The purpose of life - Short story of a father and son

Photo: Where do i begin? | modernmysteryschoolint.com

Once upon a time there lived a very wise man. He was the mayor of  a local village. Everyone respected him and his views and opinions were well regarded. Many people came to him seeking advice. His son however, was very lazy and wasted his time sleeping and spending time with his friends. No amount of advice or threat made any difference to him, he would not change at all. The years passed and with time faded the youth of the wise man. As he grew older he began to worry about his sons future. He recognized that he had to give his son something, so that he could take care of himself and his family to be in the future. 

So one day the wise man called his son to his room and said: 

"My son, you are no longer a kid now. You must learn to take responsibilities and understand life. I want you to find the real purpose of your life. And once you find it remember it always and you will lead a life full of happiness and joy, forever."

He then handed his son a bag.  When the son opened the bag he was surprised to see 4 pair of clothes, one for each season. There also were some raw foods, grains, lentils, little money and a map.

His father continued, 

"i want you to go find a treasure i have drawn a map of the place where the treasure is hidden. You need to go and find it."

The son loved the idea. For the first time he thought that his father had a good idea for him. So the next day he eagerly set out on a journey to find the  treasure. He had to travel really far across borders, forests, plateaus and mountains. Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. Along the way he met a lot of people, he was helped by some with food and by some with shelter. He also came across robbers who tried to rob him and people who tried to cheat him. He experienced the best and the worst of humanity on his way. Slowly the season changed and so did the landscapes along with it. When the unpleasant, he halted for the day and continued with his journey when the weather cleared. 

Finally, after a long year, he reached his destination: it was a cliff. The map showed the treasure being placed below the cliff under the tree. Upon spotting the tree he began to dig ground. He searched and searched... under it, around it, over it, but found nothing. He spent two days looking and digging for the treasure. By the third day he was so exhausted that he decided to leave. Disappointed over his father's lie, he headed back to his father's home. 

On his way back he experienced the same changing landscapes and seasons. This time however he halted to enjoy the blooming flowers in spring and the dancing birds in monsoon. He stayed in places only to watch the sun set in paradise or to enjoy pleasant summer evenings. Since the supplies he carried were over by then, he learned to hunt and make arrangements for his meals. He also learned to sow his clothes and shelter himself. He was now able to determine the hour of the day by the position of the sun and plan his journey accordingly. He also learned how to protect himself from wild animals. He met the same people who had helped him earlier. This time he stayed a few days with them and helped them in some or the other way, to repay them. He realized how nice they were to an ordinary pass-by, who had nothing to offer them in return. 

When he reached home, he realized it had been two years since he left the place. He walked straight into his fathers room:

"Father", he said. 

The father immediately jumped to his feet and hugged his son. 

"So how was your journey my son, did you find the treasure?", he asked.

 "The journey was fascinating father, but forgive me, for i wasn't able to find the treasure, maybe someone took it before i reached." 

He surprised himself by what he just said. He wasn't angry at his father. Instead he was asking for forgiveness.

"There wan't any treasure in the first place, my son", the father answered smiling. 

"But why did you send me to find it then?", the son asked.

"I'll surely tell you why, but first, you tell me how was your journey to the place? did you enjoy it?", 

"Of course not father, i had no time, i was worried, someone else would find the treasure before i did. I was in a hurry to reach the cliff. But i did enjoy the journey on my way back home. I made many friends and witnessed miracles every day, i learned so many different skills and the art of survival. There was so much i learned that it made me forget the pain of not finding the treasure", 

"Exactly my son, i want you to lead your life with a goal, but if you remain to focused on the goal then you will miss out the real treasures of life. The truth is life has no goal at all, other than to just experience it and grow with every single day "

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste the experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience" - Eleanor Roosevelt