Life has many pitfalls you must be careful to avoid. Here is a story about three of those common pitfalls.
A farmer was on the way to town to sell his donkey and goat. A little bell was tied around the goat’s neck.
Three thieves saw the farmer. The first one said: “I will steal his goat, and he will not catch me.” Another thief said: “I will directly take the donkey out of the farmer’s hand.” Finally, the third thief said: “Your tricks are not difficult. I can steal the farmer’s clothes off his body.”
The first thief secretly approached the goat at the corner of the road, untied the little bell, and then tied it to the donkey’s tail. Then he took the goat. The farmer looked around and realized that the goat was gone, so he started looking for it.
The second thief approached the farmer and asked him what he had lost. The farmer said that he had just lost his goat. The second thief said: “I saw your goat. A man was pulling a goat along and going toward that forest. You can probably catch him.” The farmer asked the second thief to help look after the donkey for him so he could chase after the goat. The second thief then took the donkey away.
After the farmer returned, he found that the donkey was gone. He cried and wandered in the forest. While passing a pond, he saw a person sitting by the water who was crying. The farmer asked him what had happened. The person replied: “Someone asked me to deliver a bag of gold to town. On my way, I was exhausted and so I took a rest by this pond. While falling asleep, the bag accidentally dropped into the pond.” The farmer asked why he did not go down and retrieve it. The person said: “I am afraid of water, and I cannot swim. I will reward whoever can retrieve the bag by sharing some of the gold with him.”
The farmer was extremely pleased and pondered: “Just because my goat and donkey got stolen, the universe is compensating me with this luck.” Therefore, he undressed and jumped into the water. However, he could not find the bag no matter how hard he tried. As he came up from the water, he realized his clothes were gone. The third thief had removed his clothes.
The three main pitfalls to avoid in life
The three thieves represent three of life’s pitfalls – carelessness, gullibility, and greed. These three pitfalls can ruin your life.
Translated by Sharon L
