The Little Boy and the Wise Old Man

Once in a small village, there lived a young boy who loved sports. He was strong and fast, and winning was the most important thing to him.

One day, a running race was held in the village. The boy joined the race with two other young boys. As the race started, the crowd cheered. The boy ran with all his strength and came first. He felt proud of himself.

Soon, another race was announced. This time, the boy raced against two strong and fit boys. Again, he gave his best and finished first. The crowd clapped and cheered loudly.

An old man in the crowd was watching everything. The boy, feeling proud and excited, shouted, “Let’s have another race! One more race!”

The old man stepped forward and brought two new people to race with the boy — a weak old lady and a blind man.

The boy was surprised and said, “This isn’t a real race!”

The old man simply replied, “Let’s begin.”

They all stood at the starting line. When the race began, the boy ran ahead alone. The old lady and the blind man stayed at the starting line, unable to move.

The boy reached the finish line and raised his hands in victory. But this time, the crowd was silent. No one clapped or smiled.

Confused, the boy asked the old man, “Why is no one cheering for me now?”

The old man gently said, “Race again, but this time, help them finish too.”

The boy thought for a moment. Then he went back, stood between the old lady and the blind man, held their hands, and walked slowly with them to the finish line.

This time, when they all crossed the finish line together, the crowd cheered, clapped, and smiled.

The boy felt happy but still didn’t understand. He asked the old man, “Why did people cheer now and not before?”

The old man smiled and said, “Because this time, you didn’t just win a race. You won people’s respect.”