The Meaning of Happiness
Once, Hodja was walking towards a distant place. After travelling for some distance, he saw a man sitting in the shade of a tree by the roadside.
Since his face seemed sad for some reason, Hodja asked him for the reason.
The man replied, "I am a wealthy man. But the money in this cloth bag does not give me any happiness. So, I am going to a neighbouring country in search of peace and happiness."
Immediately, Hodja’s wit sprang into action. Hodja snatched the bag and ran away quickly. The man followed him.
After running for quite some distance, Hodja left the bag on the path and hid behind a tree. The exhausted wealthy man, who had been running far behind, picked up the bag lying on the road, hugged it to his chest happily and said, "Hooray! I got the money for my journey back!"
Immediately, Hodja came out from behind the tree and walked towards him. He said, "You need money for everything. Didn't those few moments when you lost it allow you to experience and understand the value of money and the happiness of getting it back?"
The man thanked Hodja and walked back.
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