Do you find yourself wondering why problems never end? Like you overcome one, but straight after another problem pops up? If so, and if you feel sad about it, let the story below inspire you to start being happy and enjoying life today and not when you no longer have problems - because they will keep you company for your entire life.
“I have many problems in my life. But my lips don’t know that. They always smile”. - Charlie Chaplin
100 CAMELS AND 1 UNREALISTIC REQUEST
Once upon a time, in a remote village, there lived Matthew, a young man who was unhappy with his life.
He was always troubled by one problem or another.
One day, a Zen Master was crossing the desert with a caravan of 100 camels when he decided to stop in Mattew’s village.
The Zen Master was a wise man, well-known for how good he was at solving problems.
As soon as Matthew came to know that he was in his village, he went to meet him.
After waiting for other people’s questions to be answered, Matthew, at last, managed to speak to the wise man too.
“I am very unhappy with my life, problems surround me all the time!
Sometimes work problems, sometimes family problems, sometimes health problems, and sometimes other kinds of problems.
Please tell me what to do so that all the problems can come to an end and I can live a peaceful and happy life ever since”, Matthew asked.
“Dear son, it is very late today. I will give you my answer tomorrow morning, the Zen Master replied.
He then went on: “Meanwhile, would you mind doing me a favor”?
“For sure”! Matthew replied, without even thinking.
He was so desperate to solve his problems that he would have done anything.
“You probably know I am traveling with a caravan of 100 camels; I would like you to take care of them tonight”, the Zen Master said.
He then went on: “You must ensure that all the camels lie down and take proper rest. When all the 100 camels lie down; then you can also go and sleep”.
After instructing Matthew, the wise man went to sleep.
The next morning, the Zen Master went to Matthew and asked: “Dear son, did you have a restoring sleep last night”?
With a face that looked anything but refreshed, Matthew replied: “No, I could not sleep even for a single moment. I did my best! I tried over and over again, but I could not make all the 100 camels lie down”.
The Zen Master said: “I knew it would happen”.
“Then why did you ask me to attempt this unrealistic feat?”, Matthew asked in discontentment.
The wise man replied with another question: “What lesson can you learn from last night”?
And then he carried on: “That if you make one camel lie down, then another will stand somewhere else.
Likewise, in life when you solve a problem, then you will see some other problems standing in front of you.
Till you are alive, problems will keep turning up; sometimes small and sometimes big”.
“So what should we do?”, Matthew asked.
The Zen Master replied: “Despite all problems, you must choose to feel happy and enjoy your life now.
If we reconsider what happened last night, I guess there were many camels which lay down by themselves; others that lay only after you put in some effort, and still many that did not lie despite your enormous efforts.”
“That’s exactly what happened!”, Matthew replied.
The Zen Master smiled and went on: “I also guess that when you went back after some time, you found that some of the camels who did not lie down even when you put in a lot of effort were now lying down.”
Matthew replied, “Yes, that’s right”!
The Zen Master then asked: “What can you learn from it?”
Matthew was bewildered and didn’t utter a word, waiting for the wise man to answer.
“Problems are like camels, some problems get solved by themselves, some get solved when you put in some effort, and some problems do not get solved even after giving your best. These kinds of problems need time, and in most instances, they come to an end by themselves.
Matthew got the wise man’s point - waiting for everything to be okay to at last feel happy and enjoy your life is naive and counterproductive.
Life always confronts us with problems, they may be related to our health, our relationships or our career; and even when you manage to solve them, surely other kinds of problems will pop up.
Bottom line: Learning to be happy and to enjoy life while living among a plethora of problems is what a meaningful life is all about.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Having problems is a natural constant in life; when you forget this very fact you are most likely to feel overwhelmed and sad.
Without challenges, life would cease to have meaning, nor would it be any fun.
Can you imagine a steady life, a life without the ups and downs that make it special?
Enjoy your problems, and cherish them, because obstacles conceal opportunities.
They enable you to evolve and step up to the next level of your personal growth.
I'd like you to take a moment to think about your life, about the problems and challenges you have faced and overcome.
Have they made you weaker or stronger? Have they built your character or undermined it?
I bet you have benefited from the challenges you faced.
If you look at problems in this light, then, you will no longer get worried about dealing with them.
Contrariwise, you will welcome problems and challenges because you know they are the prerequisite to getting to the next stage of your life.
“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom”. - Jim Rohn
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A beautiful uplifting story that puts things in perspective.
Indeed Christine! The story: 100 CAMELS AND 1 UNREALISTIC REQUEST is uplifting and enlightening too.
It reminds us that having problems is a natural constant of life and that by overcoming them we can only get stronger, wiser, and better 💪🏻