As You Sow, So Shall You Reap - Story for FSc 1st 2nd Year

As You Sow, So Shall You Reap is an oft-quoted proverb. it means every action produces a reaction. If you do something wrong, you will have to face the consequences. If you dig a pit for others, you yourself may fall into it. You will have a blow for a blow.

There is a well-known fable to illustrate the truth of this proverb

Once upon a time, there lived three fast friends in a remote village. They were very healthy, smart and hardworking but due to the stroke of the ill-luck, they were poor and hence had to starve very often. They were ambitious and avaricious and hence utterly disgusted with their unemployment. They posed to be sincere and straightforward but in fact they were fair weather friends. They were surely selfish and stingy. Each wanted to feather his nest by hook or by crook. They had heard the old maxim that,

"Change of place brings bring about a change in luck."

So, they resolved to go to a big city to try the saying as well as their luck. This city was famous for its trade. One fine ming they set out on a journey early in the morning with the hope of prime prospects. They had promised to be good, true and helpful to one another through thick and thin. Their minds were full of high dreams of bright future. They hoped to be rich, wealthy and respectable and lead luxurious and comfortable lives. The first few days passed in happiness. They covered distance after distance but the earth was growing wider and wider and the city was still far away.

One day, they had to pass the forest, they got tired and the tool shade of the trees tempted them. So they sat down under a cool shady trie to relax. When they were sitting and enjoying a chat, they caught sight of an old dusty cotton bag lying under an old olive tree at some distance. They hurried towards it. They got very curious to see the contents of the bag. They opened it with throbbing hearts. Wow! it was full of gems and jewels. The glove/ and gleam of the precious pearls stunned and surprised them. Their joy knew no bounds. They had never seen such a great treasure before. The deep delight dazed them for a while. They were pleased with the stroke of good fortune. rally they hugged and congratulated each other. They again sat down on the smooth spongy grass under the shady tree. Finally, they resolved to distribute the coins equally among themselves. But their inherent selfishness, meanness and greed came to the forefront. None of them was sincere.

Ostensibly, they posed to be true to each other but inwardly, each desired to be the sole possessor of the whole treasure. Actually, all were ignorant of the laws of nature. They forgot that greed is curse. After some time, they felt hungry. Before dividing the coins among themselves, they wanted to satisfy their hunger. As the evening approached, they sent one of them to the neighboring settlement to fetch some victuals. The man who was sent to bring the food had evil designs in his mind. Greed entered his hair. His brain started working quickly.

“One-third of all the coins will make a very meager amount. Why should I not get all the coins myself."

he said to himself and decided to poisoning the food to kill the other ones left in the rear. He bought belladonna and arsenic, the deadly poisons. He mixed them in the food of his friends and returned to the forest with Sweet dreams of bright future. He said to himself,

“I will have the whole gold, when they eat this meal I’ll go to the city and start my own business with the gold I get."

the two friends left back in the forest were even far greedier than he. They had already hatched a conspiracy to get rid of the third on his arrival and divide the gems equally between themselves. So all were showing the same thing and all Were going to reap the same. In fact, our actions depend upon our intentions and the intentions of all were bad. Everyone was digging a pit for the other and everyone was to fall into it. No sooner did the third fellow came back with poisoned food lost in golden dreams and high ambitions, they blamed him for Coming late and fell upon him and dispatched him away in a trice. They were happy at the success of their plan. As they were starving, without a moment delay, they began to devour the meal hastily unaware of the destiny that was waiting for them. As soon as they ate the poisoned food, it showed its effects and the law of nature asserted itself. Both embraced their fate and died then and there. So all the three fell a prey to greed and temptation and the gold coins lay where it Was.
As Bob Marley has said,

"Don't gain the world and lose your soul;
wisdom is better than silver or gold."

We learn a lesson from this story that greed is one of the deadly sins which bringsabout the destruction of mankind. It is better to accept one thing that is certain than two which you may or may not get in future.

It is well said a by Greek Philosopher Socrates that,

"He who is not satisfied with what he has, would not be contented what he would like to have."

Possible Morals:

1. As you sow, so shall you reap
2. All covet, all lose.
3. Greed is a curse.
4. Something is better than nothing.
5. Hard-work never goes time-warded
6. It is bad to be selfish.
7. Evil recoils the head of the doer.
8. Allah punishes the evil does.
9. He who digs a pit for others, falls himself into it.