Once upon a time there was a King who had 4 wives. He loved his 4th wife very much; and used to shower her with beautiful presents, jewellery, and expensive clothes. He used to give her the best of everything. He also loved his 3rd wife a lot; and loved to show off her beauty to neighbouring Sovereigns; so much so, that he was scared that she might leave him for some other King. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his adviser and was always there for him, with love and patience. Whenever the king was faced with a problem, he trusted her to overcome the difficult times. The 1st wife was a very loyal partner, and would do all within her means to keep the king very rich and powerful; him and his kingdom. But, he didn’t love his 1st wife, and in spite of her profound love, he used to ignore her. One day the king fell ill, and realised his end was near. He thought of all luxuries in his lifetime and pondered: “Yes, now I have 4 wives with me, but when I die, how many of them could I rely on?” Then he asked his 4th wife: “I have loved you very much, my love; I have draped you in the finest of clothes and jewellery. I showed you how much I loved you by taking good care of you. Now that I am dying, will you die with me so I will not be lonely?” “Under no circumstances.” replied the 4th wife; and left the room without even looking back. The reply cut the heart of the king like a sharp knife passing through. Saddened, the king then asked the 3rd wife: “I loved you also my whole life. Now that I am dying, will you also die with me not to keep me lonely?” “No!” replied the 3rd wife. “Life is great! After your death, I will marry again.” The king’s heart bled and froze in deep pain. He then asked the 2nd wife: “I always beseeched you when I required help, and you were always by my side. When I die, will you die with me to keep me company?” “I am deeply sorrowed; but this time I cannot do what you ask!” Replied the 2nd wife. “The maximum I can do is performing your burial.” This answer came as a bolt of thunder to the king’s head, and once more he was devastated. Then, a voice made itself heard: “I will leave with you and follow you wherever you go...” The king lifted his eyes and there was his 1st wife, so thin, so malnourished, so miserable... With a broken heart, the king said: “I should have taken much better care of you when I could...” In truth, we all have 4 wives in our lives... Our 4th wife is our body. In spite of all the love and effort we put in to maintain it healthy and beautiful, it will leave us when we die... Our 3rd wife, are our possessions, our properties, our riches. When we die, all these go to others. Our 2nd wife, are our family and friends. Even though we love them very much and are always there to help us, the maximum they can do is perform our burial... And our 1st wife is our SOUL, many times kept in the side lines for bothering us throughout our lifetime; about the Riches, the Power and the Pleasures of our Ego... In spite of all this, our Soul is the only thing that will always go with us, it does not matter where... So... Culture... Fortify... Sanctify... Ennoble... your SOUL NOW!!!It is the greatest gift you can give the world... and to yourself. Let it shine !!! Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão. Qatar _________________________________________________________________ Tried the new MSN Messenger? It’s cool! Download now. http://messenger.msn.com/Download/Default.aspx?mkt=en-in
