Aesop’s fables

Retold by Panchamee Hewavissenti

When the dusk fell, the chief occupant of the house lit the big lamp at home. After awhile his little grand son added some oil into the lamp thinking that the lamp would shine even brighter. Absorbing more oil, the lamp got intoxicated and started nonstop boasting about its sheen.”

I am the brightest in the world. There is no one who could shine as bright as me, even the stars in the sky cannot outshine my gleam. I am proud to be the brightest radiant body in the universe...even more brighter than the Morning Star”.

The lamp went boasting for some time. When the wind rustled through the flame of the lamp and,due to the swiftness of the wind it extinguished the lamp. When the darkness prevailed in the entire house, the old man relit the lamp warning it “Shut up and shine, there are more brighter things in the world than you. You can’t see them. You saw how the wind extinguished you? So, do your due work without boasting”.

Moral of the story

Boastfulness is abundant in society. That is quite a natural attribute of a human being to boast about himself, though the work done is less considerable. It is natural for anyone to think that he/she is the best and there cannot be anyone similar to him/her in capability. Although what is important is to fulfil due responsibility without boasting and it will show the ignorance and the immaturity of a person. It might also cause unpleasant situations.