Parables about love: short, ironic, but wise. Parables about love Fairy tale parable about love

Parables are short and entertaining stories that express the experiences of many generations of lives. Parables about love have always been especially popular. And no wonder - these meaningful stories can teach you a lot. And the right relationship with your partner too.

After all, love is a great power. She is able to create and destroy, inspire and deprive of strength, give insight and deprive of reason, believe and be jealous, perform feats and push to betrayal, give and take, forgive and take revenge, idolize and hate. So you need to be able to handle love. And instructive parables about love will help with this.

Where else can one find wisdom if not in time-tested stories? We hope that short stories about love will answer many of your questions and teach harmony. After all, we are all born to love and be loved.

A parable about love, wealth and health

A parable about love and happiness

-Where does love go? - Little happiness asked his father. “She’s dying,” answered the father. People, son, don’t take care of what they have. They just don't know how to love!
Little happiness thought: I’ll grow up big and start helping people! Years passed. Happiness has grown and become greater.
It remembered its promise and tried its best to help people, but people did not hear it.
And gradually Happiness began to turn from big into small and stunted. It was very afraid that it might disappear completely, and it set off on a long journey to find a cure for its illness.
How long did Happiness walk for a short time, not meeting anyone on his way, only he became completely ill.
And it stopped to rest. He chose a spreading tree and lay down. I had just dozed off when I heard footsteps approaching.
He opened his eyes and saw: a decrepit old woman was walking through the forest, all in rags, barefoot and with a staff. Happiness rushed to her: - Take a seat. You're probably tired. You need to rest and refresh yourself.
The old woman’s legs gave way and she literally collapsed into the grass. Having rested a little, the wanderer told Happiness her story:
- It’s a shame when you are considered so decrepit, but I’m still so young, and my name is Love!
- So you are Lyubov?! Happiness was amazed. But they told me that love is the most beautiful thing in the world!
Love looked at him carefully and asked:
- And what is your name?
- Happiness.
- Is that so? I was also told that Happiness should be beautiful. And with these words she took out a mirror from her rags.
Happiness, looking at her reflection, began to cry loudly. Love sat down next to him and gently hugged him with her hand. - What did these evil people and fate do to us? - Happiness sobbed.
“Nothing,” said Love, “If we stay together and take care of each other, we will quickly become young and beautiful.”
And under that spreading tree, Love and Happiness entered into their alliance to never be separated.
Since then, if Love leaves someone’s life, Happiness goes with it; they cannot be separated.
And people still can't understand this...

The Parable of the Best Wife

One day, two sailors set off on a journey around the world to find their destiny. They sailed to an island where the leader of one of the tribes had two daughters. The eldest is beautiful, but the youngest is not so much.
One of the sailors said to his friend:
- That’s it, I found my happiness, I’m staying here and marrying the leader’s daughter.
- Yes, you’re right, the leader’s eldest daughter is beautiful and smart. You made the right choice - get married.
- You didn’t understand me, friend! I will marry the chief's youngest daughter.
- Are you crazy? She's so... not really.
- This is my decision, and I will do it.
The friend sailed further in search of his happiness, and the groom went to get married. It must be said that it was customary in the tribe to give a ransom for the bride in cows. A good bride cost ten cows.
He drove ten cows and approached the leader.
- Leader, I want to marry your daughter and I’ll give ten cows for her!
- It's a good choice. My eldest daughter is beautiful, smart, and worth ten cows. I agree.
- No, leader, you don’t understand. I want to marry your youngest daughter.
- Are you joking? Don't you see, she's so... not very good.
- I want to marry her.
- Okay, but as an honest person I can’t take ten cows, she’s not worth it. I'll take three cows for her, no more.
- No, I want to pay exactly ten cows.
They merried.
Several years passed, and the wandering friend, already on his ship, decided to visit his remaining comrade and find out how his life was. He arrived, walked along the shore, and was met by a woman of unearthly beauty.
He asked her how to find his friend. She showed. He comes and sees: his friend is sitting, kids are running around.
- How are you?
- I'm happy.
Then that same beautiful woman comes in.
- Here, meet me. This is my wife.
- How? Did you get married again?
- No, it's still the same woman.
- But how did it happen that she changed so much?
- And you ask her yourself.
A friend approached the woman and asked:
- Sorry for the tactlessness, but I remember what you were like... not very much. What happened to make you so beautiful?
- It’s just that one day I realized that I was worth ten cows.

Parable about the best husband

One day a woman came to the priest and said:
- You married me and my husband two years ago. Now separate us. I don't want to live with him anymore.
“What is the reason for your desire to get a divorce?” asked the priest.
The woman explained this:
“Everyone’s husband returns home on time, but my husband is constantly delayed. Because of this, there are scandals at home every day.
The priest, surprised, asks:
- Is this the only reason?
“Yes, I don’t want to live with a person who has such a disadvantage,” the woman answered.
- I will divorce you, but on one condition. Come home, bake some big delicious bread and bring it to me. But when you bake bread, don’t take anything from the house; ask your neighbors for salt, water, and flour. And be sure to explain to them the reason for your request,” said the priest.
This woman went home and, without delay, got down to business.
I went to my neighbor and said:
- Oh, Maria, lend me a glass of water.
- Have you run out of water? Isn't there a well dug in the yard?
“There is water, but I went to the priest to complain about my husband and asked him to divorce us,” that woman explained, and as soon as she finished, the neighbor sighed:
- Oh, if you only knew what kind of husband I have! - and began to complain about her husband. Afterwards the woman went to her neighbor Asya to ask for salt.
-You’ve run out of salt, are you asking for just one spoon?
“There is salt, but I complained to the priest about my husband and asked for a divorce,” says that woman, and before she had time to finish, the neighbor exclaimed:
- Oh, if you only knew what kind of husband I have! - and began to complain about her husband.
So, no matter who this woman went to to ask, she heard complaints from everyone about their husbands.
Finally, she baked a large delicious bread, brought it to the priest and gave it to him with the words:
- Thank you, taste my work with your family. Just don’t think about divorcing me and my husband.
- Why, what happened, daughter? - asked the priest.
“My husband, it turns out, is the best,” the woman answered him.

A parable about true love

Once the Teacher asked his students:
- Why, when people quarrel, do they shout?
“Because they are losing their calm,” said one.
- But why shout if another person is next to you? – asked the Teacher. – Can’t you talk to him quietly? Why shout if you're angry?
The students offered their answers, but none of them satisfied the Teacher.
Finally he explained: “When people are dissatisfied with each other and quarrel, their hearts grow distant.” In order to cover this distance and hear each other, they have to shout. The angrier they get, the further they move away and the louder they scream.
- What happens when people fall in love? They do not shout, on the contrary, they speak quietly. Because their hearts are very close, and the distance between them is very small. And when they fall in love even more, what happens? – continued the Teacher. “They don’t speak, they just whisper and become even closer in their love.” - In the end, they don’t even need to whisper. They just look at each other and understand everything without words.

Parable about a happy family

In one small town, two families live next door. Some spouses constantly quarrel, blaming each other for all troubles and trying to figure out which one is right. And others live amicably, they have no quarrels, no scandals.
The obstinate housewife marvels at her neighbor’s happiness and, of course, is jealous. Says to her husband:
- Go and see how they do it so that everything is smooth and quiet.
He came to the neighbor's house, hid under the open window and listened.
And the hostess is just putting things in order in the house. He wipes the dust off an expensive vase. Suddenly the phone rang, the woman got distracted, and put the vase on the edge of the table, so that it was about to fall. But then her husband needed something in the room. He caught a vase, it fell and broke.
- Oh, what will happen now! - the neighbor thinks. He immediately imagined what a scandal there would be in his family.
The wife came up, sighed with regret, and said to her husband:
- Sorry honey.
- What are you doing, honey? It's my fault. I was in a hurry and didn’t notice the vase.
- I am guilty. She placed the vase so carelessly.
- No, it's my fault. Anyway. We could not have had greater misfortune.
The neighbor's heart sank painfully. He came home upset. Wife to him:
- You're doing something fast. Well, what did you look at?
- Yes!
- Well, how are they doing?
- It's all their fault. That's why they don't quarrel. But with us everyone is always right...

A beautiful legend about the importance of love in life

It so happened that on one island lived different feelings: Happiness, Sadness, Skill... And Love was among them.
One day, Premonition informed everyone that the island would soon disappear under water. Haste and Haste were the first to leave the island by boat. Soon everyone left, only Love remained. She wanted to stay until the last second. When the island was about to go under water, Lyubov decided to call for help.
Wealth sailed on a magnificent ship. Love says to him: “Wealth, can you take me away?” - “No, I have a lot of money and gold on my ship. I don’t have room for you!”
Happiness sailed past the island, but it was so happy that it did not even hear Love calling it.
...and yet Lyubov was saved. After her rescue, she asked Knowledge who it was.
- Time. Because only Time can understand how important Love is!

A story about true love

In one village there lived a girl of incomparable beauty, but none of the young men wooed her, no one sought her hand. The fact is that one day a sage who lived next door predicted:
- Anyone who dares to kiss the beauty will die!
Everyone knew that this sage was never wrong, so dozens of brave horsemen looked at the girl from afar, not daring to even approach her. But then one fine day a young man appeared in the village, who at first sight, like everyone else, fell in love with the beauty. Without thinking for a minute, he climbed over the fence, walked up and kissed the girl.
- Ah! - the inhabitants of the village cried out. - Now he will die!
But the young man kissed the girl again, and again. And she immediately agreed to marry him. The rest of the horsemen turned to the sage in bewilderment:
- How so? You, sage, predicted that the one who kissed the beauty would die!
- I don’t go back on my words. - answered the sage. - But I didn’t say when exactly this would happen. He will die someday later - after many years of a happy life.

A story about a long family life

An elderly couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary were asked how they managed to live together for so long.
After all, there was everything - difficult times, quarrels, and misunderstandings.
Probably their marriage was on the verge of collapse more than once.
“It’s just that in our time, broken things were repaired, not thrown away,” the old man smiled in response.

A parable about the fragility of love

Once upon a time, an old wise man came to one village and stayed to live. He loved children and spent a lot of time with them. He also loved to give them gifts, but only gave them fragile things.
No matter how hard the children tried to be careful, their new toys often broke. The children were upset and cried bitterly. Some time passed, the sage again gave them toys, but even more fragile.
One day his parents couldn’t stand it anymore and came to him:
- You are wise and wish only the best for our children. But why do you give them such gifts? They try their best, but the toys still break and the children cry. But the toys are so beautiful that it’s impossible not to play with them.
“Very few years will pass,” the elder smiled, “and someone will give them his heart.” Maybe this will teach them to handle this priceless gift a little more carefully?

And the moral of all these parables is very simple: love and appreciate each other.

Parables about love are stories, epics. Basically, parables are written to understand and accept the right side of behavior. Our parables about love are always updated and new ones are added.

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Husband and wife lived together for 30 years. On the day of the 30th anniversary of their marriage, the wife, as usual, baked a loaf of bread - she baked it every morning, it was a tradition. At breakfast, she cut it crosswise, buttered both parts, and, as usual, served the top part to her husband, but halfway through her hand stopped... She thought: “On the day of our thirtieth anniversary, I want to eat this rosy part of the bun myself; I’m talking about her I dreamed for 30 years. In the end, I was an exemplary wife for 30 years, I raised wonderful sons for him, I was a faithful and good lover, I ran the household, I put so much energy and health into our family.” Having made this decision, she hands the bottom of the bun to her husband, and her hand shakes - a violation of 30 years of tradition! And the husband, taking the bun, said to her: “What an invaluable gift you gave me today, my love! For 30 years I have not eaten my favorite, the bottom part of the bun, because I believed that it rightfully belonged to you.”

25.07.2016 0 793

There was one man who avoided marriage all his life, and when he was dying at the age of ninety, someone asked him:
- You never got married, but you never said why. Now, standing on the threshold of death, satisfy our curiosity. If there is any secret, at least reveal it now - after all, you are dying, leaving this world. Even if your secret is found out, it will not harm you. The old man replied:
- Yes, I keep one secret. It's not that I was against marriage, but I was always looking for the perfect woman. I spent all my time searching, and that’s how my life flew by.
- But is it really possible that on the entire huge planet, inhabited by millions of people, half of whom are women, you couldn’t find one single ideal woman?
A tear rolled down the dying old man's cheek. He replied:
- No, I still found one.
The questioner was completely perplexed.
- Then what happened, why didn’t you get married?
And the old man answered:
- That woman was looking for the ideal man...

25.04.2016 0 414

One day a young man asked a wise man: “How do you manage to maintain family happiness?” You and your wife never quarrel, everyone respects you and comes to you for advice. What is the secret? The sage smiled and called out to his wife. A smiling and beautiful woman entered the room. It seems that she radiated happiness with her whole appearance: - Yes, dear! - Honey, please prepare the dough for the pie. - Good! She went out and 20 minutes later came to say that the dough is ready. - Add the best melted butter from our reserves. And all those nuts that we left for our son's birthday cake. - Good. And again she came after 10 minutes, and her husband said: - Add our yard clay there too. And then bake.” “Okay,” said the wife.
And half an hour later this strange pie was already in her hands. “Of course, we won’t eat this!” - said the husband. “Give this to the pigs on the street.” “Okay,” said the wife. The guest was shocked. Is this really possible? Not a single word against, I did everything my husband said. Even when he suggested an absurd thing. And the man decided to repeat the experiment at home. When he entered there, he immediately heard his wife’s laughter. My wife and her friends were playing a board game. - Wife! - the man turned to her. “I’m busy!” - the wife shouted irritably from the bedroom. - Wife! After 10 minutes she appeared: - What do you need? - Put the dough on! - You're crazy! The house is full of food, and I have something to do! “Put in the dough, I said!” Half an hour later, my wife irritably announced that the dough was ready.
- Add the best nuts and all the melted butter there. - Are you crazy! The day after tomorrow is my sister's wedding, and these nuts are needed for the pie! - Do as I say!
The wife put only part of the nuts into the dough, and then went out to her husband again. - Now add clay to the dough! - Have you lost your mind? Have you wasted so many products? - Add clay, I say! And then bake. An hour later, my wife brought this pie and threw it on the table:
“I really want to see how you eat this!” “But I won’t eat it - take the pie to the pigs!” “You know what,” the wife was indignant, “then go and feed your pigs!” She slammed the door and went into her room. For several more days she laughed at her husband in front of everyone, telling this story. And then the guest decided to return to the sage: - Why? Why did everything work out for you, and your wife did everything as you said, but mine threw a scandal and is still laughing at me? - he asked from the doorway. “It’s simple.” I don't argue with her and don't give orders. I protect her and that makes her calm. My wife is the guarantee of my family well-being. - So what should I do now, look for another wife? - This is the easiest way that will lead you to the saddest result. You and your wife need to learn to respect each other. And you, as a man, must be the first to do everything to make her happy. - Yes, I already do everything for her! - Is she happy? Are you happy? After all, you created a family in order to love each other, take care and rejoice together. But instead you quarrel, share dominance and discuss each other... The man wandered home in thought. On the way, he saw a beautiful rose bush. It was with these roses that he once sought her hand. Every day he gave one sprig of roses. At any time of the year... When was the last time he gave her such flowers? He could no longer remember. He picked a twig and took it home. Everyone at home was already asleep. He did not want to disturb his wife - and simply placed flowers at her head. In the morning, breakfast was waiting for him for the first time in recent years. And a beautiful wife with shining eyes. He hugged her and kissed her tenderly, as he had done many years ago. He stopped doing unimportant things, began to devote more time to his wife and tried to make her happier. His attention and care, tenderness and love returned to him multiplied many times over. His wife stopped going around the house “haphazardly”, started cooking his favorite dishes for him again, they stopped arguing, and everything got better...
Several years passed, and one day a young man knocked on the door of his house.
- I heard that your relationship with your wife is a model for others. But I can’t do anything. My wife and I quarrel all the time, she spends all the money, we argue constantly... What's the secret? I've already read so many books, but none of them helped me...
The owner smiled and said: “Come in, dear guest.” My wife is just about to bake a cake...

15.04.2016 0 614

A man died and went to heaven. An angel flies up to him and says:
- Remember all the good things you did on Earth, then your wings will grow and you will fly with me to heaven.
“I dreamed of building a house and planting a garden,” the man recalled. Small wings appeared behind his back.
“But I didn’t have time to fulfill my dream,” the man added with a sigh. The wings have disappeared.
“I loved one girl,” the man said, and the wings appeared again.
“I’m glad that no one found out about my denunciation,” the man remembered, and his wings disappeared. So the man remembered both the good and the bad, and his wings appeared and disappeared. Finally, he remembered and told everything, but his wings never grew. The angel wanted to fly away, but the man suddenly whispered:
“I also remember how my mother loved me and prayed for me. At the same moment, large wings grew behind the man’s back.
- Can I really fly? - the man was surprised.
“A mother’s love makes a person’s heart pure and brings him closer to the angels,” the angel answered with a smile.

18.02.2016 0 433

Several years passed, and the wandering friend, already on his ship, decided to visit his remaining comrade and find out how his life was. He arrived, walked along the shore, and was met by a woman of unearthly beauty.
He asked her how to find his friend. She showed. He comes and sees: his friend is sitting, kids are running around.
- How are you?
- I'm happy.
Then that same beautiful woman comes in.
- Here, meet me. This is my wife.
- How? Did you get married again?
- No, it's still the same woman.
- But how did it happen that she changed so much?
- And you ask her yourself.
A friend approached the woman and asked:
- Sorry for the tactlessness, but I remember what you were like... not very much. What happened to make you so beautiful?
- It’s just that one day I realized that I was worth ten cows.

22.01.2016 0 561

Arabic love story
The Wind met a beautiful Flower and fell in love with it. While he gently caressed the Flower, it responded to him with even greater love, expressed in color and aroma. But it seemed to the Wind that this was not enough, and he decided: “If I give the Flower all my power and strength, then he will give me something even greater.” And he breathed on the Flower the powerful breath of his love. But the Flower could not bear the stormy passion and broke down. The wind tried to lift him and revive him, but could not. Then he calmed down and breathed the gentle breath of love on the Flower, but it withered before our eyes.
Then the Wind shouted:
- I gave you all the power of my love, and you broke! Apparently, you didn’t have the power of love for me, which means you didn’t love!
But the Flower did not answer. He died. Anyone who loves must remember that Love is not measured by force and passion, but by tenderness and reverent attitude. It’s better to hold back ten times than to break once.

A parable is one of the most ancient types of edifying stories. Instructive allegories allow you to briefly and succinctly give any moral statement, without resorting to direct persuasion. That is why parables about life with morality - short and allegorical - have at all times been a very popular educational tool, touching on a variety of problems of human existence.

The ability to distinguish between good and evil distinguishes a person from an animal. It is not surprising that the folklore of all nations contains many parables on this topic. They tried to give their own definitions of good and evil, explore their interaction and explain the nature of human dualism in the Ancient East, and in Africa, and in Europe, and in both Americas. A large corpus of parables on this topic shows that, despite all the differences in cultures and traditions, different peoples have a common understanding of these fundamental concepts.

Two wolves

Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed to his grandson one vital truth:
– There is a struggle in every person, very similar to the struggle of two wolves. One wolf represents evil - envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies... The other wolf represents good - peace, love, hope, truth, kindness, loyalty...
The little Indian, touched to the depths of his soul by his grandfather’s words, thought for a few moments, and then asked:
– Which wolf wins in the end?
The old Indian smiled faintly and replied:
– The wolf you feed always wins.

Know it and don't do it

The young man came to the sage with a request to accept him as a student.
– Can you lie? - asked the sage.
- Of course not!
- What about stealing?
- No.
- What about killing?
- No…
“Then go and find out all this,” exclaimed the sage, “but once you know, don’t do it!”

Black dot

One day the sage gathered his students and showed them an ordinary piece of paper on which he drew a small black dot. He asked them:
-What do you see?
Everyone answered in unison that it was a black dot. The answer was not correct. The sage said:
– Don’t you see this white sheet of paper - it’s so huge, bigger than this black dot! This is how it is in life - the first thing we see in people is something bad, although there is much more good. And only a few see the “white sheet of paper” right away.

Parables about happiness

Wherever a person is born, whoever he is, whatever he does, in essence, he does one thing - seeks happiness. This inner search continues from birth to death, even if it is not always realized. And on this path a person faces a lot of questions. What is happiness? Is it possible to be happy without having anything? Is it possible to get happiness ready-made or do you need to create it yourself?
The idea of happiness is as individual as DNA or fingerprints. For some people and the whole world is not enough to feel at least satisfied. For others, a little is enough - a ray of sunshine, a friendly smile. It seems that there can be no agreement between people regarding this ethical category. And yet, in different parables about happiness, common ground is found.

A piece of clay

God molded man from clay. He sculpted an earth, a house, animals and birds for man. And he was left with an unused piece of clay.
- What else should you make? - God asked.
“Make me happy,” the man asked.
God didn’t answer, thought for a moment and put the remaining piece of clay in the man’s palm.

Money can not buy happiness

The student asked the Master:
– How true are the words that money does not buy happiness?
The master replied that they were completely correct.
- It's easy to prove. For money can buy a bed, but not sleep; food - but not appetite; medicines - but not health; servants - but not friends; women - but not love; home - but not home; entertainment - but not joy; teachers - but not the mind. And what is named does not exhaust the list.

Khoja Nasreddin and the traveler

One day Nasreddin met a gloomy man wandering along the road to the city.
- What happened to you? – Khoja Nasreddin asked the traveler.
The man showed him a tattered travel bag and said plaintively:
- Oh, I'm unhappy! Everything I own in the infinitely vast world will barely fill this pitiful, worthless bag!
“Your affairs are bad,” Nasreddin sympathized, snatched the bag from the traveler’s hands and ran away.
And the traveler continued on his way, shedding tears. Meanwhile, Nasreddin ran ahead and placed the bag right in the middle of the road. The traveler saw his bag lying on the way, laughed with joy and cried out:
- Oh, what happiness! And I thought I had lost everything!
“It’s easy to make a person happy by teaching him to appreciate what he has,” thought Khoja Nasreddin, watching the traveler from the bushes.

Wise parables about morality

The words “morality” and “morality” in Russian have different connotations. Morality is rather a social attitude. Morality is internal, personal. However, the basic principles of morality and ethics are largely the same.
Wise parables easily, but not superficially, touch on these basic principles: the attitude of man to man, dignity and baseness, attitude towards the Motherland. Issues of the relationship between man and society are often embodied in parable form.

Bucket of apples

A man bought himself a new house - large, beautiful - and a garden with fruit trees near the house. And nearby, in an old house, there lived an envious neighbor who constantly tried to spoil his mood: either he would throw garbage under the gate, or he would do some other nasty things.
One day a man woke up in a good mood, went out onto the porch, and there was a bucket of slop. The man took a bucket, poured out the slop, cleaned the bucket until it was shiny, collected the largest, ripe and delicious apples into it and went to his neighbor. The neighbor opens the door in the hope of a scandal, and the man handed him a bucket of apples and said:
- He who is rich in what, shares it!

Low and worthy

One padishah sent the sage three identical bronze figurines and ordered him to convey:
“Let him decide which of the three people whose statues we are sending is worthy, who is so-so and who is low.”
No one could find any difference between the three figurines. But the sage noticed holes in his ears. He took a thin flexible stick and stuck it into the ear of the first figurine. The stick came out through the mouth. The second figurine's wand came out through the other ear. The third figurine has a wand stuck somewhere inside.
“A person who divulges everything he hears is certainly low,” the sage reasoned. - Anyone whose secret goes in one ear and comes out through the other is a so-so person. The truly noble one is the one who keeps all secrets within himself.
This is what the sage decided and made corresponding inscriptions on all the figurines.

Change your voice

The dove saw an owl in the grove and asked:
-Where are you from, owl?
– I lived in the east, and now I’m flying to the west.
So the owl answered and began to hoot and laugh angrily. The dove asked again:
– Why did you leave your home and fly to foreign lands?
- Because in the east they don’t like me because I have a nasty voice.
“It was in vain that you left your native land,” said the dove. “You don’t need to change the land, but your voice.” In the West, just like in the East, they do not tolerate evil hooting.

About parents

The attitude towards parents is a moral task that was solved long ago by humanity. Biblical legends about Ham, gospel commandments, numerous proverbs, and fairy tales fully reflect people’s ideas about the relationship between fathers and children. And yet, there are so many contradictions between parents and children that it is useful for a modern person to be reminded of this from time to time.
The constant relevance of the topic “Parents and Children” gives rise to more and more new parables. Modern authors, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, find new words and metaphors to again touch on this issue.

Feeder

Once upon a time there lived an old man. His eyes were blinded, his hearing was dull, and his knees trembled. He could hardly hold a spoon in his hands, he would spill soup, and sometimes food would fall out of his mouth.
The son and his wife looked at him with disgust and while eating began to sit the old man in a corner behind the stove, and the food was served to him in an old saucer. One day the old man's hands were shaking so much that he could not hold the saucer of food. It fell to the floor and broke. Then the young daughter-in-law began to scold the old man, and the son made a wooden feeder for his father. Now the old man had to eat from it.
One day, when the parents were sitting at the table, their little son entered the room with a piece of wood in his hands.
- What do you want to do? - asked the father.
“A wooden feeder,” answered the baby. – When I grow up, dad and mom will eat from it.

Eagle and eaglet

An old eagle flew over the abyss. He carried his son on his back. The eaglet was still too small and could not make it this way. Flying over the abyss, the chick said:
- Father! Now you carry me across the abyss on your back, and when I become big and strong, I will carry you.
“No, son,” answered the old eagle sadly. - When you grow up, you will carry your son.

Suspension bridge

On the way between two high-mountain villages there was a deep gorge. The residents of these villages built a suspension bridge over it. People walked on its wooden planks, and two cables served as railings. People were so used to walking across this bridge that they didn’t have to hold on to these railings, and even children fearlessly ran across the gorge on the planks.
But one day the ropes and railings disappeared somewhere. Early in the morning people approached the bridge, but no one could take a single step on it. While there were cables, it was possible not to hold on to them, but without them the bridge turned out to be impregnable.
This is what happens with our parents. While they are alive, it seems to us that we can do without them, but as soon as we lose them, life immediately begins to seem very difficult.

Everyday parables

Everyday parables are a special category of texts. In a person’s life, every moment a situation of choice arises. What role can seemingly insignificant little things, unnoticed little meanness, stupid provocations, absurd doubts play in fate? Proverbs answer this question clearly: huge.
For a parable, nothing is insignificant or unimportant. She firmly remembers that “the flutter of a butterfly’s wing echoes with thunder in distant worlds.” But the parable does not leave a person alone with the inexorable law of retribution. She always leaves the opportunity for the fallen to rise and continue on their way.

All in your hands

In a Chinese village there lived a sage. People came to him from everywhere with their problems and illnesses, and no one left without receiving help. For this they loved and respected him.
Only one person said: “People! Who do you worship? After all, he is a charlatan and a fraudster!” One day he gathered a crowd around him and said:
- Today I will prove to you that I was right. Let's go to your sage, I will catch a butterfly, and when he comes out onto the porch of his house, I will ask: “Guess what I have in my hand?” He will say: “Butterfly,” because anyway, one of you will let it slip. And then I’ll ask: “Is she alive or dead?” If he says that he is alive, I will squeeze his hand, and if he is dead, then I will release the butterfly to freedom. In any case, your sage will be made a fool!
When they came to the house of the sage, and he came out to meet them, the envious man asked his first question:
“Butterfly,” answered the sage.
- Is she alive or dead?
The old man, smiling into his beard, said:
- Everything is in your hands, man.

Bat

A long time ago, a war broke out between animals and birds. The hardest thing was for the old Bat. After all, she was both an animal and a bird at the same time. And therefore she could not decide for herself who it would be more profitable for her to join. But then she decided to cheat. If the birds prevail over the animals, then she will support the birds. Otherwise, she will quickly go over to the animals. So she did.
But when everyone noticed how she was behaving, they immediately suggested that she not run from one to the other, but choose one side once and for all. Then the old Bat said:
- No! I'll stay in the middle.
- Fine! - said both sides.
The battle began and the old Bat, caught in the middle of the battle, was crushed and died.
This is why he who tries to sit between two stools will always find himself on the rotten part of the rope that hangs over the jaws of death.

A fall

One student asked his Sufi mentor:
- Teacher, what would you say if you found out about my fall?
- Get up!
- And next time?
- Get up again!
– And how long can this continue – keep falling and rising?
- Fall and rise while you're alive! After all, those who fell and did not rise are dead.

Orthodox parables about life

Also Academician D.S. Likhachev noted that in Rus' the parable as a genre “grew” from the Bible. The Bible itself is littered with parables. It was this form of teaching the people that Solomon and Christ chose. Therefore, it is not surprising that with the advent of Christianity in Rus', the genre of parables took deep roots in our land.
Popular faith has always been far from formalism and “bookish” complexity. Therefore, the best Orthodox preachers constantly turned to allegory, where they generally transformed the key ideas of Christianity into a fairy-tale form. Sometimes Orthodox parables about life could be concentrated into one phrase-aphorism. In other cases - into a short story.

Humility is a feat

Once a woman came to the Optina hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov) and asked him for a blessing for a spiritual feat: to live alone and fast, pray and sleep on bare boards without interference. The elder told her:
– You know, the evil one does not eat, does not drink and does not sleep, but everything lives in the abyss, because he has no humility. Submit in everything to the will of God - that’s your feat; humble yourself before everyone, reproach yourself for everything, bear illness and sorrow with gratitude - this is beyond any feats!

Your cross

One person thought that his life was very difficult. And one day he went to God, told about his misfortunes and asked Him:
– Can I choose a different cross for myself?
God looked at the man with a smile, led him into the storage room where there were crosses, and said:
- Choose.
A man walked around the storehouse for a long time, looking for the smallest and lightest cross, and finally found a small, small, light, light cross, approached God and said:
- Lord, can I take this one?
“It’s possible,” God answered. - This is your own.

About love with morals

Love moves worlds and human souls. It would be strange if the parables ignored the problems of relationships between men and women. And here the authors of the parables raise a great many questions. What is love? Is it possible to define it? Where does it come from and what destroys it? How to find it?
Parables also touch on narrower aspects. Everyday relations between husband and wife - it would seem that what could be more banal? But here too the parable finds food for thought. After all, it’s only in fairy tales that things end with a wedding crown. And the parable knows: this is just the beginning. And keeping love is no less important than finding it.

All or nothing

One man came to the sage and asked: “What is love?” The sage said: “Nothing.”
The man was very surprised and began to tell him that he had read many books that described how love can be different, sad and happy, eternal and fleeting.
Then the sage replied: “That’s it.”
The man again did not understand anything and asked: “How can I understand you? All or nothing?"
The sage smiled and said: “You yourself just answered your own question: nothing or everything. There can be no middle ground!”

Mind and heart

One person argued that the mind on the street of love is blind, and that the main thing in love is the heart. As proof of this, he cited the story of a lover who swam many times across the Tigris River, bravely fighting the current, to see his beloved.
But one day he suddenly noticed a spot on her face. After this, while swimming across the Tigris, he thought: “My beloved is imperfect.” And at that very moment the love that held him on the waves weakened, in the middle of the river his strength left him, and he drowned.

Repair, don't throw away

An elderly couple who had lived together for over 50 years was asked:
- Probably, you have never had a fight in half a century?
“We were arguing,” the husband and wife answered.
– Maybe you never had any need, you had ideal relatives and a full house?
- No, everything is like everyone else.
– But you never wanted to separate?
– There were such thoughts.
– How did you manage to live together for so long?
– Apparently, we were born and raised in a time when it was customary to fix broken things and not throw them away.

Don't demand

The teacher learned that one of his students was persistently seeking someone's love.
“Don’t demand love, so you won’t get it,” said the teacher.
- But why?
- Tell me, what do you do when uninvited guests break into your door, when they knock, scream, demanding to open it, and tear out their hair from the fact that it is not opened for them?
“I lock it tighter.”
– Don’t break into the doors of other people’s hearts, as they will close even more tightly before you. Become a welcome guest and any heart will open to you. Take the example of a flower that does not chase bees, but by giving them nectar, attracts them to itself.

Short parables about insult

The outside world is a harsh environment that constantly pits people against each other, striking sparks. A situation of conflict, humiliation, or insult can unsettle a person for a long time. The parable comes to the rescue here too, playing a psychotherapeutic role.
How to react to an insult? Give vent to anger and respond to the insolent? What to choose – the Old Testament “an eye for an eye” or the Gospel “turn the other cheek”? It is curious that of the entire corpus of parables about insults, the Buddhist ones are the most popular today. The pre-Christian, but not Old Testament, approach seems most acceptable to our contemporaries.

Go your own way

One of the disciples asked Buddha:
– If someone insults or hits me, what should I do?
– If a dry branch falls from a tree and hits you, what will you do? – he asked in response:
- What will i do? “It’s a simple accident, a simple coincidence that I found myself under a tree when a branch fell from it,” said the student.
Then the Buddha remarked:
- So do the same. Someone was mad, angry and hit you. It's like a branch falling from a tree on your head. Don’t let this bother you, go on your way as if nothing happened.

Take it for yourself

One day, several people began to viciously insult Buddha. He listened silently, very calmly. And that's why they felt uneasy. One of these people addressed the Buddha:
– Don’t our words hurt you?!
“It’s up to you to decide whether to insult me or not,” replied the Buddha. – And mine is to accept your insults or not. I refuse to accept them. You can take them for yourself.

Socrates and the insolent

When some impudent person kicked Socrates, he endured it without saying a word. And when someone expressed surprise why Socrates ignored such a blatant insult, the philosopher remarked:
- If a donkey kicked me, would I really bring him to court?

About the meaning of life

Reflections on the meaning and purpose of existence belong to the category of so-called “damned questions”, and no one has a definite answer. However, deep existential fear - “Why am I living if I’m going to die anyway?” - torments every person. And of course, the genre of parable also touches on this issue.
Every nation has parables about the meaning of life. Most often it is defined as follows: the meaning of life is in life itself, in its endless reproduction and development through subsequent generations. The short-term existence of each individual person is considered philosophically. Perhaps the most allegorical and transparent parable in this category was invented by the American Indians.

Stone and bamboo

They say that one day a stone and a bamboo had a heated argument. Each of them wanted a person's life to be similar to his own.
The stone said:
– A person’s life should be the same as mine. Then he will live forever.
Bamboo replied:
- No, no, a person’s life should be like mine. I die, but am immediately born again.
The stone objected:
- No, it’s better to do it differently. Let a better person be like me. I do not bow to the wind or the rain. Neither water, nor heat, nor cold can harm me. My life is endless. For me there is no pain, no care. This is how a person's life should be.
Bamboo insisted:
- No. A person's life should be like mine. I die, it is true, but I am reborn in my sons. Isn't that right? Look around me - my sons are everywhere. And they too will have their own sons, and all will have smooth and white skin.
The stone was unable to answer this. Bamboo won the argument. This is why human life is like the life of bamboo.

Loving yourself for the benefit of others.

A woman dies and Death comes to her. The woman, seeing Death, smiled and said that she was ready.
- What are you ready for? – asked Death.
- I’m ready for God to take me to Heaven! – the woman answered.
- Why did you decide that God would take you to him? – asked Death.
- Well, how? “I suffered so much that I deserve the peace and love of God,” the woman answered.
- What exactly did you suffer from? – asked Death.
- When I was little, my parents always punished me unfairly. They beat me, put me in a corner, shouted at me as if I had done something terrible. When I was at school, my classmates bullied me and also beat and humiliated me. When I got married, my husband drank all the time and cheated on me. My children exhausted my soul, and in the end they didn’t even come to my funeral. When I was working, my boss yelled at me all the time, delayed my salary, left me on weekends, and then fired me without paying me. The neighbors gossiped about me behind my back, saying that I was a prostitute. And one day a robber attacked me and stole my bag and raped me.
- Well, what good have you done in your life? – asked Death.
“I was always kind to everyone, went to church, prayed, took care of everyone, took care of everything on myself. I experienced so much pain from this world, like Christ, that I deserved Paradise...
“Well, okay...” Death answered, “I understand you.” There remains a small formality. Sign one agreement and go straight to Paradise.
Death handed her a piece of paper with one sentence to tick. The woman looked at Death and, as if she had been doused with ice water, said that she could not tick this sentence.
On the piece of paper it was written: “I forgive all my offenders and ask forgiveness from everyone I offended.”
- Why can’t you forgive them all and ask for forgiveness? – asked Death.
- Because they don’t deserve my forgiveness, because if I forgive them, it means nothing happened, it means they won’t answer for their actions. And I have no one to ask for forgiveness... I didn’t do anything bad to anyone!
-Are you sure about this? – asked Death.
- Absolutely!
- How do you feel about those who caused you so much pain? – asked Death.
- I feel anger, rage, resentment! It’s unfair that I should forget and erase from my memory the evil that people have done to me!
- What if you forgive them and stop having these feelings? – asked Death.
The woman thought for a while and replied that there would be emptiness inside!
- You have always experienced this emptiness in your heart, and this emptiness devalued you and your life, and the feelings that you experience give significance to your life. Now tell me, why do you feel empty?
- Because all my life I thought that those whom I loved and those for whom I lived would appreciate me, but in the end they disappointed me. I gave my life to my husband, children, parents, friends, but they did not appreciate it and turned out to be ungrateful!
- Before God said goodbye to his son and sent him to earth, he finally said one phrase to him, which was supposed to help him realize life in himself and himself in this life...
- Which one? – the woman asked.
- THE WORLD STARTS WITH YOU..!
- What does it mean?
- So he didn’t understand what God told him... It’s about the fact that only you are responsible for everything that happens in your life! You CHOOSE to suffer or be happy! So explain to me who exactly caused you so much pain?
“It turns out I’m on my own…” the woman answered in a trembling voice.
- So who can’t you forgive?
- Myself? – the woman answered in a crying voice.
- Forgiving yourself means admitting your mistake! Forgiving yourself means accepting your imperfections! Forgiving yourself means opening up to yourself! You hurt yourself and decided that the whole world is to blame for this, and they don’t deserve your forgiveness... And you want God to accept you with open arms?! Have you decided that God is like a soft, stupid old man who will open doors for fools and evil sufferers?! Do you think he created the perfect place for people like you? When you create your own paradise, where first of all you, and then the others, will feel good, then you will knock on the doors of the heavenly abode, but for now God gave me instructions to send you back to earth so that you learn to create a world in which love and care reign. And those who cannot take care of themselves live in the deep delusion that they can take care of others. Do you know how God punishes a woman who considers herself an ideal mother?
- How? – the woman asked.
- He sends her children whose destinies are broken before her eyes...
- I realized... I couldn’t make my husband loving and devoted. I couldn’t raise my children to be happy and successful. I couldn’t preserve a hearth where there would be peace and harmony... In my world, everyone suffered...
- Why? – asked Death.
- I wanted everyone to feel sorry for me and have compassion... But no one felt sorry for me... And I thought that God would definitely take pity on me and hug me!
- Remember that the most dangerous people on earth are those who want to arouse pity and compassion for themselves... They are called “victims”... Your greatest ignorance is that you think that God needs someone’s sacrifice! He will never allow into his abode someone who has known nothing but pain and suffering, for this sacrifice will sow pain and suffering in his world...! Go back and learn to love and care for yourself, and then for those who live in your world. First, ask yourself for forgiveness for your ignorance and forgive yourself for it!
The woman closed her eyes and began the journey again, but only under a different name and with different parents.

Why do people scream when they quarrel...

Once a wise Teacher asked his students: “Do you know why people scream when they quarrel?”

One of the students replied: “People scream because they lose their calm.”

“But why should you shout, because the other person is next to you?” - asked the Teacher - “Isn’t it possible to speak quietly? Why yell at another person if you're angry?

The students offered their own answers, but none of them satisfied the Teacher. Finally he explained:
“When people are dissatisfied with each other and quarrel, their hearts grow distant. In order to cover this distance and hear each other, they have to shout. The more angry they become, the greater the distance between their hearts becomes, and the louder they scream.

What happens to people when they fall in love? They do not scream, but on the contrary, they speak quietly. This happens because the hearts of lovers are very close to each other, the distance between them is very small.”

“And when people fall even more in love, what happens?” - continued the Teacher - “Lovers do not speak, but only quietly whisper, and become even closer in their love.
Later, they don’t even need to whisper. They just look at each other and understand each other perfectly without words.

So, when you argue, do not allow your hearts to move away from each other, do not utter words that further increase the distance between you. Because the day may come when the distance becomes so great that you will not be able to find your way back."

Flower and wind

The Wind met a beautiful Flower and fell in love with it. While he gently caressed the Flower, it responded to him with even greater love, expressed in color and aroma.

But it seemed to the Wind that this was not enough, and he decided: “If I give the Flower all my power and strength, then he will give me something even greater.” And he breathed on the Flower the powerful breath of his love. But the Flower could not bear the stormy passion and broke down.

The wind tried to lift him and revive him, but could not. Then he calmed down and breathed the gentle breath of love on the Flower, but it withered before our eyes. Then the Wind shouted:
- I gave you all the power of my love, and you broke! Apparently, you didn’t have the power of love for me, which means you didn’t love!
But the Flower did not answer. He died.

Anyone who loves must remember that Love is not measured by force and passion, but by tenderness and reverent attitude. It’s better to hold back ten times than to break once.

To marry or not?

A rich young man approached one dervish, who was sitting in the market square, and, putting gold in a begging bowl, said:
- Reverend, I need your advice. I like one girl. Really like. And now I am tormented, because I don’t know what to do: get married or not.
- Don't get married.
- But why?!
- If you really wanted this, you wouldn't ask.

Parable of the Wolf

I'll tell the legend of days gone by
(Let everyone understand as best they can)
About the gray steppe wolf and about her,
About the one who was dearer to him than anyone else.

The story is beautiful but sad
Don't expect a happy ending here
Don't expect a fight between good and evil here,
It’s good to fight and lose tiredly.

I
In distant lands, where the wind frolics,
Where the air smells of free destiny,
Once upon a time there lived there alone in the world
Handsome lone steppe wolf.

He lived alone, far from the whole flock,
And I didn’t need anyone else.
They even despised him for it
Everywhere they consider the beast a stranger.

And he was proud that he was free
From feelings and prejudices, from others
Wolves that were by nature
They are slavishly blind in their thoughts.

The heavy look is filled with nobility,
The wolf did not recognize foreign laws,
Lived on his own terms. So proudly and with dignity
I looked my enemies in the eyes and won.

The wolf became stronger every year
And he kept his seal of loneliness.
His road was thorny and difficult,
But the beast did not ask for mercy.

And he himself was the chosen one of this share,
He chose the path, and he himself wanted to live that way.
Among strangers - not his own, among his own - an exile,
I was ready to pay with my life for freedom.

II
The beast went out hunting one morning
And the taste of bloody sacrifice was anticipated,
After all, the predator is a cruel breed
God created to kill the weak.

Piercing and sharp wolf eye
The hunter suddenly saw a deer.
Straightening your chest and arching your back at once,
He ran towards the still living prey.

But I didn’t manage to achieve my goal,
The deer breathed its last breath in the teeth of others.
At first he couldn’t believe his own eyes:
The gray wolf stood a hundred paces away.

She was as graceful as a cat,
And at the same time, like a woman, slowly
Enjoyed the trophy in cold blood
A ruthless predatory soul.

Just one glance, and that's enough
I didn’t understand how I disappeared forever.
The beast's heart began to beat restlessly.
Forgetting about everything, he watched the she-wolf.

She was captivatingly beautiful
Free hunter of the steppes.
She held her head so proudly.
Since then, all thoughts were only about her.

III
The seasoned man was angry with himself, not understanding
What attracts him so much? He lost his peace.
And how did the young wolf take him?
I fought with my feelings, I fought with myself.

He didn't love and never thought
That there is something more than instinct.
He walked lost in his thoughts,
Trying to forget that hunt.

But no matter how hard the wolf tried, everything was one,
The attempts were doomed to failure.
I couldn't forget. And so inexorably
The heart rate drowned out all thoughts.

One day he said to himself: “You are a warrior!
What I wanted, I always had in full.
So now take what you deserve,
Whatever the price!

IV
The wolf and the she-wolf were so similar,
Two lonely soul mates
All my life I wandered among stones and dust
And finally, they found their destiny.

They breathed the same breath
And thoughts were divided into two.
What the envious people didn’t want for them,
But what did lovers care about others...

The sea was knee-deep for them,
What a sea... An entire ocean!
The endless expanses of the sky
The wolf laid his beloved at his feet.

They didn't need anything else
Each other can only feel the warmth.
Always everywhere together, close by,
Despite everything, in spite of everything.

There has never been and never will be
So faithfully looking wolf eyes.
Only those who love madly will understand
And he was loved in the same way at least once.

The steppe was covered with snow,
There were hare tracks everywhere.
And from the sun the first cold rays
The she-wolf left in search of food.

That morning the wolf did not wake up from affection,
Not from the breath of your beloved.
He jumped up when he heard the sonorous barking of a dog,
And the voice of a man - which is even more terrible.

The hunt has begun. The pack howled
Rushing in pursuit of the she-wolf,
On a snow-white clean background
Shreds of fur, blood and dirt were mixed together.

She fought like a lone warrior
Fearlessly tore her enemies to pieces.
Worthy of an opponent like this
None of this pack of dogs was there.

They took the she-wolf into a tight circle
And they meanly sank their fangs into my back.
Trying to overcome fear with wolfish courage,
The hunters finished off their prey.

And the man behind the stage was watching,
He wanted blood and fun,
He laid down his life for the sake of laughter
Without a small amount of regret.

VI
All the paws were bleeding - the seasoned one was chasing the trail.
The soul screamed: “If only I could make it in time!”
He wanted so much like the wind
Fly to your beloved for help.

But I didn’t have time...
He covered only his body with his chest
And the snow-white bared his teeth desperately.
Suddenly, the man, looking timidly into his eyes,
He ordered the wolf to be left to the pack.

The hunt is over, and the pack is called back,
Leaving the beast generously the right to live.
But people didn’t know one thing,
What a worse fate could not have happened.

Such pain cannot be expressed in words,
And God forbid someone else feels it.
The wolf dreamed of giving his life,
So that morning comes for your beloved.

But death itself decides who to be with,
He does not sell his trophies.
Can't be returned... Can't be forgotten...
Here she dictates the rules...

VII
And here again... as alone as before...
Everything was back to normal again.
The steppe wolf doomed by freedom
Without the will to live, without the meaning of existence.

The sun went dark, the sky turned black,
And the whole world was painted in indifference,
Longingly betrothed forever,
Taking a vow of sorrow,

The beast hated this world
Where everything around is a reminder,
About the one I loved
With whom I lived in the same breath,

With the one with whom he met the dawns,
And gave all of himself,
The one that I lost forever
And keeping the memory only of her,

Wolf day and night together with longing
Like a ghost wandering across the steppe,
Seeing no other fate,
He desperately sought death.

The beast called her, begged her to come,
But I only heard an echo in response...
Forgotten by everyone along the way,
And life is gone, and there is no death...

It's still a long time at night
The tired traveler heard somewhere
In the distance, a sad wolf howl,
Carried across the steppe by the wind.

***
Days, weeks, years flew by,
Time changed sometimes
Myths, songs, odes were composed
About how the wolf loved the steppe.

And only the hardest-hearted
Waving his hand contemptuously,
He said: “All of you people are lying,
We are not given such love...

About true love

It was an unremarkable morning in the most ordinary clinic. A man of quite advanced years came to the doctor to remove stitches from his finger. It was noticeable that he was very worried and in a hurry to get somewhere. Having asked when the doctor would be there, the man said in a trembling voice that a very important matter awaited him at 9 o’clock. And it’s already 8:30.

I answered understandingly that all the doctors were busy and would be able to pay attention to him no earlier than in an hour. However, noticing the incredible sadness in his eyes and some confusion in his movements, when he kept glancing at his watch, something skipped a beat under my heart. There were no patients to see me, and I decided to take care of this man’s wound myself. I was glad that the wound was well closed, which means there won’t be any problems if the stitches are removed now. After consulting with a colleague, I attended to the patient.

For some reason I wanted to talk to him, and I was the first to start a conversation:
-You're in such a hurry. You must have an appointment with another specialist?
- Not certainly in that way. At 9 o'clock I need to feed my sick wife. She's in the hospital now. Out of medical curiosity, I asked what was wrong with his wife. The man replied that, unfortunately, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I managed to do the necessary procedures while we were talking, which, naturally, took time. It seemed to me that by 9 o’clock my patient might not make it to the hospital to see his wife. I asked if she would worry if he was late. The man nodded his head sadly:
- No, she won’t worry. My wife hasn't recognized me for the last five years. And she doesn’t even remember who I was to her in life.
I exclaimed in surprise:
– And despite this, you still rush to the hospital every morning at 9 to see a person who no longer knows you?
Then he affectionately patted me on the shoulder and, smiling, answered in a fatherly manner:
– Yes, unfortunately, she doesn’t know who I am. But I remember who she is. I have been happy with her all my life.

I went to the window and watched for a long time as the elderly patient walked away down the alley. It was only when they knocked on the door that I realized that I was crying. Goosebumps ran through my body, and I said: “This is the love that I dream of too...”

My morning patient said he was happy. And she, that woman, is also happy, having such a husband.
Not passion or romance, but true love, capable of understanding, forgiving and accepting - that is what is enduring. We'll leave. And she will remain, settling in someone’s heart.

Madness plays hide and seek

One day Madness invited friends over for tea. Everyone came, it was fun, they sang, danced, and after the cake Madness suggested playing hide and seek:
- I count to one hundred, and you hide. The first one found will count to one hundred again.

Everyone agreed, except Fear and Laziness.
- One, two, three... - Madness began to count.

Panic hid first, anywhere. Joy ran around the garden. Sadness began to cry, thinking about the frailty of life. Envy clung to Jubilation and hid behind high rocks. And Madness counted everything. Despair despaired, as Madness had already counted to ninety-nine.
- One hundred! - Madness squealed. - I'm looking for you!

Curiosity was found first, peeking out in hopes of seeing who would be found first. Doubt found Madness hanging on the fence; it hung on the fence, undecided on which side of the fence it was better to hide.

They found everyone, and Curiosity suddenly asked:
-Where is Love?

Everyone started looking. Madness in search wandered far, far and suddenly found itself in a beautiful fragrant rose garden. Something rustled in the bushes. Madness parted the pink branches and heard a scream. It was Love, rose thorns pierced her eyes. Madness rushed about, wringing its hands, apologizing, asking on its knees for forgiveness, to the point of promising Love to stay with her forever. Love agreed.

And since then blind Love and Madness have walked together.

One man came to the sage for advice:
“My wife and I haven’t had the same feelings for each other for a long time, I don’t love her anymore, and she probably doesn’t love me either.” What should I do?

The sage replied:
- Love her.

The man thought that the sage had not heard:
- But I’m telling you, there are no feelings left!

The sage nodded:
- This is a good reason to love her.

The man continued to ask:
- But how can you love if you don’t love?!

And this is what he heard:
- Serve her, listen to her, appreciate her, empathize with her, sacrifice yourself for her. There are no barriers to true love, because the word “Love” does not mean a feeling, but an action.

Two apples

One day a young man who was planning to get married came to Hing Shi and asked: “Teacher, I want to marry, but definitely only a virgin.” Tell me, am I acting wisely? The teacher asked: - Why specifically on a virgin? - This way I will be sure that my wife is virtuous. Then the teacher got up and brought two apples - one whole, and the second bitten. And he invited the young man to try them. He took the whole one, bit into it - the apple turned out to be rotten. Then he took the bitten one and took a bite, but the bitten apple was rotten. In bewilderment, the young man asked: “So how should I choose a wife?” “With my heart,” answered the Teacher.

About love and disappointment

Early in the morning, when Hing Shi was walking with his student in the garden, a young man approached them. Somewhat embarrassed, he greeted Hing Shi and his disciple, and then asked:
- Teacher, I love one girl very much, and our parents are not against us getting married, but I am overcome by fears and doubts.
“What are you worried about and what are you afraid of?” asked Hing Shi.
“I’m afraid of being disappointed in her, in family life... because I can’t know in advance that I’m doing the right thing,” answered the peasant.
“Go home and marry this girl if you love her and your love is mutual,” answered Hing Shi.

After the young man, having thanked the sage for his advice, left, the student asked:
- Tell me, Teacher, why did you advise the young man to get married if he is afraid of disappointment. Shouldn't he wait and put off getting married?
“By reasoning like this, you forget that disappointment is too little a price to pay for possible happiness,” Hing Shi answered, smiling.

Youngest daughter...

The omnipotent Satan had three daughters.
And besides the three, there was one more...
Passing off the eldest daughter as a prince,
“You will be Pride!” Satan told her.
You will be Greed from now on, second daughter,
A rich merchant took you as his wife.
You, my third daughter, are going to the poet’s house,
You will be Envy forever from now on.
From now on there are no other names for the three of you!” –
This was the father's sentence.

And the youngest daughter with hot, ardent blood,
What was always closest to him,
Horned Satan called Love in his hearts -
And gave everything to humanity!

Gathering your friends for a cup of tea,
Madness said casually:
-Let's play hide and seek, -
When both cake and tea are over.

I'm giving you a chance to hide better,
Until I count to one hundred.
Friends, of course, agreed immediately,
Only Lenya didn’t want to, as always.

Panic rushed everywhere,
Joy swept through the garden like a whirlwind.
Sadness sat down behind a bush and began to cry,
And Jubilation, having enjoyed to its heart’s content,

The opportunity to rise above everyone,
Behind the haystack it stood up to its full height.
And instantly Envy, a black shadow,
"Fell" on Jubilation's tail.

Despair searched desperately
I couldn't decide.
The madness has already ended,
When it found refuge.

First, Curiosity was found,
(It's never hard to find)
It must have hardly been hiding,
Hoping to see everything for myself.

Doubt hung on the fence
Everything could not come to a decision,
Which side should you take cover on?
So that they won’t be able to find it for longer.

But there was a meeting with Love
In a dense, beautiful, pink garden.
She got into trouble that evening,
Moreover - into irreparable trouble.

Naive, didn’t know about the threat
From the side of unprecedented flowers.
And, pricking my eyes with rose thorns,
Love lost her sight forever.

Madness froze in amazement,
Kneeling down and losing strength.
A little later, in the hope of forgiveness,
He said, suppressing his sobs:

I will go through life with you, dear.
Your trouble is now my trouble.
That's why since then Love is blind
One can never be separated from Madness.

Blind old man

Although the sage was blind for a long time,
To the maiden who did not raise her eyelids,
But still itching to ask.

In confusion her voice said -
“Well, if a person loves,
So does that mean he will come back?

I was waiting for an answer from the sage,
Crimson ashamed face.
(Here a sighted person will only understand)

From an old man who has never seen the light,
The answer to the girl was short.
“Whoever loves will not leave!”

Flowers of love

Man lived hard on Earth. He had little love and a lot of suffering. After death, a person went to heaven. From the wonderful smell of heavenly flowers his chest was filled with happiness, and the man exclaimed:

God! In heaven, life is bliss, but on earth it is full of sorrow. Give people your heavenly flowers so that their grief will decrease.

My flowers have been growing on Earth for a long time. Angels call them heavenly joy, and people call them love, came the answer.

I thought heavenly flowers only grow in heaven! - the man was surprised.

And I heard the answer:

They grow wherever there is love.

A fairy tale for children and adults.

She turned out to be white...
“I knew it,” said the mother, “it had to happen sooner or later.” The father was thoughtfully silent, looking at his newborn child, whom he loved long before he was born. Now, when she appeared in this huge world, he tried to come to terms with the idea that her path in life would not be the easiest.
Their family has always been distinguished by a special position among the numerous crow tribe. The matte blackness of the feathers did not seem to suggest the possibility of offspring not corresponding to the generally accepted color. But...
For the time being, the parents hid the baby in the nest, but even among her brothers and sisters she stood out for her strange dissimilarity: she never snatched food from someone else’s beak, did not take part in fights, and pitied the weak, although she herself could hardly be considered strong. And at the same time, she had enviable resilience in matters of experience - both her own and those of others. She behaved like a queen who grew up in complete ignorance of the secret of her birth, but received all the dignity due to her by birth.
The time has come to release the children into adulthood. The parents had a conversation with each of their offspring with instructions on how not to lose the honor of the family and not to stain their own. Finally, they called Belaya to their place.
“We must tell you about the secret of our family. The time has come,” - this is how the father and mother began their conversation, and Belaya, as befits Belaya, prepared to listen to them from beginning to end. “A long time ago, when neither we nor our parents were in the world, an amazing event happened in one black-raven family - they gave birth to a completely white bird. She was not like everyone else. Not like that at all! And it cannot be said that she was worse. No. I just didn’t want to be like everyone else, and it turned out to be very inconvenient. She was ridiculed, but she did not change. They teased her, but she didn’t even bow her head. And she waited. All the time she was waiting for a raven to come to her, who would not be afraid to go against the displeasure of the crowd, who would accept her as she was - White. It was not easy at all, but her resilience could be the envy of the most strong-willed creature in the world. And there was a raven who loved her with all his heart. And he took her as his wife. But the strange white crow simply ran away the next morning, leaving the crow unhappy for the rest of his life. He could never love anyone else.

This was your great-great-great-grandmother. She went to distant lands, where her children appeared. These were the children of the black raven, but he never knew about it. Luckily they were all black. But before her death, your great-great-great-grandmother gathered all the children around her and told the story of her life, warning that any of them could have a black crow in their offspring. And so that they would certainly convey the secret word to her.
Child, you were born white. And the secret word is very simple: You will always be white if you want. But the main thing is that your soul remains white and pure, otherwise you will neither remain white nor become black.”
This is what the parents said to their daughter and released her from the nest.
It’s not worth describing how difficult her life was. After all, other parents also told their children that ancient story, only each one described it as best he could and as he wanted.
Belaya never did harm to anyone, and even moreover, when help was needed, they most often turned to her, and she did not refuse anyone, despite the fact that ingratitude was a more frequent payment for her responsiveness than a kind word. “Well, I’m White. And if my soul cannot otherwise feel white, then it means that I am doing the right thing, as a white crow should,” - this is how she explained the events of life to herself... And she waited.
In the flock, the most enviable groom was considered a proud raven named Black. His feathers were blue, and his strong beak gave no one any reason to doubt his fearlessness. And he always behaved with dignity, never got involved in fights, but did not give in, even in small attempts to offend himself. As soon as he saw White, he was captivated by her softness and proud posture, her unusualness, beauty, self-control and complete dissimilarity from all the other crows of the numerous crow tribe. One day, when, out of his habit of bullying for no reason, one of the townsfolk began to laugh at our poor girl, Black simply silently came up and stood next to her, letting everyone know that she was not alone now. Thus was born a love that closed many evil beaks, and naturally ended with a wedding.
“Well, thank God,” Belaya thought to herself, “I’ll be happy, like all the crows.”
Sitting next to her beloved, clinging to him, under the protection of a mighty black wing, she did not immediately understand what he was telling her. The voice itself was caressing and lulling. And the trees swayed under the wind of the night sky, bringing languor and tranquility.

“Darling, now you and I are not afraid of anything. I'm no longer lonely. You are with me, I am with you, my WHITE CROW. I'm also white. Only I learned to be black to everyone. I will teach you too, and we will be in absolute safety, white for each other, and for everyone as they are comfortable...”
It seemed as if the world had collapsed.
White barely restrained herself from screaming.
“You are not black - you are dirty! – that’s all she found to say. “I’ll leave in the morning.”
Now Black was struck to the very heart.
It was a long, long night. And early in the morning the young were not found in the nest. They disappeared. Idle gossips made guesses, and, of course, accused Belaya of witchcraft.
Only the horizon knew that the two dark bird silhouettes flapping their wings over the distant forest were actually white birds.

Prices while they last

Parting gives a person a feeling of impending death, while a date gives a feeling of real resurrection. That is why former lovers mistakenly think that even after a long time it will not be too late to restore everything.
And then the moment comes you realize that you need this date more than ever. You take the phone with trembling fingers, send an SMS, and you sit all in anticipation, looking through her status posts with a satisfied face...

Silence all around. The room is illuminated by the rays of the telephone that fell from the numb hands. They start to fade. No, everything is fine with the phone, it was not damaged when it fell, the battery is not discharged. The light was replaced by pictures of your whole life flying before your eyes. The features of a smile appeared on the face caused by the episodes that had occurred over the past year and a half. Of all 26 years, these children were the best, that’s why you feel so good and happy now. It feels like she’s right next to her, hugged her tightly and, pressing her nose against her chest, gently purred... No, stop it can’t be, I dreamed it! But no, it was not a dream, her wall, all her posts and status appeared before my eyes. How? No! She should be waiting for you, she loves you, well, you ignored her, pushed her away when she went to the meeting, time passed by nonsense, after all, you made up your mind, you wrote that you need to try, because it’s impossible to restore everything, we recently broke up. Yes, bullshit, it’s written so simply, just think about the status, just for fun, I heard it somewhere in a song and wrote it!!! But the feeling that she experienced was written: “The best cure for love is new love.” How so? Like "new". Your eyes darkened, a terrible loud noise in your ears made you panic. Impossible! Joke! No, I haven’t forgotten! Loves! Me! What all? End? Where I am? What's that noise? Am I already in Hell? These questions arose due to the unbearable burning pain in every cell of the numb body. It burns in agony. You want to call for help, but you can’t, something is pressing on your lungs with enormous force, not allowing you to breathe. No, not dead, not in Hell, alive. Realizing what happened, you feel worse, you think it’s easier to die instead of like this, why is it so bad? I fell in love so much that I didn’t notice how attached I was, I thought it was only yours, a personal thing, it will only be with you, no one will take it, I will do what I want, but now, for some reason, it’s not like that, I’ve lost it, gone, not yours anymore, the bitterness of loss fills me, you know you can’t live without her, you’re used to it, you don’t know how to do it any other way, you worry, you’re nervous, you’re hysterical about not seeing the future now, your plans have collapsed and there are no new ones, so it’s bad because of your emotions. You begin to regret everything you’ve done, look for the culprits, but it doesn’t turn out that you are guilty, you were in no hurry to restore what you destroyed, you put everything off and turned it into jokes, you didn’t appreciate it, knowing that it wouldn’t go away.
Look at the finale for yourself! Who did you do better? For yourself? It is better? Where is she and where are you lying, you can’t make a sound, you’re writhing, only now, being on the edge, you understand how you would change everything, how you need her, if you were nearby, called for help, and helped yourself. But no, it’s too late, she’s not far away, where she is valued as a gift and not a thing. After all, it was said that you will begin to appreciate it when you lose it; I didn’t believe it, I thought so forever. That’s it, no one can help you, the pain that overwhelms you turns off your brain, which late but still realized the truth: you don’t need to look far, blame everything around you, but look for the reason in yourself first. Accept what is given and do not pretend to be independent. Showing that you don’t need it and won’t give it to you. If you have it and don’t need it, they will take it or you will lose it...

Why was this written? What is the moral? It's just that everyone has heard about her. And it is written to remind you: You need to appreciate what you have, need it and not push it away, and it will be rewarded. Usually we don’t appreciate it when, having lost, we understand how much we need it, but it no longer needs us. Remember it’s never too late, sometimes it’s no longer necessary!

Love and Madness

Love walked alone in the garden.
There is nothing worse - Love to remain alone.
Everyone is looking for peace, what more do you need?
Love doesn't need lonely peace.

Suddenly Madness met her.
“I see my friend is bored alone!
And I'm lonely, we can see what's left
Drink the cup of loneliness to the bottom!

Let's forget that we're not okay.
Friends in misfortune are with you, go.
Out of boredom, my friend, let's play hide and seek.
You hide, and I’ll try to find you.”

So that you don't feel so lonely and sad,
Love agrees to play a game with him.
Just by hiding herself, she immediately hid her feelings.
(They wouldn’t give it away if they were looking for it.)

Madness was searching, I was already tired.
He cursed his proposal instantly.
Without meeting Love, nothing would have happened.
But somewhere in the bushes a scream was suddenly heard.

Roses hid love from madness.
The poor thing's eyes were pierced by thorns...
Its own cup of loneliness, and yet,
Like an eternal duet - they have not escaped Fate!

Blind Love is still with Madness,
Who is to blame for that ill-fated game?
That Love is not lonely, I won’t lie,
If a devoted guide is nearby!

A “deep” and short parable about love, a parable about a mother: One young man fell in love with a very beautiful girl. But the girl was proud, arrogant and cruel. He often asked to become his wife, but she only laughed at him. Unable to bear it, the guy exclaimed: “I’ll do whatever you ask, as long as you’re with me!” And then the proud beauty said: “Bring me your mother’s heart as proof of your love for me.” Without thinking, the unfortunate man rushed to run home, killed his mother, took out...

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Parable about true love

A touching and beautiful parable about relationships, I read it from a friend on my VKontakte wall. Author: Lena Malinovaya (vk.com/mdevo4ka). There was a Hedgehog in one forest. This is an ordinary Hedgehog, neither good nor bad - it’s different for everyone, in general. Only he himself dreamed of being a porcupine. He thought the porcupine was cool, it had a larger muzzle and longer quills. Therefore, he built himself long needles from spruce branches, made a serious face and went to the river - ...

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Parable of love: All women are the same

11.02.2019 . Proverbs

One day a middle-aged man came to see the Teacher. - Dear, I ask you for advice. I have settled my life quite well - I have my own trading store, I live in a nice house, I have wonderful friends and I have long forgotten about many small everyday problems that bothered me earlier. But I still can’t create a strong and harmonious family. I want to find a caring and sensitive woman with a virtuous character to become...

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Parable of Love: The Wind and the Flower

A clever parable about love and quarrels: Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife. When they were young, they lived for everyone to enjoy, but in their old age, it was as if someone had replaced them. As soon as the old man lowered his feet from the stove in the morning, a squabble began between him and the old woman. He gives his word to the old woman, and she is two to him, he is two to her, and she is five to him, he is five, and she is ten. And such a whirlwind will curl between them, even if they run away from their hut. And they will begin to figure out who is to blame...

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Parable of love: Princess in rags

06.11.2018 . Proverbs

A beautiful parable about love: The king announced that the princess’s husband would be the one who would love her all her life. On the appointed day, hundreds of suitors gathered in the palace. Everyone wanted to prove that they would love the princess forever. The girl looked at the dressed up young men and thought. Then she called her teacher and talked with him for a long time. “I won’t talk to the suitors today,” the princess announced. - Divide them into groups. Let the first group arrive tomorrow evening. During the day I will...