The father, his four children, and a meaningful life story.

In life, sometimes we should slow down and appreciate things more subtly; who knows, we might discover many beautiful and meaningful things that we have unintentionally overlooked for so long.

The story happened a long time ago, about a man who lived with his four sons. Despite having four children, he showed the most love to his youngest son. He reserved everything good for him alone.

Illustrative image.

However, he also loved his third son and always proudly spoke about him to his neighbors and friends. But everyone could see that the father showed more affection for his youngest son than his third son, as his occasional favoritism drew attention.

His second son, however, was the person he could trust the most. Whenever he encountered a difficult problem at work or in life, he would turn to him for advice, even sharing his private matters with him. He always felt relaxed and happy again after each conversation with his second son.

However, the father had absolutely no feelings or affection for his eldest son. Although the eldest son always loved and cared for him intensely, the father's feelings for him were completely zero.

One day, the father fell seriously ill, and despite all efforts to cure him, his condition showed no signs of improvement. Then, one day, he met a preacher. The preacher looked at the father and said:

"He is about to die; this is inevitable. But I will allow him to choose one of his sons to die with him."

Illustrative image

Immediately afterward, the father met with each of his sons individually to ask if any of them could accompany him on this journey to his death.

"Absolutely not!" the youngest son immediately replied and walked away as soon as he heard his father's question.

The father, saddened, went to his third son to ask what had happened. After hearing the question, the son replied, "I feel there are still many good things in life. I'm sorry I can't go with you, Dad; I want to live on."

Saddened and helpless, the adoptive father placed his hopes in his younger son and asked the same question. But, like his two younger brothers, he refused, saying, "I'm sorry, Father, I can't help you with this. All I can do is make sure your funeral arrangements are done properly."

At that moment, the father's heart was broken to the core. Suddenly, a voice rang out beside him: "I will follow you, wherever you go." The father looked up and was surprised to see his eldest son standing beside him. Overwhelmed with regret, the father burst into tears: "I should have treated you better when I still could."

Illustrative image.

From the story above, we can learn a lesson: Each of us always has four sons in this life.

Our youngest son is our body. No matter how much time and effort we dedicate to making it the best it can be, when we die, it will leave us.

Our third son is our asset. When we die, the asset will belong to one or more other people.

Our second son is our family and friend. No matter how close they are to us, the last thing they can do after we die is to take care of our funeral arrangements.

And the eldest child is our mind. It's where all the memories, recollections, and love we possess throughout our lives are stored. We often forget that we possess something so precious, taking it for granted and therefore neglecting it. Because it's always present in our hearts every day, we unintentionally forget about it until we're trapped in life by sadness and loneliness. We only think about the good things we've done when we feel weak and helpless in the present.

Life is like that; there are precious things we possess that we unintentionally forget. And only when we face difficulties do we realize that these things have always quietly existed and are truly valuable. In life, sometimes we should slow down and appreciate everything more subtly; who knows, we might discover many beautiful and meaningful things that we have unknowingly overlooked for so long?

According to Channel 14/Young Intellectuals