The Hen That Laid Golden Eggs

In a village lived a poor farmer who struggled every day just to feed his family. One day, his hen laid an egg — and to his astonishment, it was made of pure gold!

The farmer was overjoyed. He sold the golden egg at the market and earned a substantial sum of money, which greatly improved his family's situation. The very next day, the hen laid another golden egg.

This continued day after day. The hen laid a golden egg every single morning, and the farmer sold each one, growing wealthier and wealthier. Slowly, his life became more comfortable and prosperous than he had ever imagined.

But as his wealth grew, so did his greed. He began to think, "If this hen can lay one golden egg every day, surely there must be a huge treasure of gold hidden inside her. If I cut her open, I could get all the gold at once instead of waiting day after day."

Blinded by greed, the farmer caught the hen and, without thinking twice, cut her open. But when he looked inside, there was no gold at all — she was just an ordinary hen, like any other.

The farmer realized his terrible mistake, but it was already too late. His hen was dead, and he would never receive another golden egg again. In his greed, he had destroyed his own greatest treasure with his own hands.

Moral: Excessive greed often leads to hasty decisions that cause enormous loss. We must value what we already have and practice contentment.