Four Wives

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated
her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to
neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave
him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind,
considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he
could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King’s 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great
contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not
love the first wife.

Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his
luxurious life and wondered, I now have four wives with me, but when I
die, I’ll be all alone.’

Thus, he asked the 4th wife , ‘I loved you the most, endowed you with
the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m
dying, will! You follow me and keep me company?’

‘No way!’, replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, ‘I loved you all my life. Now that I’m
dying, will you follow me and keep me company?’

‘No!’, replied the 3rd wife. ‘Life is too good! When you die, I’m going
to remarry!’
His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, ‘I have always turned to you for help and
you’ve always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep
me company?’

‘I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!’, replied the 2nd wife.
‘At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.’

Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was
devastated.

Then a voice called out: ‘I’ll go with you. I’ll follow you no matter
where you go.’

The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she
suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the King said, ‘I should have taken much better care
of you when I had the chance!’

In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives:
Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in
making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it
will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been
there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power
and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that
will follow us wherever we go.

Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that
will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout
Eternity.

THE DIFFERENCE

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country. This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor. On the other hand, Canada , Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.

The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources. Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an
immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products. Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world’s strongest, safest place.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are also not important:
immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for savings & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.

10. and of course…Discipline

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.

We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.