The ox who envied the pig

The ox who envied the pig

On a large green farm lived two ox brothers.

The elder was called Big Red. Calm and strong, he knew every path on the farm. His younger brother, Little Red, worked hard too, but had a habit of watching to see who received the biggest share.

Every morning, the brothers pulled carts laden with sacks of grain for the storehouse, hay for the stable, apples from the orchard, and firewood for the kitchen.

After work, they were given fresh grass, hay and a little grain.

“A fine supper,” Big Red said, munching contentedly.

And Little Red often looked over the fence.

Behind the fence lived a young pink Piglet.

Lately he had been fed unusually generously. In the morning he was brought warm porridge. At noon sweet carrots and apples were added. In the evening, selected grains appeared in the trough.

Little Red watched for one day, then another, then a third. At last, he could bear it no longer.

“Big Red, that’s unfair!”

“What exactly?” asked the older brother calmly.

“We work from morning till night. We pull carts, transport crops, and help people. And Piglet lies in the shade all day and gets apples, porridge, and the best grain.”

Big Red looked at him.

“Do you know why they feed him like that?”

“Because he’s lucky,” grumbled Little Red. “That’s all.”

“Did you ask?”

“No. It’s plain enough to see.”

The older ox slowly chewed a blade of grass.

“Sometimes we cannot see the whole picture.”

Little Red just snorted.

At that time, the farm was preparing for the wedding of the owner's daughter. The walls were being whitewashed in the yard, festive tablecloths were drying on the clothesline, the cooks were making lists of treats, and baskets were being brought out of the barn every now and then.

But there was another reason for Piglet's special feeding.

Before the wedding, livestock traders were to arrive at the farm. The owner had arranged for Piglet to go with them to another, far-off farm. There was plenty of room there, but the journey would be long, so they wanted to feed him well and make him strong before moving.

Little Red didn't know this.

Every day he saw only a full trough.

“Look!” he said to his brother again. “Today he even has pears.”

“I see.”

“And we?”

“And we have hay, grass and rest after work.”

“How delightful,” Little Red muttered.

Big Red smiled.

“Little brother, I’m not saying you shouldn’t want apples. Only that you shouldn’t envy someone else’s trough before you know the whole story.”

A few days later, the morning before the wedding arrived.

A large cart with a spacious wooden pen drove into the yard. It contained fresh straw, a bucket of water, and a net of feed hanging on the side.

Piglet, who was used to his little pen, grew uneasy.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked.

The owner patted him on the back.

“To another farm. They are expecting you there. It is a long journey, so we have been feeding you well these last few weeks.”

Piglet turned towards the familiar yard, the puddle beside the apple tree, and the old fence he liked to rub against.

“I thought the apples were just a treat,” he said quietly.

“They were for you,” the owner replied. “But the reason was not what you could guess at a glance.”

Little Red heard everything.

He watched Piglet carefully get into the cart. The merchant checked whether the door was tightly closed, whether there was water, and whether there was enough straw.

The cart moved.

Piglet looked out through the wooden slats.

“Goodbye!” he called.

“Have a safe journey!” the oxen replied.

When the cart disappeared around the bend, Little Red was silent for a long time.

Then he asked:

“Did you know?”

“I knew he was getting ready to move,” Big Red replied.

“And that’s why you weren’t jealous?”

“No. I learned long ago that if you only look at someone else’s bowl, it is easy to imagine the wrong story.”

Little Red lowered his head.

“I thought they gave him the best, and they didn't ask for anything from him.”

“Perhaps he looked at us and thought, ‘Those oxen are lucky. Every day, they go through the gate and see the fields, the road, and the river. I stay in the same yard.’”

Little Red pricked up his ears in surprise.

“Indeed. I didn't think about that.”

“Envy likes to count what others have,” the elder brother said. “It hardly ever counts what you have yourself.”

That day, the brothers pulled an empty cart to the orchard. The road ran between golden fields, dipped towards the river, and rose again to the apple-covered hillside.

Little Red suddenly noticed the scent of warm earth, the wind stirring the grass, and children waving beside the road. He noticed how lovely it felt to rest in the shade after climbing the hill and drink cool water.

That evening, the farmer gave the oxen their usual hay and a small apple each.

Little Red was as happy as if he had received a whole basket.

“Big Red!”

“What?”

“My apple is wonderful.”

“I’m glad.”

“And the hay is especially tasty today too.”

The older brother smiled faintly.

“Maybe it’s not the hay?”

Little Red thought and nodded.

From then on, Little Red still noticed apples in other animals’ troughs. But before feeling upset, he asked himself:

“Do I know the whole story?”

And very often it turned out that he didn’t.

From a distance, someone else’s life can seem easier, sweeter, and brighter.

Wisdom begins when you stop measuring your own happiness by someone else’s bowl.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨