought that others could not understand his “scheme”, and Wang Er thought that no one would suspect him.But they didn’t realize that others are not stupid.As long as you have done something, you will always leave traces, and sooner or later you will be found out.
4. Greed and Luckiness Harms People.
The reason why Wang Er went to steal the silver was because he was greedy.The reason why Zhang San failed was because he took a chance and thought that “no one else would notice”.Both of these mindsets are key factors that lead to failure.
Summarize
This seemingly funny story is actually very educational.It tells us:
Don’t be smart;
Don’t try to cover up mistakes;
Don’t try to cover up mistakes;
Greed and luck are the most dangerous enemies;
Above all, be an honest, decent and responsible person.
“There is no silver bullet here” has now become an idiom to describe those who have obviously done something but want to pretend that it has not happened.I hope we can all remember this story and not make similar mistakes again.
Closing words
Well, that’s all for today’s bedtime story.I hope you have learned something from this little story.Maybe you are just listening to a joke now, but when you grow up, you will understand how important the truth is.
To be a man of action, you still have to be down-to-earth, and don’t always think of taking shortcuts.Don’t always think of shortcuts, because going fast doesn’t necessarily mean going far, and going steady is the only way to go for a long time.
Good night.