Once upon a time. There was a rich merchant
who had four (4) wives. He loved the 4th wife
the most and adorned her with rich robes and
treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her
and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud
of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends.
However, the merchant is always in great fear that she
might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person,
always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante.
Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always
turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and
tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has
made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business
as well as taking care of the household. However,
the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him
deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was
going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself,
"Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone.
How lonely I'll be!" Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most,
endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care
over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me
company?"
"No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without
another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into
the merchant's heart.
The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you
so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me
and keep me company?"
"No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going
to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and
turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and
you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again.
When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry,
I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife.
"At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."
The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant
was devastated.
Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you
no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there
was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered
from malnutrition.
Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much
better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives. The 4th wife is our body.
No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good,
it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die,
they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they
had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can
stay by us is up to the grave.
The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of
material wealth and sensual pleasure.
Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever
we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now
rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.
Author Unknown
