One upon a time, there was a traveling salesman that went from town to town selling…smoke…
A friend showed me this humorous and clever, animated short. Although I really liked the animation style, I was more impressed by the message. After watching it, I couldn’t help but think “How often do we trade was is real and valuable for what is temporary and worthless?”
Among the (many) things I could think of, I realized that I have been trading time (one the most valuable things that any of us possess) to do things and get things that bring no lasting joy or happiness.
Watch the video, and consider the valuable things you’ve traded (or might currently be trading) for smoke…
A wonderfully present moral tale….. We all wish for easier lives … Better and cooler toys and gadgets…. Prettier clothes and wealth and status to make us feel happy …. This tale shows us several things firstly how easy we find it to grab at something even if we know its not a realistic expectation…. We all want something for nothing and the easiest route where no work or effort is needed for us to achieve our dreams…… Secondly we learn how transient and fleeting things we haven’t worked for are….. All that glitters is not gold and if it seems to good to be true it usually is …. Lets not hope and dream for things without realising we need to work at it ourselves or we too will be deceived and feel cheated and short changed