‘Once upon a time, a genie (spirit), disguised as a beggar, entered a shoemaker’s house and begged him: “Brother, I don’t have a single coin, but my feet are worn out from walking all day in these broken sandals. Could you not fix them for me?”
And the shoemaker replied: “I am poor too, and I am fed up with everyone coming to me asking for favours without paying a single coin.”
After hearing this, the genie returned to his original form and offered him any help he might need. “Can it be money?, the humble craftsman asked. “Yes, I will give you 10 million, but it would be in exchange for your legs,” he suggested. But the poor shoemaker replied, impressed: “Why would I want that money if I couldn’t walk or get anywhere on my own?”
“Then I will give you 100 million in exchange for your hands,” the genie offered. But the shoemaker also refused the offer: “I would not be able to eat alone, work or play with my children.” And when the genie of the lamp promised him one billion for his eyes, the craftsman, frightened, replied: “I could not bear to never see my family and friends again…”
Then the genie said to him: “My brother, you see how lucky you are with everything you have and yet you still do not realize it.”
• *If you see others in greater need than you, do not hesitate to help them.*