413- A Joined Venture between Honesty and Dishonesty

One day, Peter went home very sad. His wife asked him what was wrong. He said, "My colleague accepts bribes. He is getting richer. He is liked by his boss and very popular among his peers because he’s dishonest. Look at me: I’m honest, but nobody likes me and my boss treats me badly. What should I do? I can’t accept bribes.”

The wife paused for a moment, and then told him a story from the Greek folklore.

“Dishonesty had an encounter with Honesty. Honesty was wearing torn cloths, and looked tired. It went like this:

“Why are you not happy?”

“I had nothing to eat the whole day.”

“Why?”

“I’ve no money.”

“You’re really strange. You’re poor, tired and hungry. You live poor and will die hungry because you’re careful and honest. Try to learn how to trick people, and forget about your way of thinking. You don’t know how to deal with people. I know how to attract them and deceive them, get what is in their pockets and they feel glad. Learn from me.”

 Honesty paused for a while and then refused the advice of Dishonesty. As Honesty became very hungry, he said, “What shall I do now?”

 Dishonesty suggested that they two go and have dinner in a restaurant.

The two of them went to a fancy restaurant. Dishonesty ordered food for himself and for his friend (Honesty). After they had eaten, the waiter brought the bill. Dishonesty shouted at the waiter, “Give me the change of the $hundred bill I gave you just now.”

The waiter replied, “But you didn’t give me a $100 bill.”

“I did so.”

The manager of the restaurant came, and caring about his restaurant’s reputation gave Dishonesty what he asked for. Honesty was upset and said to Dishonesty, “You caused trouble to the poor waiter, and he might even lose his job because of you.”

Dishonesty said, "I don’t care about him. We ate without paying. Not only that but I left the restaurant with some money in my pocket.”

“How do you accept that?” asked Honesty.

“You don’t know what is the best for you” answered Dishonesty.

At last Honesty decided to leave Dishonesty even if that meant he would die of hunger.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: رحلة مشتركة بين الحق والباطل.

May I befriend You because You are the Truth.

For my sake You became naked and hungry.

How can I then not endure every thing for Your sake?

May I be poor and may You make me rich.

May I hunger to be filled with You.

In You is my satisfaction.

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Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

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