Who Killed Your Goose?

If you grew up reading Aesop's fables, you have come across a popular story of the poor farmer and the golden egg.

The goose of the farmer started laying a golden egg one fine day. When the farmer was about to throw the egg thinking that it was a trick, he gave it a second thought to check it properly, and he was surprised to find that the egg was golden.

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The farmer couldn't believe his good fortune.

But, with wealth comes the greed to make more wealth as early as possible. The farmer was not patient enough to wait for one golden egg each day, and thus decided to kill the goose at once so that he could find many eggs and get-rich-quick. As the result is quite obvious, he couldn't find any eggs. And at the same time, he lost the sole source of his fortune.

At the outset, the story seems to teach us the moral of having patience, and one should not be too greedy. If you try to understand this story from a metaphorical point of view, it also teaches us the philosophy of healthy relationships. Our relationship with others is like the goose in the tale. You have to deal with it carefully as you cannot afford to lose the golden eggs. However, sometimes the misunderstanding erupts out of nowhere, and you should be proactive in facing that challenge. If you fail to check on yourself and feed your ego more than saving relationships, you are killing the goose of relationship thinking you end it for good that would otherwise be giving golden egg of comfort, warmth and sweetness each day.

There are two ways to influence people. The first way is by manipulation, and the second way is by inspiration. Most of the time short-sighted people fall into the trap of immediate gain oblivious of the long-term repercussions. When people want to gain something at the cost of someone else's loss, they tend to go for a shortcut, so that they need not work hard for it. People manipulate others to get what they want thinking they can win. But manipulation works only on a temporary basis and it is confined to a one-time transaction.

Good relationships are not meant for a one-time transaction. That have a lifetime validity. The more amicable your relationships are, the more successful and happier you would be. Hence, treat every person in your life as a goose that lay a golden egg each day in terms of a relationship. Don't be so restless and in a hurry to get results fast. You may not get everything that you want from everyone. But when you look for something, there is someone who could help you get what you want. In order to get what you wish, you should also help people in getting what they wish irrespective of their capacity to return your favour.

Don't kill the relationship for a petty reason as nourishing cordial relationships pays you more than ending it. Next time onwards, when you face the relationship challenge, think about the goose, whether to kill it out of greed or to wait patiently for the golden egg every day is entirely your choice.