Socrates and the Lazy Slave
Once upon a time, in a sunny Aegean town that stretched under the shade of olive trees, there lived Socrates, known for his wisdom. Beside this clever man there was a slave who served him, an extremely lazy and indifferent young fellow. The young slave would lie in the shade all day long, never finish any task on time and grumble without stopping. The people of the town could not understand how this masterly sage put up with such a useless man. Still, the wise man never got angry at his slave; he always approached him with a calm smile and waited patiently. On a hot summer day the sage decided to set out on a long journey and took his lazy slave with him. The young man, still at the very beginning of the road, walked with heavy steps and began to complain about his state all the time.
Claiming that he was tired of carrying the bags, he wanted to rest under every tree. A curious merchant passing along the road stopped, came closer to the sage and asked in astonishment: “Why do you put up with this useless man and tire yourself so much?” “Would it not be easier for you to send him away and find a hard-working, quick servant instead?” The wise master sat down in the shade of the olive tree beside the road and answered calmly: “Riders choose the wildest horses so that they can become masters even before the hardest obstacle.” “If I learn to live with this bad-tempered man, I can get along easily with all the people in the world.”
Not knowing what to say to these deep words he had heard, the merchant went on his way in silence. The lazy slave sitting under the tree felt a deep shame when he heard these words of his master. Understanding that his master saw him not as a punishment but as a test of patience wounded his pride. From that moment on he stood up at once, took the heavy loads on his back and never complained again. The wise man went on his way with a smile and watched the change of his slave with pride. True patience is the art of keeping tolerance even towards the most difficult people. Though patience is a bitter root, its fruit is always sweet.