This is a story about a boy and girl, and a lesson about honesty, trust, and happiness.
The girl had a collection of sweets, and the boy had a collection of marbles.
They each looked at what the other had, and imagined how much happier they would be if they had what the other had.
So they decided on an exchange – all of her sweets for all of his marbles.
The girl went home that evening and packed all the sweets neatly into a bag to prepare for the next morning.
The boy also started packing his marbles.
As he was packing, he found one he liked and set it aside under his pillow. After a while, he found another marble he liked and put that under his pillow too.
In the end, he packed all his marbles into a bag, except for four of his favourite marbles that he decided to hide under his pillow.
The boy and the girl met the next morning for the “big exchange”!
The girl went home happily with her collection of marbles, and slept sweetly and soundly that night with her new possessions.
The boy however could not sleep.
He tossed and turned as he wondered: “Did she give me all her sweets? Or did she keep a few just like I did?”
He could not trust the girl, because he had broken the trust between them himself.
💡 Learning Points
1️⃣Dishonesty Breeds Paranoia and Anxiety
The lesson: When we act with deception, our minds naturally project that same behaviour onto others.
In the story: Because the boy kept his favourite marbles hidden under his pillow, he couldn't enjoy his new sweets. Instead, he spent the night tossing and turning, consumed by the suspicion that the girl must have cheated him too.
2️⃣Trust is Foundational to Any Relationship and Requires Complete Transparency
The lesson: Trust is foundational to any relationship, and it is fragile and easily broken. You cannot expect to enjoy trust while secretly holding back.
In the story: The girl entered the trade openly and honestly, and she experienced genuine peace of mind and happiness; the boy’s deception robbed him of his peace and joy, and his ability to trust the girl.
3️⃣ Doubt, Guilt, and Suspicion Are Self-Inflicted Prisons
The lesson: Our conscience has a powerful way of disrupting our rest and our lives when we act against our integrity. A clear conscience yields a good night’s sleep, and a happier and more relaxed life.
In the story: The boy was unable to sleep as he was imprisoned by doubt, guilt, and suspicion – this wasn’t caused by the girl, but by his own lack of honesty.
Share your thoughts with us at Hello@LimSiongGuan.sg.
Text co-written and image generated by Joanne H. Lim.
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