[color=blue]The King With Four Wives[/color]
Once upon a time there was a
rich king who had four wives. He
loved the fourth wife the most
and adorned her with rich robes
and treated her to the finest
delicacies. He gave her nothing
but the best.
He also loved the third wife very
much and showed her off to
neighboring kingdoms. However,
he feared that one day she
would leave him for another.
He also loved his second wife.
She was his confidante and she
was always kind, considerate
and patient with him. Whenever
the king faced a problem, he
could confide in her to help him
get through the difficult times.
The king's first wife was a very
loyal partner and had made great
contributions in maintaining his
wealth and kingdom. However,
he did not love the first wife but
although she loved him deeply,
he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the King fell ill and he
knew that his time was short.
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I
have loved you the most
endowed you with the finest
clothing and showered great
care over you. Now that I'm
dying, will you follow me and
keep me company?"
"No way!" replied the 4th wife
and she walked away without
another word.
Her answer cut like a sharp knife
right into his heart.
The sad king asked the third
wife, "I have loved you all my life.
Now that I'm dying, will you
follow me and keep me
company?"
"No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is
too good! When you die, I am
going to remarry!"
His heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I
have always turned to you for
help and you've always been
there for me. When I die, will you
follow me and keep me
company?"
"I'm sorry, I can't help you out of
this time!" replied the 2nd wife.
"The very most, I can only send
you to your grave."
Her answer came like a bolt of
thunder and the King was
devastated.
Then a voice called out: "I'll leave
with you and follow you no
matter where you go."
The king looked up and there
was his first wife. She was so
skinny, because she suffered
from malnutrition. Greatly
grieved the King said, "I should
have taken better care of you
when I had a chance!"
Our 4th wife is our BODY. No
matter how much time and effort
we lavish in making it look great,
it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our POSSESSIONS,
STATUS and WEALTH. When we
die, it will all go to others.
Our 2nd wife is our FAMILY and
friends. No matter how much
they have been there for us, the
furthest they can stay by us is up
to the grave.
Our 1st wife is our SOUL, often
neglected in pursuit of wealth,
power and pleasures of the ego.
However, our Soul is the only
thing that will follow us
wherever we go. So cultivate,
strengthen and cherish it now! It
is your greatest gift to offer the
world.
