The best parables about kindness, nobility, generosity, etc. Parables about life with morals - short Parables about goodness and evil
Evil is sick. I spent several days in a fever. But no one in the world even noticed this. But when Dobro fell ill, everyone immediately felt this loss. Even those who did evil. Since then, Evil has been trying not to lie down, even when he gets sick. And good after that...
Magic colors Parable from Evgeny Permyak
Once every hundred years, on New Year's Eve, the kindest of all the kindest old men, Father Frost, brings seven magical colors. With these paints you can paint whatever you want, and what you draw will come to life. If you want, draw a herd of cows and then graze them. ...
Anger and Humility Christian parable
Anger went around the world - to look at people and show himself. Wherever it goes, there are quarrels, hostility, and even entire wars! One thing is a pity for Wrath: not forever... He began to look for the reason why, and got to the monastery. The fence is low, the gate is wooden, there are no guns...
Two wolves Parable of unknown origin
Once upon a time, an old man revealed one vital truth to his grandson: “There is a struggle in every person, very similar to the struggle of two wolves.” One wolf represents evil: envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies. The other wolf represents goodness: peace,...
Ungrateful child Parable from Maxim Maximov
In the evening, the mentor and his student were talking around the fire: - Teacher, what do you think is good? - I think that good is the absence of evil. The young man did not let up: - What then is evil? When did it appear? The teacher looked at the fire for a long time, then turned...
Good for the Fallen Christian parable
A certain brother said to Abba Pimen: “If I see a brother about whom I have heard that he is in decline, then I reluctantly accept him into my cell, but I accept a brother who has a good name with joy.” The elder answered him: “If you do good to a good brother, then for...
Long memory Parable from Andrey Zhuravlev
One day the Student said to his mentor: - Teacher, I want to be remembered for a long time. - It is not difficult. Do evil,” he replied. - But I don’t wish harm on anyone! I want to do good, just like you! - the Student was indignant. The teacher looked around the mountain peaks...
Winter drops Christian parable
Winter decided to destroy spring. Then there won't be any summer. And autumn will not come. And her time, winter, will come forever! She invited spring to visit for this purpose. And this way and that I tried to freeze her. But goodness has more power! And, defending itself, spring itself melted...
How to be good? Parable from Alexander Bella about the wise He
What to believe? - They often asked He. - Only good things! - he invariably said. - All good things? - they grinned in response and, turning, said goodbye: - All the best! The sage usually objected with a serious face: “Do you want to leave everything to me?” Well, no...
Rockfall Parable from Boris Krumer
In the pre-dawn hour, two people sat on the top of a rock, turning their faces to the east, where pink clouds foreshadowed the imminent sunrise. - Do you want to ask something, student? - said the Teacher, half-closing his eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze...
Kasab from Mazar Sufi parable
Taste Whoever seeks only his own well-being will not taste complete success, After all, whoever fears a hangover will never enjoy intoxication. (Anwar-i-Suhaili) The meaning of a home is in its occupant. (Proverb) Sheikh Kasab from Mazar arrived in the city of Mosul and...
Oath for a Demon Sufi parable
One day, a certain demon accidentally overheard the thought of a pious man: “I would like to be tempted so that I could prove that I am immune to the machinations of demons.” The demon immediately materialized in front of this man and said: “I am a demon and I wanted...
When kindness is evil Parable from Maxim Maximov
Two brothers lived in the village. They lived alone and did not communicate with their neighbors. Somehow a new person settled nearby. He was surprised by the attitude of the residents towards the brothers. Then he decided to help the hermits. This kind man came to the outcasts and asked: - Friends, what are you...
When bad is good Sufi parable
Once upon a time there lived a man, a simple artisan named Azili, who was persuaded to give all his savings - one hundred silver coins - to a dishonest merchant, who promised to invest them in a business and make a good profit. However, when Azili came to the merchant to find out the news...
Lukovka Christian parable
Once upon a time there lived an evil, despicable man, and he died. And not a single virtue remained after him. The devils grabbed him and threw him into the lake of fire. And his Guardian Angel stands and thinks: “What kind of virtue can I remember about him to tell God?” ...
Competition methods Business parable about the Way of Trade
Creativity has been known since ancient times, and it has always been used as a powerful means of education. The reason is that the stories underlying each parable for children are as close as possible to real life and therefore understandable to everyone. They also help to identify vices without directly condemning a specific person. Let's remember the most interesting of them and see how you can use them for educational purposes when communicating with children.
About the bad and the good
Once two friends were walking through the desert. Tired from the long journey, they argued and one rashly slapped the other. The comrade endured the pain and did not say anything in response to the offender. I just wrote in the sand: “Today I received a slap in the face from a friend.”
A few more days passed, and they found themselves at an oasis. They began to swim, and the one who received the slap almost drowned. The first comrade came to the rescue in time. Then the second carved an inscription on the stone, saying that his best friend saved him from death. Seeing this, his comrade asked him to explain his actions. And the second replied: “I made an inscription in the sand about the offense so that the wind would quickly erase it. And about salvation - he carved it in stone so that he would never forget about what happened.”
This parable about friendship for children will help them understand that bad things cannot be kept in memory for a long time. But the good deeds of other people should never be forgotten. And one more thing - you need to value your friends, since in difficult times it is they who often find themselves next to a person.
About love for mother
Equally important are the relationships between family members. We often explain to children that they should show respect to their parents and take care of them. But parables for children, like the one below, will say everything better than any words.
An old man and three women were sitting by the well, and three boys were playing next to them. The first one says: “My son has such a voice that everyone will be heard.” The second boasts: “And mine can show such figures - you’ll be amazed.” And only the third is silent. The old man turns to her: “Why don’t you tell about your son?” And she replies: “Yes, there is nothing unusual about him.”
So the women fetched buckets full of water, and the old man stood up with them. They hear: the first boy sings and sounds like a nightingale. The second one walks around them like a wheel. And only the third approached the mother, took the heavy buckets and carried them home. The first two women ask the old man: “How do you like our sons?” And he answers: “Where are they? I only see one son.”
It is these short parables for children, close to life and understandable to everyone, that will teach children to truly appreciate their parents and show the true value of family relationships.
Lie or tell the truth?
Continuing the topic, we can recall another wonderful story.
Three boys were playing in the forest and did not notice how evening came. They were afraid that they would be punished at home, and began to think about what to do. Should I tell my parents the truth or lie? And that's how it all turned out. The first one came up with a story about a wolf attacking him. His father would be afraid for him, he decided, and would forgive him. But at that moment the forester came and reported that they did not have any wolves. The second one told his mother that he had come to see his grandfather. Lo and behold, he’s already on the threshold. This revealed the lies of the first and second boys, and as a result they were punished twice. First for being guilty, and then for lying. And only the third came home and told everything how it happened. His mother made a little noise and soon calmed down.
Such parables for children prepare them for the fact that lying only complicates the situation. Therefore, in any case, it is better not to come up with excuses and not to hide your guilt in the hope that everything will work out, but to immediately admit the wrongdoing. This is the only way to maintain the trust of your parents and not feel remorse.
About two wolves
It is equally important to teach a child to see the boundary between good and evil. These are two moral categories that will always accompany a person, and, perhaps, fight in his soul. Among the large number of instructive stories on this topic, the parable of two wolves seems to be the most understandable and interesting for children.
One day, an inquisitive grandson asked his grandfather, the leader of the tribe:
Why do bad people appear?
To this the elder gave a wise answer. Here's what he said:
There are no bad people in the world. But every person has two sides: dark and light. The first is the desire for love, kindness, compassion, mutual understanding. The second symbolizes evil, selfishness, hatred, destruction. Like two wolves, they constantly fight each other.
“I see,” the boy answered. - Which one of them wins?
“It all depends on the person,” the grandfather concluded. - The wolf that is fed the most always wins.
This parable about good and evil for children will make it clear: the person himself is responsible for much that happens in life. Therefore, it is necessary to think about all your actions. And wish for others only what you wish for yourself.
Oh hedgehog
Another question that adults often ask: “How to explain to a child that you can’t blindly trust everyone around you?” How to teach him to analyze the situation and only then make a decision? In this case, parables for young children similar to this one will come to the rescue.
Once a fox and a hedgehog met. And the red-haired woman, licking her lips, advised her interlocutor to go to the hairdresser and get a fashionable “tortoiseshell” hairstyle. “Thorns are not in fashion these days,” she added. The hedgehog was delighted with such care and set off. It’s good that he met an owl on the way. Having learned where, why and on whose advice he was going, the bird said: “Don’t forget to ask to be smeared with cucumber lotion and refreshed with carrot water.” “Why is this?” - the hedgehog didn’t understand. “And so that the fox can eat you better.” So, thanks to the owl, the hero realized that not every piece of advice can be trusted. And yet, not every “kind” word is sincere.
Who is stronger?
Often parables resemble folk tales, especially if the heroes are forces of nature endowed with human qualities. Here is one such example.
The wind and the sun argued which of them was stronger. Suddenly they see a passerby walking. The wind says: “Now I’ll tear off his cloak.” He blew with all his might, but the passer-by only wrapped himself tighter in his clothes and continued on his way. Then the sun began to warm up. And the man first lowered his collar, then untied his belt, and finally took off his cloak and threw it over his arm. This is how it happens in our lives: with affection and warmth you can achieve more than with shouts and force.
About the Prodigal Son
Now we quite often turn to the Bible and find in it answers to many moral questions. In this regard, it is necessary to especially note the parables given in it and told by Jesus Christ. They will tell children more about goodness and the need for forgiveness than long instructions from their parents.
Everyone knows the story of the prodigal son, who took his share of the inheritance from his father and left home. At first he led a cheerful, idle life. But the money soon ran out, and the young man was ready to eat even with the pigs. But he was driven out from everywhere, as a terrible famine struck the country. And the sinful son remembered his father. He decided to go home, repent and ask to become a mercenary. But the father, seeing his son returned, was happy. He raised him from his knees and ordered a feast. This offended the older brother, who told his father: “I’ve been next to you all my life, and you even spared a kid for me. He squandered all his wealth, and you ordered a fattened bull to be slaughtered for him.” To which the wise old man replied: “You are always with me, and everything I have will go to you. You need to rejoice in the fact that your brother seemed to have died, but now he has come to life, was lost and has been found.”
Problems? Everything is solvable
Orthodox parables are very instructive for older children. For example, the story of the miraculous rescue of a donkey is popular. Here are its contents.
One peasant's donkey fell into a well. The owner pushed. Then I thought: “The donkey is already old, and the well is dry. I’ll cover them with earth and solve two problems at once.” I called my neighbors and they got to work. After a while, the peasant looked into the well and saw an interesting picture. The donkey threw the earth falling from above off its back and crushed it with its feet. Soon the well was filled, and the animal was at the top.
This is how it happens in life. The Lord often sends us seemingly insurmountable trials. At such a moment, it is important not to despair and not give up. Then it will be possible to find a way out of any situation.
Five important rules
And in general, you don’t need much to become happy. Sometimes it is enough to follow a few simple rules that are understandable to a child. Here they are:
- drive out hatred from your heart and learn to forgive;
- avoid unnecessary worries - more often than not they do not come true;
- live simply and appreciate what you have;
- give more to others;
- For yourself, expect less.
These wise sayings, on which many parables for children and adults are based, will teach you to be more tolerant of others and enjoy everyday life.
a wise man
In conclusion, I would like to turn to the text of another parable for children. It is about a traveler who settled in an unfamiliar village. The man loved children very much and constantly made unusual toys for them. So beautiful that you won’t find them at any fair. But they were all painfully fragile. The kid is playing around, and lo and behold, the toy is already broken. The child is crying, and the master is already giving him a new one, but even more fragile. The villagers asked the man why he was doing this. And the master replied: “Life is fleeting. Soon some person will give your child his heart. And it is very fragile. And I hope that my toys will teach your children to take care of this priceless gift.”
So, any parable prepares a child to face our difficult life. It unobtrusively teaches you to think about each of your actions, to correlate them with the moral norms accepted in society. Makes it clear that spiritual purity, perseverance, and readiness to overcome any adversity will help you navigate the path of life with dignity.
THANK YOU, MOM, FOR BEING NEAR... 18.02.2016 15:22— Hello, is this the lost and found office? - asked a child's voice.
- Yes baby. Have you lost something?
- I lost my mother. Isn't it with you?
- What kind of mother is she?
- She is beautiful and kind. And she also loves cats very much.
- Yes, just yesterday we found one mother, maybe it’s yours. Where are you calling from?
— From orphanage No. 3.
- Okay, we will send your mother to your orphanage. Wait.
She entered his room, the most beautiful and kindest, and in her hands was a real live cat.
- Mother! - the baby shouted and rushed to her. He hugged her with such force that his fingers turned white. - My mommy!!!
...Artem woke up from his own scream. He had dreams like this almost every night. He put his hand under the pillow and pulled out a photograph of a girl. He found this photograph a year ago on the street while walking. Now he always kept it under his pillow and believed that it was his mother. In the darkness, Artyom peered at her beautiful face for a long time and, unnoticed by himself, fell asleep...
In the morning, the head of the orphanage, Angelina Ivanovna, as usual, went around the rooms with the pupils to wish everyone a good morning and pat each baby on the head.
On the floor near Artemka’s crib, she saw a photograph that fell out of his hands at night. Picking it up, Angelina Ivanovna asked the boy:
— Artemushka, where did you get this photo?
- Found it on the street.
- And who is it?
“My mother,” the baby smiled and added, “she is very beautiful, kind and loves cats.” The manager immediately recognized this girl. The first time she came to the orphanage was last year with a group of volunteers. That's probably when I lost my photograph here. Since then, this girl has often visited various institutions in the hope of obtaining permission to adopt a child.
But, according to local bureaucrats, she had one significant drawback: she was unmarried. “Well,” said Angelina Ivanovna, “since she is your mother, then this completely changes things.” Entering her office, she sat down at the table and began to wait. Half an hour later there was a timid knock on the door: “Can I come to you, Angelina Ivanovna?” — And the same girl from the photograph appeared at the door.
- Yes, come in, Alina.
The girl entered the office and placed a thick folder with documents in front of the manager.
“Here,” she said, “I collected everything.”
- Okay, Alina. I have to ask a few more questions, that’s how it’s supposed to be, you know... Do you realize what responsibility you’re taking on? After all, a child is not about playing for two hours, it is about life.
“I understand everything,” Alina breathed, “I just can’t live in peace, knowing that someone really needs me.”
“Okay,” the manager agreed, “when do you want to see the children?”
“I won’t look at them, I’ll take any child you offer,” Alina said, looking the manager straight in the eyes.
Angelina Ivanovna raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“You see,” Alina began to explain confusingly, “real parents don’t choose their child... they don’t know in advance how he will be born... beautiful or ugly, healthy or sick... They love him as he is.” I also want to be a real mother.
“This is the first time I’ve met such an adoptive parent,” Angelina Ivanovna smiled, however, I already know whose mother you will become. His name is Artem, he is 5 years old, his own mother abandoned him in the maternity hospital. I'll bring it now if you're ready.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Alina said in a firm voice, “show me my son.”
The manager left and returned 5 minutes later, leading the little boy by the hand.
“Artemochka,” Angelina Ivanovna began, “meet this...
- Mother! - Artyom shouted.
He rushed to Alina and grabbed her so that his fingers turned white.
- My mommy!
Alina stroked his tiny back and whispered: “Son, son... I’m with you...”
She looked up at the manager and asked: “When can I pick up my son?”
“Usually, parents and children gradually get used to each other, first they communicate here, then they take them away for the weekend, and then for good, if everything is in order.
“I’ll take Artyom right away,” Alina said firmly.
“Okay,” the manager waved her hand, “tomorrow is still a weekend, you can take it, and come on Monday and we’ll fill out all the documents as expected.”
Artem was simply happy. He held his mother's hand and was afraid to let her go even for a second. Teachers and nannies were fussing around... some were collecting his things, others simply stood aside and wiped their eyes with handkerchiefs.
- Artemushka, goodbye. Come visit us,” Angelina Ivanovna said goodbye to him.
“Goodbye, I’ll come,” Artyom answered.
When they said goodbye to everyone and went outside, he finally decided to ask his new mother the most important question: “Mom... do you like cats?”
“I love it, I have two of them at home,” Alina laughed, gently squeezing her tiny palm in her hand.
Artem smiled happily and walked towards his home.
Angelina Ivanovna looked out the window after Alina and Artemka were leaving. Then she sat down at her desk and started calling somewhere.
— Hello, Heavenly Office? Please accept your application. Client name: Alina Smirnova. Category of merit: the highest, gave happiness to the child... send everything that is required in such cases: boundless happiness, mutual love, good luck in everything, etc... Well, of course, the ideal man, she is not married... Yes, I understand that There are few of them left, there is a shortage, but this is an exceptional case. Yes, and don’t forget the endless cash flow, it will be very useful to her... the baby must eat well... Have you already sent everything? Thank you!
The courtyard of the orphanage was filled with soft sunlight and joyful children's cries. The manager hung up and went to the window. She loved to stand for a long time and look at her babies, spreading her huge snow-white wings behind her...
A parable is one of the most ancient types of edifying stories. Instructive allegories allow you to briefly and succinctly give any moral statement, without resorting to direct persuasion. That is why parables about life with morality - short and allegorical - have at all times been a very popular educational tool, touching on a variety of problems of human existence.
The ability to distinguish between good and evil distinguishes a person from an animal. It is not surprising that the folklore of all nations contains many parables on this topic. They tried to give their own definitions of good and evil, explore their interaction and explain the nature of human dualism in the Ancient East, and in Africa, and in Europe, and in both Americas. A large corpus of parables on this topic shows that, despite all the differences in cultures and traditions, different peoples have a common understanding of these fundamental concepts.
Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed to his grandson one vital truth:
– There is a struggle in every person, very similar to the struggle of two wolves. One wolf represents evil - envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies... The other wolf represents good - peace, love, hope, truth, kindness, loyalty...
The little Indian, touched to the depths of his soul by his grandfather’s words, thought for a few moments, and then asked:
– Which wolf wins in the end?
The old Indian smiled faintly and replied:
– The wolf you feed always wins.
Know it and don't do it
The young man came to the sage with a request to accept him as a student.
– Can you lie? - asked the sage.
- Of course not!
- What about stealing?
- What about killing?
“Then go and find out all this,” exclaimed the sage, “but once you know, don’t do it!”
Black dot
One day the sage gathered his students and showed them an ordinary piece of paper on which he drew a small black dot. He asked them:
-What do you see?
Everyone answered in unison that it was a black dot. The answer was not correct. The sage said:
– Don’t you see this white sheet of paper - it’s so huge, bigger than this black dot! This is how it is in life - the first thing we see in people is something bad, although there is much more good. And only a few see the “white sheet of paper” right away.
Wherever a person is born, whoever he is, whatever he does, in essence, he does one thing - seeks happiness. This inner search continues from birth to death, even if it is not always realized. And on this path a person faces a lot of questions. What is happiness? Is it possible to be happy without having anything? Is it possible to get happiness ready-made or do you need to create it yourself?
The idea of happiness is as individual as DNA or fingerprints. For some people and the whole world is not enough to feel at least satisfied. For others, a little is enough - a ray of sunshine, a friendly smile. It seems that there can be no agreement between people regarding this ethical category. And yet, in different parables about happiness, common ground is found.
A piece of clay
God molded man from clay. He sculpted an earth, a house, animals and birds for man. And he was left with an unused piece of clay.
- What else should you make? - God asked.
“Make me happy,” the man asked.
God did not answer, thought for a moment and put the remaining piece of clay in the man’s palm.
Money can not buy happiness
The student asked the Master:
– How true are the words that money does not buy happiness?
The master replied that they were completely correct.
- It's easy to prove. For money can buy a bed, but not sleep; food - but not appetite; medicines - but not health; servants - but not friends; women - but not love; home - but not home; entertainment - but not joy; teachers - but not the mind. And what is named does not exhaust the list.
Khoja Nasreddin and the traveler
One day Nasreddin met a gloomy man wandering along the road to the city.
- What happened to you? – Khoja Nasreddin asked the traveler.
The man showed him a tattered travel bag and said plaintively:
- Oh, I'm unhappy! Everything I own in the infinitely vast world will barely fill this pitiful, worthless bag!
“Your affairs are bad,” Nasreddin sympathized, snatched the bag from the traveler’s hands and ran away.
And the traveler continued on his way, shedding tears. Meanwhile, Nasreddin ran ahead and placed the bag right in the middle of the road. The traveler saw his bag lying on the way, laughed with joy and cried out:
Oh, what happiness! And I thought I had lost everything!
“It’s easy to make a person happy by teaching him to appreciate what he has,” thought Khoja Nasreddin, watching the traveler from the bushes.
The words “morality” and “morality” in Russian have different connotations. Morality is rather a social attitude. Morality is internal, personal. However, the basic principles of morality and ethics are largely the same.
Wise parables easily, but not superficially, touch on these basic principles: the attitude of man to man, dignity and baseness, attitude towards the Motherland. Issues of the relationship between man and society are often embodied in parable form.
Bucket of apples
A man bought himself a new house - large, beautiful - and a garden with fruit trees near the house. And nearby, in an old house, there lived an envious neighbor who constantly tried to ruin his mood: either he would throw garbage under the gate, or he would do some other nasty things.
One day a man woke up in a good mood, went out onto the porch, and there was a bucket of slop. The man took a bucket, poured out the slop, cleaned the bucket until it shined, collected the largest, ripest and most delicious apples into it and went to his neighbor. The neighbor opens the door in the hope of a scandal, and the man handed him a bucket of apples and said:
- He who is rich in what, shares it!
Low and worthy
One padishah sent the sage three identical bronze figurines and ordered him to convey:
“Let him decide which of the three people whose statues we are sending is worthy, who is so-so and who is low.”
No one could find any difference between the three figurines. But the sage noticed holes in his ears. He took a thin flexible stick and stuck it into the ear of the first figurine. The stick came out through the mouth. The second figurine's wand came out through the other ear. The third figurine has a wand stuck somewhere inside.
“A person who divulges everything he hears is certainly low,” the sage reasoned. - Anyone whose secret goes in one ear and comes out through the other is a so-so person. The truly noble one is the one who keeps all secrets within himself.
This is what the sage decided and made corresponding inscriptions on all the figurines.
Change your voice
The dove saw an owl in the grove and asked:
-Where are you from, owl?
– I lived in the east, and now I’m flying to the west.
So the owl answered and began to hoot and laugh angrily. The dove asked again:
– Why did you leave your home and fly to foreign lands?
- Because in the east they don’t like me because I have a nasty voice.
“It was in vain that you left your native land,” said the dove. “You don’t need to change the land, but your voice.” In the West, just like in the East, they do not tolerate evil hooting.
About parents
The attitude towards parents is a moral task that was solved long ago by humanity. Biblical legends about Ham, gospel commandments, numerous proverbs, and fairy tales fully reflect people’s ideas about the relationship between fathers and children. And yet, there are so many contradictions between parents and children that it is useful for a modern person to be reminded of this from time to time.
The constant relevance of the topic “Parents and Children” gives rise to more and more new parables. Modern authors, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, find new words and metaphors to again touch on this issue.
Feeder
Once upon a time there lived an old man. His eyes were blinded, his hearing was dull, and his knees trembled. He could hardly hold a spoon in his hands, he would spill soup, and sometimes food would fall out of his mouth.
The son and his wife looked at him with disgust and during meals began to sit the old man in a corner behind the stove, and the food was served to him in an old saucer. One day the old man's hands were shaking so much that he could not hold the saucer of food. It fell to the floor and broke. Then the young daughter-in-law began to scold the old man, and the son made a wooden feeder for his father. Now the old man had to eat from it.
One day, when the parents were sitting at the table, their little son entered the room with a piece of wood in his hands.
- What do you want to do? - asked the father.
“A wooden feeder,” answered the baby. – When I grow up, dad and mom will eat from it.
Eagle and eaglet
An old eagle flew over the abyss. He carried his son on his back. The eaglet was still too small and could not make it this way. Flying over the abyss, the chick said:
- Father! Now you carry me across the abyss on your back, and when I become big and strong, I will carry you.
“No, son,” the old eagle answered sadly. - When you grow up, you will carry your son.
Suspension bridge
On the way between two high-mountain villages there was a deep gorge. The residents of these villages built a suspension bridge over it. People walked on its wooden planks, and two cables served as railings. People were so used to walking across this bridge that they didn’t have to hold on to these railings, and even children fearlessly ran across the gorge on the planks.
But one day the ropes and railings disappeared somewhere. Early in the morning people approached the bridge, but no one could take a single step across it. While there were cables, it was possible not to hold on to them, but without them the bridge turned out to be impregnable.
This is what happens with our parents. While they are alive, it seems to us that we can do without them, but as soon as we lose them, life immediately begins to seem very difficult.
Everyday parables
Everyday parables are a special category of texts. In a person’s life, every moment a situation of choice arises. What role can seemingly insignificant little things, unnoticed little meanness, stupid provocations, absurd doubts play in fate? Proverbs answer this question clearly: huge.
For a parable, nothing is insignificant or unimportant. She firmly remembers that “the flutter of a butterfly’s wing echoes with thunder in distant worlds.” But the parable does not leave a person alone with the inexorable law of retribution. She always leaves the opportunity for the fallen to rise and continue on their way.
All in your hands
In a Chinese village there lived a sage. People came to him from everywhere with their problems and illnesses, and no one left without receiving help. For this they loved and respected him.
Only one person said: “People! Who do you worship? After all, he is a charlatan and a fraudster!” One day he gathered a crowd around him and said:
- Today I will prove to you that I was right. Let's go to your sage, I will catch a butterfly, and when he comes out onto the porch of his house, I will ask: “Guess what I have in my hand?” He will say: “Butterfly,” because anyway, one of you will let it slip. And then I’ll ask: “Is she alive or dead?” If he says that he is alive, I will squeeze his hand, and if he is dead, then I will release the butterfly to freedom. In any case, your sage will be made a fool!
When they came to the house of the sage, and he came out to meet them, the envious man asked his first question:
“Butterfly,” answered the sage.
- Is she alive or dead?
The old man, smiling into his beard, said:
- Everything is in your hands, man.
Bat
A long time ago, a war broke out between animals and birds. The hardest thing was for the old Bat. After all, she was both an animal and a bird at the same time. And therefore she could not decide for herself who it would be more profitable for her to join. But then she decided to cheat. If the birds prevail over the animals, then she will support the birds. Otherwise, she will quickly go over to the animals. So she did.
But when everyone noticed how she was behaving, they immediately suggested that she not run from one to the other, but choose one side once and for all. Then the old Bat said:
- No! I'll stay in the middle.
- Fine! - said both sides.
The battle began and the old Bat, caught in the middle of the battle, was crushed and died.
This is why he who tries to sit between two stools will always find himself on the rotten part of the rope that hangs over the jaws of death.
A fall
One student asked his Sufi mentor:
- Teacher, what would you say if you found out about my fall?
- Get up!
- And next time?
- Get up again!
– And how long can this continue – keep falling and rising?
- Fall and rise while you're alive! After all, those who fell and did not rise are dead.
Orthodox parables about life
Also Academician D.S. Likhachev noted that in Rus' the parable as a genre “grew” from the Bible. The Bible itself is littered with parables. It was this form of teaching the people that Solomon and Christ chose. Therefore, it is not surprising that with the advent of Christianity in Rus', the genre of parables took deep roots in our land.
Popular faith has always been far from formalism and “bookish” complexity. Therefore, the best Orthodox preachers constantly turned to allegory, where they generally transformed the key ideas of Christianity into a fairy-tale form. Sometimes Orthodox parables about life could be concentrated into one phrase-aphorism. In other cases - into a short story.
Humility is a feat
Once a woman came to the Optina hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov) and asked him for a blessing for a spiritual feat: to live alone and fast, pray and sleep on bare boards without interference. The elder told her:
– You know, the evil one does not eat, does not drink and does not sleep, but everything lives in the abyss, because he has no humility. Submit in everything to the will of God - that’s your feat; humble yourself before everyone, reproach yourself for everything, bear illness and sorrow with gratitude - this is beyond any feats!
Your cross
One person thought that his life was very difficult. And one day he went to God, told about his misfortunes and asked Him:
– Can I choose a different cross for myself?
God looked at the man with a smile, led him into a storage room where there were crosses, and said:
- Choose.
A man walked around the storehouse for a long time, looking for the smallest and lightest cross, and finally found a small, small, light, light cross, approached God and said:
- Lord, can I take this one?
“It’s possible,” God answered. - This is your own.
About love with morals
Love moves worlds and human souls. It would be strange if the parables ignored the problems of relationships between men and women. And here the authors of the parables raise a great many questions. What is love? Is it possible to define it? Where does it come from and what destroys it? How to find it?
Parables also touch on narrower aspects. Everyday relations between husband and wife - it would seem that what could be more banal? But here too the parable finds food for thought. After all, it’s only in fairy tales that things end with a wedding crown. And the parable knows: this is just the beginning. And keeping love is no less important than finding it.
All or nothing
One man came to the sage and asked: “What is love?” The sage said: “Nothing.”
The man was very surprised and began to tell him that he had read many books that described how love can be different, sad and happy, eternal and fleeting.
Then the sage replied: “That’s it.”
The man again did not understand anything and asked: “How can I understand you? All or nothing?"
The sage smiled and said: “You yourself just answered your own question: nothing or everything. There can be no middle ground!”
Mind and Heart
One person argued that the mind on the street of love is blind, and that the main thing in love is the heart. As proof of this, he cited the story of a lover who swam many times across the Tigris River, bravely fighting the current, to see his beloved.
But one day he suddenly noticed a spot on her face. After that, while swimming across the Tigris, he thought: “My beloved is imperfect.” And at that very moment the love that held him on the waves weakened, in the middle of the river his strength left him, and he drowned.
Repair, don't throw away
An elderly couple who had lived together for over 50 years was asked:
- Probably, you have never had a fight in half a century?
“We were arguing,” the husband and wife answered.
– Maybe you never had any need, you had ideal relatives and a full house?
- No, everything is like everyone else.
– But you never wanted to separate?
– There were such thoughts.
– How did you manage to live together for so long?
– Apparently, we were born and raised in a time when it was customary to fix broken things and not throw them away.
Don't demand
The teacher learned that one of his students was persistently seeking someone's love.
“Don’t demand love, so you won’t get it,” said the teacher.
- But why?
- Tell me, what do you do when uninvited guests break into your door, when they knock, scream, demanding to open it, and tear out their hair from the fact that it is not opened for them?
“I lock it tighter.”
– Don’t break into the doors of other people’s hearts, as they will close even more tightly before you. Become a welcome guest and any heart will open to you. Take the example of a flower that does not chase bees, but by giving them nectar, attracts them to itself.
Short parables about insult
The outside world is a harsh environment that constantly pits people against each other, striking sparks. A situation of conflict, humiliation, or insult can unsettle a person for a long time. The parable comes to the rescue here too, playing a psychotherapeutic role.
How to react to an insult? Give vent to anger and respond to the insolent? What to choose – the Old Testament “an eye for an eye” or the Gospel “turn the other cheek”? It is curious that of the entire corpus of parables about insults, the Buddhist ones are the most popular today. The pre-Christian, but not Old Testament, approach seems most acceptable to our contemporaries.
Go your own way
One of the disciples asked Buddha:
– If someone insults or hits me, what should I do?
– If a dry branch falls from a tree and hits you, what will you do? – he asked in response:
- What will i do? “It’s a simple accident, a simple coincidence that I found myself under a tree when a branch fell from it,” said the student.
Then the Buddha remarked:
- So do the same. Someone was mad, angry and hit you. It's like a branch falling from a tree on your head. Don’t let this bother you, go on your way as if nothing happened.
Take it for yourself
One day, several people began to viciously insult Buddha. He listened silently, very calmly. And that's why they felt uneasy. One of these people addressed the Buddha:
– Don’t our words hurt you?!
“It’s up to you to decide whether to insult me or not,” replied the Buddha. – And mine is to accept your insults or not. I refuse to accept them. You can take them for yourself.
Socrates and the insolent
When some impudent person kicked Socrates, he endured it without saying a word. And when someone expressed surprise why Socrates ignored such a blatant insult, the philosopher remarked:
- If a donkey kicked me, would I really bring him to court?
About the meaning of life
Reflections on the meaning and purpose of existence belong to the category of so-called “damned questions”, and no one has a definite answer. However, deep existential fear - “Why am I living if I’m going to die anyway?” - torments every person. And of course, the genre of parable also touches on this issue.
Every nation has parables about the meaning of life. Most often it is defined as follows: the meaning of life is in life itself, in its endless reproduction and development through subsequent generations. The short-term existence of each individual person is considered philosophically. Perhaps the most allegorical and transparent parable in this category was invented by the American Indians.
Stone and bamboo
They say that one day a stone and a bamboo had a heated argument. Each of them wanted a person's life to be similar to his own.
The stone said:
– A person’s life should be the same as mine. Then he will live forever.
Bamboo replied:
- No, no, a person’s life should be like mine. I die, but am immediately born again.
The stone objected:
- No, it’s better to be different. Let a better person be like me. I do not bow to the wind or the rain. Neither water, nor heat, nor cold can harm me. My life is endless. For me there is no pain, no care. This is how a person's life should be.
Bamboo insisted:
- No. A person's life should be like mine. I die, it is true, but I am reborn in my sons. Isn't that right? Look around me - my sons are everywhere. And they too will have their own sons, and all will have smooth and white skin.
The stone was unable to answer this. Bamboo won the argument. This is why human life is like the life of bamboo.
Proverbs about kindness
A good hen sees grain with one eye, and a kite with the other eye.
A good family will add intelligence - intelligence.
Hold on to the good, but move away from the bad.
Good brotherhood is better than wealth.
It is a good thing to speak the truth boldly.
A good deed praises itself.
God helps the good.
The owner is glad to have a good guest.
Do not repent of a good deed.
Good memory.
Good for the good, but a rib in half for the bad.
Helping a kind person is not at a loss.
To a good man, every day is a holiday.
Kindness without reason is empty.
Good deeds are better than a soft pie.
The good die, but their deeds live.
The good die, but their deeds are not lost.
A good friend is better than a hundred relatives.
A good tailor cuts to spare.
A kind person is more likely to do something than an angry one.
A good person will live a century of goodness.
A kind person teaches good things.
A kind person is better than a stone bridge.
A good person will come as if he will bring light.
To be kind is to be known as kind.
The evil one does not believe that there are good people.
And the dog remembers the good old times.
Beauty until the evening, but kindness forever.
Beauty is carried away by the years, but kindness will not be carried away.
He who does good is not harmed by evil.
Those who help people have their wishes come true.
An affectionate word - like a spring day.
The dashing is for the dashing, and the good is for the good.
There are many kind people in the world.
Don't look for beauty, look for kindness.
Don't rejoice at getting up early, rejoice at the good hour!
It doesn’t matter what kind of face it is, it would have a heart of gold.
Speak boldly about a good deed.
Hurry for a good deed, and the bad will come on its own.
If you spend an hour in goodness, you will forget all your grief.
Sayings about kindness
To have mercy on a thief is to destroy a good one.
Everyone is kind, but not to everyone.
Good time - time to leave the table.
Good memory - good memory.
Anything fits a good thief.
A good dog does not bark at the wind.
Good hello and good for the cat.
To the good - good glory.
Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A hundred hands for a good man.
The world is not without good people.
A bee flies to a good flower.
Not without good people.
Don't look like a lump - look in bulk.
They do not seek good from good.
The wolf took pity on the mare.
The world is not without good people.
A parable about kindness and politeness
One day a young man came to the Teacher and asked permission to study with him.
Why do you need it? - asked the master.
I want to become strong and invincible.
Then become one! Be kind to everyone, polite and attentive. Kindness and politeness will earn you the respect of others. Your spirit will become pure and kind, and therefore strong. Mindfulness will help you notice the subtlest changes, this will make it possible to avoid collisions, and therefore win a fight without entering into it. If you learn to prevent collisions, you will become invincible.
Because you will have no one to fight with.
The young man left, but after a few years he returned to the Teacher.
What do you need? - asked the old master.
I came to inquire about your health and find out if you need help...
And then the Teacher took him as a student.
Buddhist parable
One of the disciples asked Buddha:
If someone hits me, what should I do?
If a dry branch falls from a tree and hits you, what will you do? - he asked in response:
What will i do? “It’s a simple accident, a simple coincidence that I found myself under a tree when a branch fell from it,” said the student.
Then the Buddha remarked:
So do the same. Someone was mad, angry and hit you - It's like a branch from a tree falling on your head. Don’t let this bother you, go on your way as if nothing happened.
Sufi parable
One student asked his Sufi mentor:
Master, what would you say if you knew about my fall?
Get up!
And next time?
Get up again!
And how long can this continue – keep falling and rising?
Fall and rise while you live! After all, those who fell and did not rise are dead.
Parable about friends
Two friends lived in Syracuse - Damon and Phintius. Damon was arrested for debt and sentenced to death.
“Let me leave until the evening to arrange my household affairs,” Damon asked the ruler of the city, Dionysius, “and Phintius will remain in my place.”
Dionysius laughed at such a naive trick, but agreed.
Evening came, Phintias was already being led to execution. But then, having forced his way through the crowd, Damon arrived in time:
I'm here, sorry for the delay.
Dionysius, seeing this, exclaimed:
You are forgiven! And please, let me be your friend!
Parable about kindness
Many years ago there lived a wise old man. One day, while walking through the forest, he found a golden stone. Continuing on his way, the old man met a lost traveler and showed him the right path. And the traveler noticed the stone and could not take his eyes off - he saw such an expensive thing for the first time in his life. And then the elder gave him this stone. The wanderer continued on his way, knowing that if he sold this stone, he would receive so much money that he would live comfortably for the rest of his life. However, after a few days he returned. Having found the old man with difficulty, the wanderer returned the precious stone to him, and said: “I thought about a lot on the way. I know that this stone costs a lot of money. But I came to return it because I expect to receive something much more valuable from you. I really wanted to have the same kind soul who is capable of giving such valuable gifts.”
Who does a person need more - intelligence or kindness? Parable for children
Intelligence and goodness argued about which of them people need more. They came to the same house where two brothers lived. The brothers lived together and were famous for their friendship and hard work. Intelligence chose the older brother, and kindness chose the younger brother.
Then the elder brother thought and said:
It’s time for us, brother, to each live in our own minds and have our own home.
The younger brother sighed, but agreed. Time has passed. The elder brother was rich, but lived alone. His mind noticed too many shortcomings in people, and he had neither friends nor a wife. The good brother, on the contrary, had a poor home, but his friends and friends visited him every day. He helped everyone, and people sometimes took the last thing from him without hesitation.
Intelligence and kindness understood that life for the brothers was not better, but worse. They came to the sage and asked why this happened.
A mind without kindness is like a head without a heart. “And kindness without mind is like a heart without a head,” the sage explained.
Intelligence and kindness returned to the brothers and persuaded them to live together again and help each other. Since then, everyone respects the brothers and says about them: “The smarter and kinder people are, the happier they live.”
Parable about kindness
It is useful for those working with children to keep in mind the moral of this parable:
There were two seriously ill people in the same room in the hospital. One lay by the window, and the other's bed was located by the door.
-What can you see in the window? – the one who was lying at the door once asked.
- ABOUT! - the first one perked up. – I see the sky, clouds that resemble animals, a lake and a forest in the distance.
Every day, the man lying by the window told his neighbor about what was happening outside the window. He saw a boat, fishermen with a huge catch, children playing on the shore, young lovers holding hands and not taking their shining eyes off each other.
While he was watching all these amazing events outside the window, his neighbor was tormented by a dull anger. “This is unfair,” he thought. “For what merits he was laid at the window, and not me, and I can only see the door with peeling paint, while he admires the view from the window.”
One day, the man lying by the window coughed violently and began to choke. He tried to reach the nurse call button, but he didn't have the strength because he was shaking from coughing. A neighbor watched what was happening. It didn't cost him anything to press his button, but he didn't. After a while, the first one calmed down and stretched out on his bed. When he was carried away, the neighbor asked the nurse to move him to the window. The nurse complied with the patient's request, remade his bed, helped him lie down on the opposite bed, and, making sure that the patient was comfortable, headed to the door. Suddenly she was stopped by the surprised exclamation of the patient:
- How so! This window faces a blank gray wall! But the one who died told me that he saw a forest, a lake, clouds, people... How could he see all this from this window?
The nurse smiled sadly:
“He couldn’t see anything at all; your late neighbor was blind.
- But why does he?..
“He probably just wanted to cheer you up a little.”
Aphorisms and quotes about kindness
There is arrogance of kindness that has the appearance of malice. Friedrich Nietzsche
Being kind is noble. But showing others how to be kind is even nobler and less troublesome. Mark Twain
In a good deed there is always both kindness and strength to perform it. Charles Louis Montesquieu
Great people are capable of great kindness. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
In the inner world of a person, kindness is the sun. V. Hugo
Every good deed carries its own reward. Alexandr Duma
The benefit of a good deed is that you took advantage of the opportunity to do it. Seneca
To the vile, both kindness and wisdom seem vile; dirt - only dirt to taste. William Shakespeare
Even politeness is offensive if it is emphasized too much. Gracian
When you do good, be grateful for it. L.N. Tolstoy
Virtue in a person should have the quality of a precious stone, which invariably retains its natural beauty, no matter what happens to it. Marcus Aurelius
Kindness is a quality, the excess of which does not harm. D. Galsworthy
Kindness is the only garment that never wears out. Henry David Thoreau
Kindness is something that the deaf can hear and the blind can see. Mark Twain
Kindness is a language that the dumb can speak and that the deaf can hear. P. Bovey
Kindness will always prevail over beauty. Heinrich Heine
Kindness is for the soul what health is for the body: it is invisible when you own it, and it gives success in every endeavor. L.N. Tolstoy
Kindness is better than beauty. Heinrich Heine
The kindness expressed to us by any person binds us to him. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Kindness that does not have any evil or selfish beginning in it is empty, sleepy kindness. Jacob Boehme
Kindness can often cause harm, so when you want to do good, think it over carefully. Hong Zichen
The soul that has committed betrayal perceives any surprise as the beginning of retribution. F. Iskander
If you can teach a person goodness and don’t do it, you are losing your brother. Chinese wisdom
If you are not consciously kind to everyone, you will often be unconsciously cruel to many. D. Ruskin
Natural kindness is an extremely valuable quality. Samuel Johnson
The life of evil people is full of worries. D. Diderot
Evil, like a wave, hits the shore and returns. G. Senkevich
Of all the virtues and virtues of the soul, the greatest virtue is kindness. F. Bacon
True humanity and kindness hide the bitter truth from loving eyes. Anthony Ashley Cooper Shaftesbury
As soon as we want to demonstrate virtue, it disappears. Kay
He who is kind only in words is doubly unworthy. Publius Syrus
He who does not have an exalted soul is not capable of kindness: only good nature is available to him. Nicolas-Sebastian Chamfort
The best thing about good deeds is the desire to conceal them. B. Pascal
A wise man is distressed by his powerlessness to do the good he desires, but is not distressed by the fact that people do not know him or judge him falsely. Chinese wisdom
We know from experience how great the difference is between piety and kindness. Blaise Pascal
Punishment does not escape the scoundrel - it only sometimes gives him a reprieve. Publius Syrus
It is impossible to do evil to others without doing it to yourself.
It is not enough to be kind, you also need to be tactful. A.F. Amiel
Give the world the best that is in you, and the best that is in the world will return to you!
Try to be at least a little kinder - and you will see that you will not be able to commit a bad act. Confucius
Try to be at least a little kinder - and you will see that you will not be able to commit a bad act. Confucius
Above all, be kind; kindness disarms most people. Lacordaire
Contempt is a mask that covers insignificance, sometimes mental squalor: contempt is a sign of a lack of kindness, intelligence and understanding of people. Alphonse Daudet
The most beautiful music of the soul is kindness. Romain Rolland
You can resist anything, but not kindness. J.-J. Rousseau
The joy we bring to another is captivating because it not only does not fade, like any reflection, but returns to us even brighter. V. Hugo
The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up. Mark Twain
No matter how much evil you see in life, you cannot lose your goodwill towards people. Ali Absheroni
How much kindness there is in a person, so much life there is in him. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Your own soul grows and is purified only by the power of the kindness that the heart exudes to those you meet. K. Antarova
The means to combat evil sometimes turn out to be worse than the evil itself. Publius Syrus
Strange! A person is indignant at the evil that comes from outside, from others - that which he cannot eliminate, and does not fight against his own evil, although this is in his power. Marcus Aurelius
Since it is impossible to avoid the results of our actions, let us do good deeds. Buddha
It's so easy to be kind. You just need to imagine yourself in the place of another person before you start judging him. Marlene Dietrich
Just step off the path of good, and before you know it, you’ll get stuck in evil. L.N. Tolstoy
To those who have not comprehended the science of good, any other science brings only harm. M. Montaigne
You need to be a good, kind person, not seem to be. Ali Absheroni
A person increases his happiness to the extent that he gives it to others. Bentham
To believe in goodness, you need to start doing it. L.N. Tolstoy
This is not virtue, but only a deceptive cast and likeness of it, when we are led to the fulfillment of duty by the expectation of reward. Cicero
I know of no other signs of superiority other than kindness. Ludwig van Beethoven
I will never regret doing a good deed. William Shakespeare
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