It is said that
hard work is a virtue that wins you everything that you fancy whilst sloth is a
deadly sin responsible for fall of even the brightest star. This must have been
an adage coming from old times when man’s confidence in his own will was in
full swing. However, these are days of uncertainty where every principle people
believe in can be subverted.
Andrew, the
richest man of the town, was blessed with two sons namely Richard and Jack.
Richard had taken after his father because he was as industrious as his father
whereas Jack was more of a slacker. Richard always woke up at the crack of dawn
and went with his father to the factory and helped his father in supervising
the labour. But Jack went on sleeping well past afternoon and never bothered
even to put in an appearance at the factory. The two brothers, who were like
chalk and cheese, did not talk much to each other since they did not share any
common interests. Jack, having a strong liking for art, was always seen in art
galleries, concerts and cinemas. On the other hand, his older brother Richard was
obsessed with expansion of his father’s business.
Both the parents
were able to see how indifferent and careless Jack had become. His obsession
with art and music kept worrying his parents and brother alike. They tried
talking him into taking responsibilities for himself. It did not seem to work.
They admonished him but to little avail. Ultimately Andrew made a very harsh
decision and disowned him and told him to find a shelter and fend for himself.
That very evening Jack left him home leaving behind memories of what used to be
his home.
The
collaborative effort of the father and son saw their business scale new heights.
Their business went from strength to strength and expanded to other towns as
well. As the family prospered, Richard started getting many matrimonial
alliances from well established families. Finally, he chose to marry the only
child of a rich merchant. The wedding took place with a great pomp and
circumstance. There was a grand feast. A good number of people including some
very distant relatives were invited but Jack was not invited.
Nobody had heard
from Jack but he lived happily in a small village whose only prominent feature
was an expansive cemetery where he used to go and sit for an hour every
evening. His visits to the cemetery had aroused in him a strange interest in
death and transience of life. He contemplated scenes of burials and people
coming to their relatives’ graves and offering flowers. For a while he thought
that this was a permanent settlement while the settlements in town were nothing
but simply a temporary arrangement.
One evening he
was sitting under a tree in the cemetery as usual and saw some people coming to
a grave and putting some flowers and lighting incense sticks and candles. Death
seems to bring everybody to their senses. It makes people give up the venomous
qualities they have developed in their lives fighting and manipulating others.
It makes people innocent again. Jack had not developed any evil quality since
he had subsisted on alms give by people instead of working. Though he had been
leading a very ordinary life without any comfort, he was satisfied that he had
lived. Jack believed that getting disowned by his father and living on alms was
better than giving up his quest for life in music and art.
His gaze rested
on the grave where some people had put flowers. The people had left but the
incense sticks and candles were still burning emitting pleasant fragrance. He
looked at another grave and found that it had become derelict. Nobody seemed to
have paid a visit to it for a long time. He wanted to iron out this disparity.
He stood up, walked to the grave where some flowers had been left. He picked up
a couple of flowers and put them on the derelict grave and went back to his
seat and kept looking at both the graves.
There appeared
somebody walking hurriedly towards him. Jack got frightened initially thinking
that he might have flouted the law of the cemetery unknowingly. The man in a black overall stood before him
and offering him an envelope said, “Congratulations, sir!”
Before Jack
could strike a conversation with him, the man asked him to open the envelope
and read the document inside it. He started reading the document.
“I’ve lived
alone for most of my life. Though fortune has always favoured me financially,
it is a sad thing that I have no children to bequeath my property to. None of
my relatives came to my burial. I declare that whosoever puts flowers on my
grave without any selfish motive will become my heir. My legal advisor, who is
carrying this letter, will be responsible for all the legalities.”
