The Staircase.

Once there was a wanderer who sat at the foot of a cliff, gazing longingly toward the mountain peak. He knew that up there, abundance and peace awaited, but the rock face was steep, and no path was visible.

One day, an old master passed by. He stopped and said simply:

– I cannot carry you to the top, but I can give you a staircase.

The master placed before him a sturdy wooden staircase, bridging only the first few meters.

– From here, you must climb on your own – he added.

At first, the wanderer was disappointed: "Is this all? The summit is still so far away!"

But as he stepped onto the first rungs and reached the ledge above, he saw the next handhold, then a crack in the rock, then a narrow path… And step by step, hold by hold, he finally reached the mountain's peak.

There, in the sunlight, he understood: the master had not given him the summit, but the chance to reach it by his own strength.

And when, years later, he passed by again and saw another wanderer sitting at the foot of the cliff, he too placed a staircase before him.

For the greatest gift is not being carried upward, but learning how to climb.