The artist and the farmer

Once an artist went to a particular village. He appreciated the scenery and nature's beauty so much that he painted many paintings there. He became a guest of a farmer and stayed a month, painting and painting.

On his last day in the village, the artist wanted to give some money to his host because he had stayed there for so long. But the farmer said, "No, you are our guest. A guest is like God. How can we take money from you?"

The artist insisted: "In this world everybody needs money. Nothing is free. For everything we need money. Please take it."

But the farmer remained firm. He said, "No, I can't take money."

The artist told him, "If you won't take my money, please take something else from me."

The farmer said that he would like one of the artist's paintings. The artist was very pleased and said, "Yes, please take any painting you want."

The farmer carefully selected one. The artist thanked the farmer and the farmer thanked the artist.

Finally, when the artist was leaving, the farmer said to him, "I have not accepted money from you for a special purpose. Money will come and money will go, but it won't solve my main problem in life, which is my son. My son wants to become an artist, and I have been pleading with him not to, because artists cannot make a living. I have told him he should take up my profession. He should become a farmer and learn mechanical things. But he will not listen, and he has left home to stay at my brother's house.

"I want to show my son how ugly a picture can be. Your paintings are so bad! I am showing him this one so that he will be frightened that if he becomes an artist, he will also paint as horribly as you do. He will be horrified, and he will give up the idea of becoming an artist."

From:Sri Chinmoy,The sailor and the parrot, Agni Press, 1981
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/sp