Three Advices of a Sparrow

A man set a net to catch a sparrow, and by chance, one got trapped. He caught the bird, but the sparrow, struggling in the net, spoke to him.

"O man," the sparrow said, "you've eaten many animals like deer, goats, and chickens. What am I compared to them? My meat is so little that your hunger won't be satisfied. But if you let me go, I will give you three pieces of advice that will be incredibly useful to you. I'll share the first now, the second once you release me and I sit on the wall, and the last after I hop onto a tree branch."

The man, curious about the sparrow’s wisdom, agreed. "Alright," he said, "give me the first piece of advice, and then I'll let you go."

The sparrow responded, "My first advice is not to believe in the impossible."

The man, intrigued, set the sparrow free, and it perched on a wall. It continued, "My second advice is not to grieve over what’s already happened."

Then, as the man stood listening, the sparrow added, "But you've made a grave mistake. I have a rare stone inside me, a pearl so precious that if you had killed me and taken it, you would have become incredibly wealthy. You could have lived comfortably for generations."

The man, struck with regret, realized his mistake. "If only I hadn’t let you go," he thought. "I could have been rich."

Noticing his disappointment, the sparrow flew to a tree branch and said, "O man, you’ve already forgotten the first piece of advice I gave you. You believed that I, a small sparrow, could carry a heavy, valuable stone inside me—something that’s impossible. And as for the second advice, you’ve mourned your mistake, which I told you not to do. You’ve ignored both pieces of wisdom, so there’s no point in giving you the third."

With that, the sparrow flew away, leaving the man standing there, lost in thought.

The story serves as a reminder that advice, especially from those with experience, is invaluable. Too often, we dismiss the wisdom of others, thinking we know better, only to regret it later. Listening to the advice of those who care about us can be the key to avoiding mistakes and finding success.