Price of Greed: A Tale of a Dog and a Tortoise

Once upon a time, there was a famine in the land of the animals because of no rain. Every animal was looking rather thin and unhealthy. However, the tortoise observed that his friend, the dog was looking very fresh and healthy. He decided to know the secret.

The next day, the tortoise decided to meet the Dog.

Tortoise said, “My good friend, you know we have been friends for a very long time, please tell me the secret of your rosy cheeks and your healthy body. I do not want to die of hunger.

The dog replied, “There is no secret, my good friend, it’s all my hard work that has paid off.”

The tortoise could not buy it. He tried his best to get a valuable answer from the dog but all went in vain. He left the dog’s house but could not forget the issue. He came up with a plan.

The next day he followed the dog to know about his activities. He hid The dog left home very early in the morning with a basket. He chased him all the way to the neighboring village.

The dog made his way to a farm and, after looking around to make sure that no one was watching, started harvesting yam. The tortoise came in front of the dog. The dog was shocked that his friend would go to that extent to find out his secret, but there was nothing he could do. So off they went on the next day, and the next, and the next ….

Each time they went, the tortoise took a little more than he did the previous day. The dog noticed that the more yams the tortoise added each day, the longer it took them to get back home, so he decided to caution him. “My good friend tortoise, the quantity of yam you take home each day is becoming too much. Yesterday, we left for home at 5.45 pm. The farmer may catch us and then that will be the end of us.” The tortoise replied nonchalantly, “Don’t worry my friend; I’m storing enough yam at home for the rainy day. The farmer will never catch us.”

”I don’t think you should be greedy; you could put both of us in danger. We are coming daily, why do you take more than enough”?

So the next day, at 5.30 fast, the dog said he was leaving. But the tortoise was not ready. Shortly after, the dog put his basket on his head and started heading home. The tortoise noticed this and shouted after the dog.

”Dog, wait for me, wait for me, I can’t carry my basket alone, it’s too heavy, please help me,” The dog kept on walking. Tortoise was ready to get rid of excessive yams. He wanted to stop the Dog to help him in carrying the basket.

In the meantime, the farmer arrived on his farm and found the tortoise with a basketful of his yam. The next you can understand well.

Conclusion:

The tortoise’s actions not only put himself in jeopardy but also jeopardized the friendship with the dog. In the end, the lesson is clear — true prosperity comes from hard work, honesty, and contentment, not from deceit and insatiable greed.