One day, a wise man came upon a stone quarry where several men were hard at work cutting stone. He stopped beside one of them and asked:
“What are you doing here?”
“Earning an honest living,” the man replied. “I have children to raise and elderly parents to care for. So I spend my days cutting stone to provide for my family. Several of us here come from the same village, and stonecutting is a craft that has been passed down through our families for generations.”
The wise man praised him and continued on his way.
He came to a second man who appeared to be doing exactly the same work, yet there was something different about him. So he asked him the same question:
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m the best stonecutter here. I work faster than anyone else, and I produce fewer defective pieces than anyone. Every week, my boss holds me up as an example to the other stonecutters because of how well I do my job. I personally keep track of how many pieces the others ruin compared to me. Nobody can beat me.”
The wise man praised this man too and moved on.
Eventually, he came to a third stonecutter.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m building a cathedral,” the man replied, looking the wise man straight in the eye. “I’ve spoken with the architect, and I know that the stone I’m shaping right now will become a keystone in the entrance hall of the church. Thousands of people who lift their eyes toward heaven will see this very stone I’m working on today. The cathedral won’t be finished in my lifetime, and perhaps even my grandchildren will work on it.”
The wise man did not praise him. He knew this man had no need for his praise. He simply thanked him and went on his way, carrying the story with him to share with people all over the world.
Each of the three stonecutters was doing exactly the same work. At first glance, you might think there was very little difference between them.
And yet, the level of consciousness from which each man acted was profoundly different.
Love and Wisdom,
Monica and Stefan