The Miser and the Hidden Treasure

Once upon a time, in a prosperous town, there lived a man who was exceedingly wealthy but equally miserly. He had no interest in using his wealth to provide comfort for himself or help others; his only joy lay in the mere possession of it. Eventually, consumed by the fear of being robbed, he decided to liquidate all his assets. He sold his house, his land, and all his belongings to purchase a single, heavy bar of solid gold.

To keep this treasure safe, he went to a secluded spot outside the town, near the ruins of an old wall. There, he dug a deep hole and buried the gold bar. From that day on, his daily routine changed. Every morning, he would visit the spot, carefully unearth the gold, gaze at its luster with immense satisfaction, and then bury it again. This ritual became the center of his existence, though the gold remained untouched and unused.

However, a local workman had noticed the miser’s daily excursions to the lonely spot. Growing suspicious, the workman followed him one day and watched from behind a tree. He saw the miser dig up the gold and then hide it again. That night, under the cover of darkness, the workman returned, dug up the gold bar, and made off with it.

The next morning, the miser arrived at the spot as usual. When he dug into the earth and found only an empty hole, he was struck with overwhelming grief. He began to wail loudly, tearing at his hair and beating his chest in despair. His cries were so piercing that a neighbor passing by rushed to see what had happened.

'What is the matter?' the neighbor asked. 'Why are you in such agony?'

'My gold!' cried the miser. 'Someone has stolen my gold bar! I buried it here, and now it is gone. I am ruined!'

'Tell me,' the neighbor said calmly, 'did you ever use that gold for anything? Did you buy food, clothes, or help anyone with it?'

'No,' replied the miser, 'I never touched it. I only came here every day to look at it.'

Upon hearing this, the neighbor picked up a large stone and threw it into the empty hole. 'In that case,' he said, 'cover this stone with earth and pretend it is your gold. It will serve you just as well as the gold did. For when the gold was there, you made no use of it, and wealth that is not used is no different from a common stone.'

The miser stood silent, finally realizing that the value of money lies in its utility, not in its hoarding.