Once upon a time, a poor woodcutter accidentally dropped his axe into a river. Sitting beside the water, he wept, as it was the only tool he owned.
Suddenly, a divine figure appeared and dove into the water, emerging with a golden axe. “Is this yours?” she asked.
The woodcutter shook his head, “No, mine was old and made of iron.” She smiled and returned with a silver axe. Again, he refused. Finally, she brought up his old iron axe. “That one!” he cried.
Impressed by his honesty, she gifted him all three axes. His honesty changed his life—and taught the village that integrity always brings unexpected rewards.
A man walking along a beach noticed a boy throwing starfish into the sea. “Why are you doing that?” he asked.
“The tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die,” the boy replied.
The man looked around. “But there are thousands! You can’t possibly make a difference.”
The boy picked up another starfish, gently tossed it into the waves, and smiled, “I made a difference to that one.”
That day, the man joined him. Small acts can create big change.
An emperor once declared he would choose his successor by a simple test. He gave every child a seed and said, “Return in one year with your plant.”
Ping, a kind-hearted boy, nurtured his pot every day, but nothing grew. When he returned a year later, his pot was still empty. Others had large, beautiful plants.
The emperor smiled at Ping. “All seeds I gave were boiled. They couldn’t grow. You were the only one honest enough to return with an empty pot.”
Ping became emperor, proving truthfulness blooms brighter than deceit.