Do Your Own Work

This story carries a simple yet powerful lesson: relying on others often leads to loss, while taking responsibility for one’s own work brings certainty and results.

In a beautiful garden, a pigeon had built its nest on one of the trees. Every day, the pigeon would fly around the garden, collecting grains and feeding its young ones with great care. The chicks were growing quickly; their feathers had begun to appear, and they were slowly learning about the world around them.

One day, the pigeon returned to the nest with grains held tightly in its beak. As soon as it arrived, the chicks anxiously gathered around and said in fear, “Our nest is about to be destroyed. Today we heard the garden owner talking to his son. He said, ‘The fruit is now ready to be picked. Tomorrow I will bring my friends with me and ask them to help pick the fruit, because I cannot do the work myself due to weakness in my arm.’”

Hearing this, the pigeon calmly reassured its children and said, “Do not worry at all. The garden owner will not come tomorrow with his friends. There is no danger.”

And indeed, the next day passed peacefully. The garden owner did not arrive, nor did his friends. The pigeon’s nest remained safe, and the chicks felt relieved.

A few days later, the garden owner again came to the garden with his son. This time he said, “That day I could not pick the fruit because my friends did not come despite their promise. But I have spoken to them again, and now they have firmly promised that tomorrow they will definitely come and help me pick the fruit.”

The chicks heard this conversation and quickly informed their parent. Once again, the pigeon comforted them and said, “Do not panic. Even this time, the garden owner will not come to pick the fruit. Tomorrow will pass safely as well.”

Just as the pigeon predicted, the next day also passed without any sign of the garden owner or his friends. The owner’s friends once again failed to keep their promise, and the garden remained quiet.

Finally, one day, the garden owner came again with his son. This time his tone was different. He said in disappointment, “My friends are friends only in name. Every time they make promises, they delay and never show up. I have now decided that instead of trusting others, I will do my work myself. Tomorrow, I will come and pick the fruit on my own.”

When the pigeon heard this, its expression changed. Turning to its children with concern, it said, “My dear ones, now we must look for a new place to live. The garden owner will definitely come tomorrow because he has stopped relying on others and decided to do the work himself.”

This time, the pigeon’s judgment was correct. The very next day, the garden owner arrived and began picking the fruit on his own. Had the pigeons remained in the same place, their nest would surely have been destroyed.

Thus, the pigeon and its chicks safely moved away in time.

This story clearly proves an important truth of life: trusting others blindly often leads to loss and disappointment, while taking responsibility and doing one’s own work brings results and certainty. Promises made by others may be broken, but when a person decides to act on their own, the outcome becomes inevitable. Therefore, one should rely on personal effort rather than depending entirely on others.

Therefore, one should rely on personal effort rather than depending entirely on others.

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