Pain

The inhabitants of Baghdad visited the calif to bemoan their sad plight. Each man groaned that he was more unfortunate than his neighbor, and burdened with the heaviest pack of troubles.

”What would you suggest I do?” the calif asked.

“There are many wealthy people in your land who are content and carefree. We too, would appreciate a little taste of happiness. Would you grant us the privilege of interchanging our packs with theirs, since their bundles are much lighter than ours?

The wise calif summoned all the people to bring forth their bundles of sorrow and pile them in one heap. Before long, a huge mass had collected. The packages were then mixed and tossed around so that no one could distinguish his from his neighbor’s.

A line was formed and each man eagerly awaited his turn to choose his good fortune. Suddenly, they paused and considered the assortment of bundles. They realized that troubles are plentiful everywhere.  Each individual had brought a bundle and each one had the intention of selecting a smaller less cumbersome one. As a result every man took his own pack back. In comparison to the others his was  the lightest. The other bundles were filled the sorrow and anxiety.

Moral: the grass always appears greener elsewhere.