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I heard this short story about a wise man years ago. I don't remember where it came from. It was only a few paragraphs long and the lesson may have been a bit subtle for most children. I decided to expand on it and turn it into some sort of tale that might even have meaning in today's world. Hope you like it. Please email comments to izzy @ yisgood.com

There was a wealthy Englishman who traveled about the world. He visited many foreign shores and was amused by at their ceremonies and beliefs. But not being a particularly religious fellow, he found their customs merely entertaining. Being wealthy and handsome, there was no shortage of lovely young women who wished to become his wife. But he had already found his love in a foreign land and promised her that he would cease his adventuring upon his 30th birthday and marry her.

He knew that his family would not be pleased at his choice. Indira was not only a foreigner, she came from a simple family. But during his travels he had discovered that there was often more love and more happiness among the common folk than among the elite. His own parents had been preoccupied with their business and their social activities to pay him much mind and his upbringing had been left to a succession of nannies and tutors. At 12 he had been sent to boarding school, which was why it was a simple matter for him to leave home for months at a time. He had often spent a weekend at the home of one of his wealthy boarding school chums and could not recall any family that, even in the face of their affluence, had been truly happy. But Indira and her family had demonstrated a devotion to each other and a joy of life that astounded him. What little they had they freely shared. He had witnessed such self-sacrifice and concern for each other and for their neighbors, that he longed to join their peaceful existence.

His 30th birthday arrived and after a lavish celebration at home, he announced that he was off to that foreign shore to marry the woman he loved. His family was distraught but he could not be dissuaded. He set off on his journey and reached Indira's shore. With her family's help, he built a house near theirs. Now all that remained was the wedding day. Shortly before they were to become man and wife, she succumbed to a fatal illness.

Heartbroken, he announced that he had come to the conclusion that fate was just a random series of events. There could be no guiding hand and no miracles. He would go back to his travels. Indira's family begged him to remain, for they had grown to love, but he refused. Soon he was back on board a ship, sailing to exotic lands. He offered a fortune to anyone who could bring him proof of a genuine miracle. Many tried and he managed to debunk them all. He was told of miracle workers in foreign lands, so he sailed onward, seeking proof of a genuine miracle. Always he was disappointed.

One day he heard about a mountain in Tibet, guarded by an order of holy men. It was said that anyone who ascended its peak would witness a miracle. A few had ventured but all had abandoned the attempt. The adventurer decided that he would make the effort.

Upon arrival, he entered the temple at the foot of the mountain and informed the order of what he intended to accomplish. They insisted that he meet their leader, the Wise One. He was ushered into the Wise One's presence. A tiny, bald child with a beautiful, serene countenance sat on a carpet in lotus position. His skin was like flawless parchment and so thin as to be nearly transparent. His serene smile never dimmed.

"So you wish to climb our mountain?" the Wise One asked.

"Yes," answered the Englishman, "I have heard that at its peak I may witness a miracle."

"I too have heard that legend," the child said, "but it can not be confirmed. No one has survived the attempt."

"Then perhaps I will be the first."

"Why do you risk your life over a triviality? Surely your efforts could be better spent."

"It is not a triviality to me. I have lost faith. My life has no meaning. If I die in the attempt, it will end a life wasted in the pursuit of something that has never existed. However, if I succeed, my faith may be restored and it will be worth the effort."

"Then I hope you find what you seek."

Immediately, the Englishman set out to conquer the peak. He had scaled mountains before, but this was the most treacherous. It was as if God himself or perhaps Satan was determined to see him fail. His party was bombarded by fierce, bitter winds and pelted with hail. The rocky crags were covered with ice and there were hardly any ledges to stand on. When one of his guides fell to his death, the remaining guides urged him to give up but he refused. They abandoned him and left him to continue on his own. A week later, injured and exhausted, he reached the peak.

The top of the mountain was simply a flat plateau in an almost perfect circle about 30 feet in diameter. For about twenty feet from the outer rim, the mountain was rimmed in snow and the air was bitterly cold. The snow lay in an unbroken sheet on the ground, undisturbed by a single footprint. In the center of the circle was a clearing where grass sprouted and a flowering fruit tree, surrounded by buzzing bees, stood tall in the sunlight. Beneath the tree, seated on a rug in lotus position, was the Wise One.

"I have seen a miracle," the Englishman gasped, "For here you are. I began my climb only shortly after speaking with you. How did you reach the peak ahead of me?"

"I too have seen a miracle," the Wise One said, "for never before has anyone climbed."

(this is the end of the original legend)

The Englishman sank to the ground, snow seeping into his clothes and asked the child how he reached the mountain. The child said it was unimportant. His being there was no great accomplishment. It did not change a thing. It did not make the world any different. The only great accomplishment was the Englishman's perseverance and risk to achieve the peak and restore his faith. The Englishman protested that he still had nothing. If he descended and told others of what he had seen, most would not believe him.

"Why is it important that others believe you?" the child asked, "Isn't the most important thing what you know to be true?"

"But I climbed this peak at great risk in order to get proof of a miracle. What I have now is something that may only be my own delusion. Perhaps in my exhaustion, I am hallucinating."

"Since you have climbed the peak, you have earned the knowledge," the Wise One said, "but it is knowledge you already had. You don't have to travel the world and climb mountains to find miracles. Miracles only exist for believers. Those with faith will find them. Those without faith will never see them at all."

"How do I acquire faith?"

"You must only open your heart and mind. There is a miracle in every blade of grass and every leaf of a tree. What makes the flower form which attracts the bee, which distributes the pollen, which fertilizes the flower, which grows the green apple, which turns to red, which attracts the man to eat the apple? Does the tree then know about the bee and the man? Why do those with much hoard more then they need, why those with little share freely? There is a miracle in the heart of every man who shares with another, in joy and in grief. Why does joy shared become joy doubled but grief shared becomes grief halved? There is a miracle in something which costs nothing, which makes friends of strangers, which is worthless when kept and priceless when given, and yet many people refuse to do so. The biggest miracle is love and a miracle is found in every smile."

Understanding flashed upon the Englishman's mind like a thunderbolt. He had learned this during his travels, when he had chosen Indira because of the love and joy he had seen in her family. And yet when she died, he had abandoned them, despite their entreaties. Surely they were as heartbroken as he was. Surely just as they had taken him into their home and their family, he should have been there with them to share their grief. Grief shared is grief halved.

The Englishman looked in astonishment at the child, who seemed to know his heart even better than he did himself. The Wise One smiled a maginificent smile and the Englishman smiled back. His fatigue was gone. His spirit soared. He rose to his feet and found himself standing in the temple at the foot of the mountain, at the feet of the child who sat on the rug. His clothes were dry, his injuries gone, as if they had never existed.

"You have found what you seek," the child said, "use the knowledge wisely."

Outside he found his guides waiting for him to begin the ascent. He paid them off and told them that he had decided to abandon the attempt. He returned to Indira's family, who were overjoyed to see him. In the time he was gone, her mother and sister had never stopped grieving. Now in his presence, their hearts began to heal. He came to love her family even more than his own and he married her sister and became a part of them. He lived a simple life, like all the rest of the villagers and he used his fortune for one thing, to make his own miracles, by helping others and making them smile.