There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and
adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of
her and gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much.
He's very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends.
However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some
other men. He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always
patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced
some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him
out and tide him through difficult times. Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very
loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and
business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not
love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of
her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die
soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives
with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be! Thus, he asked the
4th wife, "I loved you 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. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.
The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my
life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" Replied
the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!"
The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always
helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and
keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" Replied the 2nd
wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came
like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where
you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny,
almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said,
"I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives. The 4th wife is our body. No matter
how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when
we die. Our 3rd wife? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all
go to others. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they
had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up
to the grave.
The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material
wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that
follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen
it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Bill Dorman
chaplain@bdadvertising.com
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