The Stone in the Pocket.

"You are not strong by what you carry—but by what you can put down."

In a village there lived an old man who was said to be wise.

Not because he talked a lot.

But because he talked a little.

One day a young man came to him, full of anger.

"I've had enough," he said. "People take advantage of me. They make promises. Then they turn their backs. Why do I always have to stay straight?"

The old man bent down, picked up a small stone from the road, and handed it to the boy.

"Put it in your pocket," he said.

The boy looked at him in confusion, but he did.

"Now go through the village," the old man continued, "and in front of every house think about how much resentment you carry."

The boy set off.

As he walked, his pocket felt heavier and heavier.

But there was only one stone in it.

He went back to the old man.

"It got heavier and heavier," he said. "As if it had grown."

The old man smiled.

"It wasn't the stone that grew. It was the thought that made it heavier."

The boy took the stone out.

"What should I do with it?"

"You decide," the old man said. "You carry it to remind me of the wrongs… or you put it down and you're free to move on."

The boy looked at the stone.

"But if I put it down, it's still done."

"Yes," the old man nodded. "But you don't have to let it stay in you."

The boy bent down and put the stone back on the road.

The world didn't become more just.

People didn't change.

But he became lighter.

And from that day on, he didn't stay straight because the others deserved it.

But because he didn't want to be heavier.