IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS AT WORK

'At times we think that our lives should change. We should become like another person or another object. What if our wish is granted and we have power to choose whatever we want to be? Here is an inspiring story from Paulo Coelho’s collection of stories about a person named Mogo who was not satisfied with his work and always wanted to be someone else: '

Many years ago, there lived in China a young man called Mogo, who earned his living breaking stones. Although he was strong and healthy, he complained about his work day and night. One day, his guardian angel appeared to him.   ‘You have your whole life before you,’ said the angel. ‘All young men start off doing the same job as you. Why are you always complaining?’  

‘God has treated me unfairly and not given me the chance to grow,’ replied Mogo.   Concerned, the angel went to ask the Lord for his help. ‘Do as you wish,’ said the Lord. ‘Everything that Mogo wants will be granted to him.’ The following day, Mogo was, as usual, breaking stones when he saw a carriage pass by bearing a nobleman laden with jewels. Wiping the sweat from his dirty face, Mogo said bitterly: ‘Why can’t I be a nobleman too?’‘

So be it!’ murmured his angel, delighted. And Mogo was transformed into the owner of a big palace, with many servants and horses. He used to go out every day with his train of followers and enjoyed seeing his former companions lined in front of him. On one such afternoon, the heat was unbearable; even under his golden covers, Mogo was sweating as much as he used to in his days as a breaker of stones. He realised then that he wasn’t really that important: above him were princes and emperors, but higher than them all was the sun, who obeyed none– the sun was the true king. ‘Dear angel, why can’t I be the sun? That must be my destiny!’ asked Mogo. ‘So be it!’ exclaimed the angel. And Mogo became the sun, as he had wanted. 

 While he was shining in the sky, admired for his immense power to do as he wished, a black spot started moving towards him. The dark stain grew larger, and Mogo realised that it was a cloud spreading all around him, so that he could not longer see the Earth. ‘Angel!’ cried Mogo. ‘The cloud is stronger than the sun! My destiny is to be a cloud!’     

                                                   

 ‘So be it!’ replied the angel. Mogo was transformed into a cloud and he thought he had finally realised his dream. ‘I’m so powerful!’ he yelled as he obscured the sun. ’No one can beat me’; he thundered chasing the waves. But on the deserted ocean shore stood a vast granite rock, as old as the world itself. Mogo thought that the rock was defying him and unleashed a storm such as the world had never seen. Vast, furious waves lashed the rock, trying to wrench it from the earth and hurl it into the depths of the sea. Firm and impassive, the rock remained where it was. ‘Angel,’ sobbed Mogo, ‘the rock is stronger than the cloud! My destiny is to be a rock!‘ And Mogo was transformed into that rock. ‘Who can vanquish me now?’ he wondered. ‘I am the most powerful thing in the world!’

And so several years passed, until, one morning, Mogo felt something stabbing into his stone entrails, this was followed by intense pain, as if part of his granite body was being broken into pieces. Then he heard dull, insistent thuds and felt again that terrible pain. Mad with fear, he cried: ‘Angel, someone is trying to kill me! He has more power than I do, I want to be like him!’ ‘So be it!’ exclaimed the angel, weeping. And that was how Mogo went back to breaking stones.                    

                                                                                                             

  Moral of the story: From stone breaking person to a noble person to sun and to a cloud and then to rock and to stone breaking person again: We should be happy wherever we are – whosoever we are and keep on making our life better!

 From Paulo Coehlo’s collection of stories