The counselor Enro began the meeting, explaining that the gold reserves of the mines of the routes of the end of the world were immense and by exploiting them intensively, at least four years of prosperity could be guaranteed, being supported by the other six advisers, and showing his immense satisfaction, he confirmed that the crisis would be satisfactorily overcome.
The king Midas XVI was not satisfied with this position and expressed:
-Dear counselors...
-This isn´t enough!
-I expect more aggressive measures from you!
-Four years will fly away!
-I also remind you that I was successful in three difficult tests, and there is only one requirement left to save the kingdom.
-Either we triumph or we all sink!
-Dear counselors...
-I defeated a powerful demon that has long plagued the kingdom!
-I passed the first test!
-The family needs three members, life passes in three stages and time contains three moments...
-In certain way, in all those cases, the three is one.
-This is part of an inexplicable mystery that we can hardly conceive!
-Also, I passed the fearsome second test!
-The one with the impossible options!
-That forced me to look for unusual escape routes!
-How to prevent two detainees from being charged?
-How to prevent a carriage from passing through roads that will cause deaths?
-How to save someone sentenced to death without telling the truth neither lying?
-And with your support, we defeated the powerful witch Spelly Magiky, guarantor of the last test!
-I repeat, we won the third test!
-What should be done to avoid falling into temptation?
-Why do a religious faithful and another without great religious merits share the same destiny?
-Why is a dishonest administrator praised by his former boss?
-There is only one condition...
-I would say…
-A final disguised test!
-I think it´s worth moving on!
The counselor Febro took the floor:
-Your majesty!
-You are very lucky!
-You were victorious in these tests, because of your intelligence and great knowledge.
-But, we don´t know the dangers of the final test!
-Possibly, it will overcome all these riddles.
-I agree with counselor May, this is very dangerous!
-Perhaps the letter from king Midas was to face only the three tests so that you could discover the new mine.
-I think that with the new gold mine is enough!
-We must not take more risks!
Excepting counselor Marina, whose opinion was rarely appreciated, the other advisers stared at counselor Febro with approving glances, while king Midas XVI was thinking.
Again, the dilemma for the monarch was considerable. He could abandon the last test, and take other economic measures in the future, or ignore the advisers, fulfilling the will of king Midas. Nonetheless, the price of the second option was high: if the sovereign failed, he would lead the kingdom to its doom. Even his phrase, originally uttered by the counselor May, "either we triumph or we all sink", was no longer well received by the counselors.
Craftily, the king Midas XVI, who had previously reflected on the messages of the previous tests, recalled that it is always possible to apply a third option.
On the one hand, the counselors didn´t approve that the monarch must continue fighting against the forces of evil, and on the other hand, the bold king Midas XVI wanted to save his ancestors.
The sovereign smiled because he conceived the escape route, which includes analyzing the possibility of facing the final test, and he told his advisers:
-Dear counselors...
-We must continue working for the kingdom!
-We can´t trust ourselves or spend all the resources in two, three or four years!
-Economic policies must continue!
-Imagine that four years have passed!
-We will continue issuing sovereign bonds, we will charge more taxes to the rich or to any family that has more than two carriages, and we will continue working in the new mines.
-In few months, the production of gold should increase considerably.
-Counselors Enro, Juno, Jhulio and Augusto, you are in charge of the economic measures.
-Counselor Febro, I liked your tourism project!
-It´s approved!
-You are in charge of this!
-You have one year to complete your plan and turn the kingdom into a tourism center.
-Now, since you do not agree with me continuing along the thorny path, for the moment, I am not going to continue with the tests, but the illustrious advisers, Marina and May, are going to investigate this supposed condition or test, and they must give me their guidance, in less than a week, so that I can make a decision.
The counselors Marina and May wrinkled their faces because they knew that this task was not easy, although they requested permission to go to the caverns of the routes of the end of the world, which was accepted by the sovereign.
That night, the king Midas XVI had a strange lucid dream.
He was sailing in a canoe on a golden river, which was extremely narrow and didn´t allow him to row. Rather, putting each hand on the borders, he was pushing the small boat.
Meanwhile, the river became inclined and his hands ached, which were bloody.
In the end, there were three tracks left. He could intuit that the left was to follow the advice of the counselors, the right would lead him to the strange unknown condition, and the middle was the safe third option, which could grant him certain relevant guidelines.
He took that middle way, and suddenly fell into a huge waterfall, and was lying on a rocky ground. Feeling weary, he sat up, and saw the kindly old man, dressed in white, who had appeared in previous dreams.
As on other occasions, he felt an immense sense of harmony, peace, tranquility, and optimism.
The kind herald said:
-King Midas XVI...
-Very well!
-You have triumphed in the three trials of destiny!
-But, don´t trust yourself...
-Now the challenge is colossal!
-You will fight against very powerful forces!
-You still have lessons to learn.
-Don´t argue!
-Just listen to me!
-Learn what the Midas kings didn´t understand!
-Human needs are insatiable. We will never be satisfied because when meeting one need, others arise, and so on...
-Your subjects will not be happier with more gold!
-Not even living with more prosperity!
-Sooner or later, they will get used to what they have and will stop being grateful.
-The human being is an inexhaustible source of needs and he tends to be unsatisfied. Therefore, he may feel that his life is empty and meaningless, even if he is rich and prosperous.
-Spiritual needs are the most important, since they lead to happiness, with more permanent effects.
-We need to belong and identify with certain groups, feel esteem and trust, be respected and successful, and develop the potential, going further, leaving our mark on activities and tasks.
-Who are we? What are we doing here? What will be our legacy? What will we do? Where are we going? How can we live a full and satisfactory life? How can we contribute to society and meet religious obligations? How can we be satisfied with our achievements? How can we value and be grateful for what we have done, do and will do? What is the meaning of life? What is our mission in this life?
-Undoubtedly, happiness is an idealistic and spiritual matter, it is not secular and materialistic, and goes beyond the reality of this world.
-In addition, people do not know what they want, and they focus on desires and goals that do not make them happier.
-Once some needs are satisfied, people do not feel as happy as they expected.
-Likewise, exaggerated needs or aspirations are obstacles to happiness.
-I hope you understand!
-Your subjects are happy because you treat them with respect, you rule fairly and they feel that can get ahead in life.
-Riches help...
-But, they are not everything!
-The true happiness of each person depends on internal emotional states and a certain level of satisfaction, which comes from valuing and thanking what has been done, and is being done, day after day.
-The true happiness of the kingdom does not come from the material aspects, but from joys, hopes and satisfactions of the persons.
-I hope you understand!
-Don´t go to great lengths to make the kingdom more prosperous!
-Each one must find the spiritual path of his wonderful life!
-You are not going to make your subjects happy!
-Rather, you will contribute to their happiness, as you show fairness and kindness, demonstrate them how to mature, and give them opportunities.
-So, why aren´t human beings happy?
-For several reasons…
-With so many materialistic expectations and needs, people forget to look for the meaning of life, and they can´t overcome their dissatisfaction.
-When satisfying their desires mainly through consumption, possession of goods and entertainment, many people do not value or appreciate what they do and have done, neither various aspects of life, such as: identity, family, health, friendships, freedoms, opportunities, education, knowledge, work and religious service.
-People tend to look for quick solutions, which prevail in the short-term, and many times, they don´t glimpse the reality beyond or think about the future.
-Of course, insatiable human desires and needs are also an obstacle to happiness.
-Many people are prone to becoming anxious, depressed and frustrated, instead of assuming constructive attitudes to solve problems.
-There is also a great obstacle or impediment to achieving happiness: the resentment.
-Those who fall into this abyss suffer from incurable discomfort, and whatever they do, they will never be happy or capable of valuing and appreciating the wonders of life.
-The vast majority of current problems is due to the absence of love in humanity, which also prevents reaching happiness.
-Many people are demotivated by negative circumstances, which influence over their mood. They also lose their motivation due to the absence of guarantees or the impossibility of meeting their goals, being prone to falling into adverse emotional states. Obviously, demotivation is another obstacle to happiness.
-Many people are not resilient for various reasons such as: fear of losing their identity, resistance to change, fear of making difficult decisions and exaggerated fear of other people's opinions, among others. They fall into adverse emotional states, being unable to take advantage of their best abilities. In that sense, denying resilient attitudes is another obstacle to happiness.
-And finally, many people mistakenly believe that happiness is achieved by living with all kind of luxuries and comforts, consuming excessively and accumulating wealth incessantly, leaving aside morals and ethics, and minimizing religious issues.
-Therefore, the wrong dreams lead to a different path of happiness...
-I hope you understand!
-King Midas XVI, you are not happy for being a king!
-You are happy for your own attitudes and your honorable lifestyle!
-You are very different from your ancestors!
-They never were happy!
-King Midas XVI, I hope you reflect and find your mission in this life.
-You are a better student than your relatives!
-Before you ask, how are you going to face Cerberus and Hades?
-You know what to do!
-If you accept the hedonistic and materialistic trap, you will fall into the clutches of hidden forces.
-But if you consider the spiritual path, you will go further and defeat the evil.
-Remember, the final test is to save the lost souls of your family and other servants, it is not to increase the wealth or happiness of the kingdom!
-And…
-Pay close attention to the recommendations of the counselor Marina!
-She is not a fortune teller, but she is on the right path, and you must listen her...
-Don´t marginalize her!
Almost midnight, the king Midas XVI woke up. He remembered exactly all the words of his mysterious spiritual advisor, and a conflict persisted in his mind. Over and over he wondered:
-Why doesn´t wealth bring happiness?
At the same time, he was anxious and scared by the challenge of the final test. The sovereign was amazed that a heavy downpour fell, overshadowing the beautiful sunny days.
Likewise, the monarch knew that he should pay attention to the advices of the counselor Marina, who had always been discriminated and despised by the other advisers.
He reviewed some books of history and religion, looking for references about the guardian and the owner of the underworld, whose names and characteristics changed in various cultures.
After reading some stories for more than two hours, somewhat worried, the sovereign was convinced that he was facing formidable enemies, whose power, encouraged by human greed, could surpass that of the benign gods.
Certainly tired, he decided to sleep so he could get up early and greet his subjects. Later, the king was surprised by the dark dawn of a cloudy day...