MÖHÄBBÅT

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest

man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came

upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountains. It was there that the wise man live.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the

castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing

in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered

with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed

with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the

man's attention.

"The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but

told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested

that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

"'Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,' said the wise man, handing the boy a

teaspoon that held two drops of oil. 'As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without

allowing the oil to spill.'

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes

fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where teh wise man was.

'Well,' asked the wise man, 'did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my

dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create?

Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?'

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern

had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

'Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,' said that wise man. 'You cannot trust a

man if you don't know his house.'

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time

observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and walls. He s aw the gardens, the

mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been

selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

'But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?' asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

'Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you', said the wisest of wise men.

'The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of

oil on the spoon.'

(From The Alchemist by Paulo coelho)