The Faith of a Starving Man
Traditional | Iran
A man collects seemingly useless items on his journey, which later help him survive by a river.
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Once, there was a wandering man known for his positive spirit. He had been walking in the desert for a long time and was very hungry. One day, as he traveled along a path looking for food, he saw an empty bag lying on the side of the road. It was probably left there by someone who had passed by earlier. The man picked up the empty bag, put it over his shoulder, and said aloud, “I’m thankful for finding an empty bag.” Even though it had no food, he was thankful for what he had found.
As he kept walking, he saw an old hunting bow, but the string was broken. Although it couldn’t be used, the man picked it up and put it in his bag. Again, he spoke to himself, “I’m thankful for this broken bow.” He continued his journey with hope in his heart.
Soon after, he came to a dry, dead tree. There were no fruits on the tree, but he broke off a few dry branches and added them to his bag. He smiled and said, “I’m thankful for these branches from the old tree.”
As he continued, the man found an old cooking pot. It was dented and full of dust, but he cleaned it and put it in his bag as well. He said with appreciation, “I’m thankful for this old pot.”
Further down the road, he saw something small and shiny on the ground. It was a fishing hook, but there was no fishing pole. He picked up the hook, put it in his bag, and said, “I’m thankful for this hook, even without a pole.”
Days passed, and the man kept walking until he reached a wide river. It was so large that he couldn’t see the other side. Tired and weak, he knelt by the riverbank and said, “I’m thankful for reaching this river, even though I cannot cross it.”
Sitting by the river, he took out the things he had collected. He tied the broken bowstring to the fishing hook and used it as a simple fishing pole. Waiting patiently by the river, he finally caught a fish. He used the old pot to cook the fish over a fire he made from the dry branches.
As he ate, the man smiled and said, “I’m thankful for all the little things I found along the way. They gave me exactly what I needed, even though I didn’t see it at first.”
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