A tale from Paulo Coelho

A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though, on entering the main room of the castle, he saw a hive of activity: tradesman came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man's attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didnt have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

"Meanwhile, I want to ask u to do something", said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held 2 drops of oil. "As u wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing theoil to spill".

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eye fixed on the spoon. After 2 hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

"Well", asked the wise man, "did u see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did u see the garden that it took the master gardener 10 yrs to create? Did u notice the beautiful parchments in my library?".

The boy was embarassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world", said the wise man. " U cannot trust a man if u dont know his house".

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

"But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to u?", asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"Well there is one piece of advice I can give u", said the wisest of wise men. The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon".......