The Ring, A Story About The Value Of Things
This is a story about the value of things that allows us to also talk about the value of people. The story begins in a distant country where there lived a wise man whom everyone called “the teacher.” There were many who came to him for his advice, which was always correct and helpful.
The master was also a very skilled craftsman, who made precious objects, highly desired by all. One morning a young man came to his workshop, quite saddened. He approached the teacher and told him that he was very unhappy. ” Everybody says I ‘m pretty stupid and I don’t have any skills, ” said the boy. “ How can I change, what do I have to do to become someone who is really worth it? “, I ask.
The teacher didn’t even look at him. He told him that at the moment he could not help him in any way, because he too had a problem and had to take care of solving it, before helping another to solve his problems. The story tells about the value of things, that the young man was puzzled by the answer.
An interesting deal
The teacher waited a moment and then said, “ Of course, if I solve my problem, I could gladly help you. Perhaps, if you help me , I could get out of the quagmire I’m in faster and that way I could also help you more quickly ”. The young man’s eyes lit up and for the first time he smiled. ” Sure! “, said. ” Just tell me what I can do for you and I will be happy to help you, ” he added. Deep down, however, it hurt him that his needs were always being postponed.
The story tells about the value of things that once agreed, the teacher took off a ring that he wore on his little finger. Then he showed it to the young man and told him that he was urgent to sell that jewel. He needed to pay a debt and he only had that valuable object.
He then asked her to help him sell that ring, warning him that the goal was to get them paid the highest possible sum for the jewel. ” Do not accept less than a gold coin for him, “ he warned. Then he pointed to a horse in the stable and told him to take it and ride as fast as possible to the nearest market. As soon as she got back, he would take care of helping her solve her problem.
A tough sell
It tells the story about the value of things that the young man quickly set off, with the intention of solving the matter in the shortest possible time. Upon reaching the market, he began offering the ring. Some merchants were interested, but when the boy told them the price, they would burst into laughter , or turn their backs.
In the end, an older man pointed out that he was asking a very high price for such a small ring. No one would pay him what he was asking for. The old man offered him a silver coin and a piece of copper for the jewel, but the young man did not accept.
He was trying to sell the ring all day, but it was impossible. He offered it to more than 100 merchants, but the result was always the same. Dejected by the clash of his expectations with reality, he mounted the horse again and returned to the master’s workshop.
The ending of the story about the value of things
The young man came down with his head down and told the teacher what had happened. ” I think this ring, at most, is worth a couple of silver coins, ” he said. ” And I don’t want to mislead people, either, by lying about the value of the ring, ” he added. The teacher was happy. He congratulated him on his effort and his attitude. However, he stressed something to him: as he said so well, even he himself did not know what the value of the ring was. The best thing then was to take it to an expert to assess it.
The boy went to one of the most prestigious jewelers. After introducing himself, he asked the grocer to tell him how much he was willing to buy the jewel for. According to the story about the value of things, the jeweler examined the piece very carefully. Then he said, ” I can’t give you more than 58 gold coins for this ring. ” The boy was surprised. Without hesitation, he quickly returned to the master’s workshop.
He arrived at the scene and excitedly told him what had happened. Then the teacher said to him: “ You are like this ring. A valuable and unique jewel, but that can only be realized by an expert. No one can detect the true value of things with the naked eye. It is you who must know that value, before giving credit to what others say ”. Then the teacher put the ring back on his little finger.
