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They
said he was a man of immense wealth and wisdom. A man who freely dispensed
both to any who sought it.
Yet many had traveled to the eastern mountains in search of this man, and all
had returned weeks later with nothing to show but callused feet. Was it all
just a wistful tale; a fantasy concocted to give the people of their
desperately poor village a reason to hope? This was the question that
plagued the five travelers as they bedded down for the night, their hearts
full of hope and their heads full of doubt.
The sun rose to find only four travelers remaining; the fifth having let
doubt win over. His note by the ashes of the fire implored the four to push
on, but he had returned to the village, unable to pursue a journey that
held no promise.
And so the four travelers hiked throughout the morning and reached the tree
line of the eastern slopes by mid-day. It was a welcome escape from the
relentless heat of the desert sun. They had not walked more than 100 yards
beneath the shade of the trees, when they happened across an old woman.
They told the woman of their quest to find a man called Jambali, and asked
if she knew where to find him. She exclaimed that they were indeed fortunate,
for he was a nomad and was camped for the day just over the next rise. She
bid them caution however, as he was not fond of unannounced strangers to
his camp.
Thanking the old woman, they hastily made their way to the rise and
thereupon did devise a plan. One of them would ascend the rise to
investigate the layout of the camp and then report back to the others. In
this way they could best decide upon a method of entering the camp.
They elected a scout, and he ascended the rise while the others anxiously
waited. After a short time the scout returned looking forlorn and
discouraged. He announced to the others that he did not see the camp of a
wealthy man, rather was it the camp of a pauper. He spoke of a man dressed
in rags and a tent of simple design.
And
then this traveler did proclaim their journey a fool's adventure, and he
marched back into the desert with a heavy heart.
The remaining three travelers were not so easily dissuaded. One was elected
and he ascended the rise to scout the camp. He shortly returned with a
puzzling report. Not only was this man without wealth, but he was also
crazy. He told of a man standing in front of his tent waving his arms
wildly in the air, screaming obscenities at an unseen demon.
And as before, this traveler also proclaimed their journey a fool's
adventure, and marched back into the desert with a perplexed heart.
The
remaining two travelers had not come this far to give up so easily. One of
the pair ascended the rise, only to quickly return shaking with fear. He
exclaimed that the man was indeed acting crazy, but not because of an
unseen demon, rather because there was a tiger crouched in the trees ready
to devour the man.
This
traveler hastily declared their journey a fool's adventure, and hurried back
into the desert with a fearful heart.
The last traveler began his ascent. He reached the top and peered into the
camp. He too witnessed a tiger of great ferocity, but he put his fear aside
and decided to help the man defeat the beast.
He quickly fashioned a makeshift spear using a dry branch sharpened with
his hunting knife. He ran down the hill and jumped between the man and the
snarling tiger. He readied his weapon and was on the verge of thrusting it
into the beast, when the man suddenly let out a shrill whistle and grabbed
the spear from the traveler's hands. The tiger abruptly ceased its attack,
then trotted over to stand next to the man. Obviously, a cruel trick had
been played upon the traveler.
Distraught over what had just transpired, the traveler demanded an
explanation. The man explained that the old woman had seen the four
travelers approaching from the desert, and had warned him of their arrival.
He explained that his antics were designed to invite only the most sturdy
of heart into his camp.
The man went on to introduce himself as Jambali the Wealth-Giver. He
invited the traveler to sit beside him and tell of his journey. The
traveler did so, explaining that the trip had began with five, of which he
was the only one remaining. He went on to tell Jambali about his people's
belief that all who visited him would receive wealth and wisdom.
Jambali told the traveler that his people's belief was true, but that
before wealth can be possessed, one must first have the wisdom to own it.
Jambali explained, "The first traveler gave up on the first night. He
did not want to work at acquiring wealth."
"The
second traveler saw a poor man's camp. He had not the vision to perceive
wealth among ordinary things."
"The
third traveler witnessed a crazy man. He had not the vision to perceive
wealth among non-ordinary things."
"The
fourth traveler witnessed a man-eating tiger. He was not ready for wealth
because he had not the courage to overcome fear."
Jambali watched as the traveler digested these words. They were powerful
words that sank deep into the traveler's heart.
Then,
suddenly and without notice, the traveler rose to his feet and thanked
Jambali for these wealth-giving secrets. He was overwhelmed with
exhilaration at the wisdom he had just received, and could barely contain
his desire to depart for the village with news of his good fortune on this
journey. He quickly bade Jambali farewell and promised he would tell his
people what he had learned.
And
so, this traveler did declare the journey a success, and he trotted into
the desert with a glad heart.
As
the traveler disappeared from sight, Jambali strode into his tent and
filled a ruby-rimmed cup to overflowing with a dark, red wine. He drank largely,
allowing the warm liquid to both caress and exhilarate his senses. A drop
escaped from the corner of his mouth and momentarily danced upon his chin,
as if unsure of which direction to fall before relinquishing its hold to
the ground below.
Jambali
tossed the cup, gestured loudly to the barren desert, which had swallowed
the travelers, and dispensed his last bit of wisdom, "And the fifth
traveler was ready to receive wealth, yet received none, because he did not
ask for it."
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ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Brett Krkosska provides how-to advice on family and
home-based work issues. Get start-up guidance, business ideas and
inspiration
at HomeBizTools.com.
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