It was a hot summer day and the sun was shining mercilessly on the mountain. A poor stone cutter was exhausted working in the heat, and took shelter under a tree to cool off. Soon the exhaustion overcame him and he fell asleep.
In his sleep he dreamed of talking to God, he said, “God why did you make me a man, my life is so hard and miserable! Please have mercy on me and make me the most powerful of all.”
God answered, “O my poor son, I feel your pain, tell me what you want to be.”
“I want to be the sun, the most powerful, so that no one dares to trouble me.”
“Your life had been hard, I understand my son. I will fulfill your wish, you will be the sun from now on,” God granted his wish.
The stone cutter was very happy; he became the sun and ruled the world. He would shine hard and burn whatever he took offence with. The plants would wilt, forest would catch fire, and all animals would run for life with mere expression of his rage. He was happy in deed!
Then one day he got angry with some villagers, and he started striking them hard, making their life miserable. The land became dry and hard, developed cracks long and deep. The poor villagers sought compassion from God, “O merciful, please save us from this fire of hell. Give us rain.”
God took pity on the poor villagers and send clouds over. The clouds showered rain and cooled down the land.
The sun was irate and turned the heat up and up, the clouds nonetheless grew darker and darker, and the sun became dejected again.
The stone-cutter-sun was sad and angry at himself, he pleaded to God, “I made a mistake my Lord, I realize now that the sun is not the most powerful, the cloud is, please change me to cloud.”
The God granted his wish and made him cloud. So the stone-cutter-sun was now cloud and he was happy again. He could fly fast, go anywhere he willed, and deluge any place he took offence with. He was happy indeed!
Then he saw a mountain one day, rising high in the sky, so close to the throne of God—he become jealous. He started pouring over the mountain hard and relentless. Tried as much as he could over days and nights, he could cause no dent on the mountain, and he was unhappy again.
He cried out loud once again, “Oh God, I realize my mistake, cloud is not the most powerful, please make me a mountain.
“So be a mountain,” God said, and the stone-cutter-sun-cloud became a mountain.
Now he seemed happy at last. He was standing tall dwarfing everyone, and so close to the throne of God, he was happy in deed!
One day however, someone started chipping at his feet, cutting him off in small pieces, angry he became and fumed with each strike, regardless, he could do nothing to that tiny creature, whoever was tearing him into pieces. He could not even raise a finger, for he had none.
The stone cutter-sun-cloud-mountain cried out in despair, “Oh my Master, please help me, I realize now mountain is not the most powerful, I do not want to be mountain anymore.”
“The ever patient God responded, “O my son, I feel your pain. What do you want to be?
The stone-cutter-sun-cloud-mountain cried out in anguish, “whatever that tiny creature is who is chipping away at my mighty body, I want to be that.”
“But that is only a stone cutter like you once were,” God said.
“I understand my mistake my Lord, you gave me what was best for me, but I did not have eyes to see that. Please forgive my ignorance and turn me back into the stone cutter.
And so God did.
After that the stone cutter never complained again, he became a wise man and thanked God for what He had given him.
(With inspiration from a Chinese cartoon)
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