There was once a
stonecutter, who was dissatisfied with himself and with his
position in life.
One day, he passed a wealthy
merchant's house, and through the open gateway, saw many fine
possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant
must be!" thought the stonecutter. He became very envious, and
wished that he could be like the merchant. Then he would no longer
have to live the life of a mere
stonecutter.
To his great surprise, he
suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than
he had ever dreamed of, envied and detested by those less wealthy
than himself. But soon a high official passed by, carried in a
sedan chair, accompanied by attendants, and escorted by soldiers
beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low
before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought.
"I wish that I could be a high
official!"
Then he became the high
official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared
and hated by the people all around, who had to bow down before him
as he passed. It was a hot summer day, and the official felt very
uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun.
It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How
powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the
sun!"
Then he became the sun,
shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by
the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him
and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on
everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought.
"I wish that I could be a
cloud!"
Then he became the cloud,
flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon
he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and
realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. "I
wish that I could be the wind!"
Then he became the wind,
blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, hated and
feared by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against
something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew
against it — a huge, towering stone. "How powerful that stone is!"
he thought. "I wish that I could be a stone!" he thought. "I wish
that I could be a stone!"
Then he became the stone,
more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there,
he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the solid
rock, and felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful
than I, the stone?" he thought. He looked down and saw far below
him the figure of a
stonecutter.
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