The Great Mustard Oil Empire of Sheikh Chilli
Sheikh Chilli was a man with a very busy mind and very lazy hands. He loved to dream, but he hated to work. One day, his mother, tired of his laziness, gave him a jar of mustard oil and ordered him to go to the market to sell it.
"And make sure you get a good price, you lazy boy!" she warned.
With the jar balanced precariously on his head, Sheikh Chilli started walking. It was hot, and his mind began to wander.
If I sell this oil for two rupees, he thought, I will use the money to buy a hen. The hen will lay eggs, and I will sell the eggs to buy a goat.
He was walking faster now, getting excited about his imaginary empire.
The goat will have babies, and I will sell them to buy a cow. The cow will give milk! I'll sell the milk, get rich, and buy a huge farm!
He was now walking with his head held high, looking like a king.
Then, I will build a mansion, marry a beautiful princess, and have children! And when my children run around the farm, I will yell at them to stop making noise!
As he acted out this imaginary scene, Sheikh Chilli shouted, "STOP IT, YOU BRATS!"
In his excitement, he didn't notice the big bullock blocking the road. He bumped straight into it, tripped, and the jar of oil fell off his head, shattering into a thousand pieces. The precious mustard oil spilled all over the dusty road.
A farmer passing by laughed, "Well, there goes your empire, Chilli!"
Sheikh Chilli looked at the shattered glass and the spilled oil, then cursed the bullock. "You stupid beast! You've ruined everything! You've killed my hen, stolen my goat, stolen my cow, and ruined my marriage!"
He went home empty-handed and told his mother how a "cruel" bullock had destroyed his vast fortune. His mother, laughing and shaking her head, said, "You foolish boy! You spent too much time dreaming of what might be, and didn't pay attention to what is."
Moral of the Story: Do not live in a fantasy world. It is better to focus on your work in the present than to create "castles in the air" that fall at the slightest touch of reality
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