It is said that long ago, there was a great Mystic who loved to take a stroll in the evening the shore.
Every day, he used to walk along the coast and ponder, the unimaginable. He considered the coast to be an excellent location for him to think of wonders.
He marvelled at the sight of the setting sun and the beautiful waves of the windy sea where he thought about God's power of creation. In his mind, everything was beautiful in nature and fantastic in function.
If you would see him, you would think he is a fisherman who is always eager around the sea or a lover who has come for guidance in his affair.
On a day, this great mystic saw upon the rock of the shore, a man sitting in sorrow; His light of hope fleeting and heart hallow.
It would seem that this man had notions of suicide, near the seaside.
As the man gazed upon the sea; His face was filled with lament and sorrow;
Without hope to see the light of tomorrow.
He was like the embodiment of the saying "All his ships have sunk."
The great mystic who knew of the people's inner woes and secret laments just from the yellowness of their face, decided to approach the man and try to dissuade him from his final plan.
And so the mystic approached with a greet and heard a response.
The mystic asked the young man "why do you hold such lament and look so sad? What do you mourn for? tell me, young lad."
The young man kept to his silence.
The mystic stated "You give in to grief, to what end? Just because you hold a mountain of lament, to the afterlife you want to be sent."
Upon hearing the insistence of the stranger, the young man turned his head to face the stranger and said "Due to the farceur of my destiny, I have seen nothing but homelessness and poverty. Long have I desired materials and riches, long have I been denied and left with stitches. You see the pouch I carry, but do you know of food it is empty? All that is left is sour and filthy."
The mystic heard of the young man's grievance and simply responded "That's it?"
The young man looked puzzled but before he could utter a word, the stranger continued "Just because you are unable to seek a job, are poor and hungry, you have decided to be at death's mercy?"
"To you, are these small things to be sad about?" asked the young man to the mystic.
The mystic firmly responded "So small are they, it is not worth pondering about death and dismay; Let alone worrying so in this place and stay like trying to build a castle out of hay."
The mystic sat next to the young man and said "Allow me to give you an example, so you will understand my words in ample."
The young man nodded, and the mystic said "Imagine a ship that you own, carrying all your wealth that you own. The ship is sunk and you find a raft, fleeting on the water along with a wooden shaft."
The mystic noticed curiosity upon the young man's face and noted the dimming of his sadness. The young man listened to the mystic with a silent passion to hear what this old man had to say.
The mystic continued "You wondered on this raft with what was left of your might; day after day, you survive each darkness of night with fright; but in a month, yes a month, by feasting on crabs and fishes raw and tough, you managed to see the shore"
The young man felt a kindle of light burning inside his chest as he listened to his very best.
The mystic continued with his tale "As you get yourself to the shore, you sit upon this stone, gaze at the sea all alone; You lost goods, ship and wealth, and that too at an unfortunate length but here you are in good health."
The young man heard this grim tale of what could be. His sorrow surged again as he was listening to what this stranger had to tell.
The stranger took out a flask from under his robe and said "You who lost your wealth on the ship. Here I swear you would willingly give it up; As quickly as I can take from this wine a sip."
The young man thought about what the stranger said. He would indeed give all the wealth in the world, just to stay alive as the stranger told.
The mystic concluded, "Right now imagine you have indeed survived, and take that wealth you traded to be alive. So now tell me, you heard what I relay; Is this not a small price to pay."
The young man realized the value of his life he was blind to. He smiled at the stranger and as he felt all his pain and sorrow being washed away and in his memory, issues no longer stay.
The young man held the stranger's hand and kissed it. He said "You speak the wisdom of a sage. You brightened my heart and saved me from a self-destructive rage."
Sometimes our pain may feel eternal and hope every so bleak. We think that there would be no relief, but thinking so is the only cause of your grief.