a story from "the alchemist"

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days and finally came upon a beautiful castle , high atop a mountain . it was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though , our hero , on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity – tradesman came and went , people were conversing in the corners ,a small orchestra was playing soft music and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world . the wise man conversed with everyone , and the boy had to wait for 2 hours before it was his turn.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come , but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain . he suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in 2 hours.

“ meanwhile, I want to ask u to do something “,said the wise man , handing the boy a teaspoon that held 2 drops of oil. “as u wander around , carry this spoon with u without allowing the oil to spill.”

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon , after 2 hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

“well , did u see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did u see the garden that it took the master gardener 10 years to create? Did u notice the beautiful parchments in my library?”

The boy was embarrassed , and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

“then go back and observe the marvels of my world”, said the wise man . “u cannot trust a man if u don’t know his house.”

Relieved , the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him , the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected.

Upon returning to the wise man , he related in detail everything he had seen.

“but where are the drops of oil I entrusted to u ? “ asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

“well , there is only one piece of advice I can give u.” said the wisest man. “the secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”