The Fisherman and the Whale

A fisherman was fishing in the bay near his home and saw a giant whale swimming near his boat.  He took out his harpoon and aimed it. But the whale was not an ordinary whale. It was a magical whale that could talk to humans. It sensed the fisherman's intention and said, "Please do not harm me. I will grant you three wishes if you spare my life."  

The fisherman thought, “If I could ask for anything, I could be wealthy.” He said, "All right, I will not hurt you. My wish is to have a big house by the sea." The whale nodded and said, "Your wish is granted."

Looking toward the shore, he saw a beautiful house right on the spot his little shack had been. Delighted, he said, "I wish to have a lot of money and jewels." The whale said, "Your wish is granted." The fisherman looked; his deck was loaded with bags of gold and diamonds. Overjoyed, the fisherman said, "I wish to have a beautiful young wife.” The whale said, "Your wish is granted." Looking toward the bow of his boat, he saw a lovely woman smiling at him. 

With his wife and wealth, he sailed home, thinking he was the luckiest man in the world. But soon, he realized that his happiness was short-lived. His house was too big. His wealth and jewels attracted robbers. His wife was too young and restless. She did not love him at all. 

He became unbearably miserable and woke each day unhappy.  He regretted that he had not been content with what he had.

And the  moral of the story is that he learned too late that greed is the root of all evil and material possessions are   not what makes someone happy.

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