Two men, both very ill, shared the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man couldn’t get up and had to spend all his time flat on his back.They both talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, where they had been on vacation. But their best time was every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit , he would describe to his roommate all the things he could see by the window.The man in the other bed was so happy to hear his neighbour describing him about the outside world and it’s colours, . The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm among colourful flowers. Tall old oak trees graced the landscape, and a nice view of the city could be seen far off. As the man by the window described all this in detail, the man on the other side of the room closed his eyes and imagined the picturesque scene.One nice afternoon the man by the window described a parade going through the park. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could imagine it in his mind's eye as his friend by the window portrayed it in descriptive words. Unexpectedly, a thought entered his head: Why should he have all the fun of seeing everything while I never have the chance to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought was going his way, the man felt unconfortable at first, but as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy turned into resentment and soon turned him angry and soon found himself unable to sleep. All he was thinking of was : “I should be by that window” and that thought now controlled his life.Late one night, as he was laying, staring at the ceiling, the man by the window started to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other patient watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window tried to catch the button to call for help. Watching from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have called the nurse for help. Very soon, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only a deep silence in the room.The following morning, the nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the dead body of the man by the window, she was sad and called the hospital attendant to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make accept his request and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.As soon as he was lying close to the window, he slowly and painfully propped himself up on his elbows to take his first look. Finally, he was going to enjoy the view and to see the landscape all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed and all he could faced was a blank wall !!!Moral of the story:The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our cradle when we are born nor does it come through the window.
I meant, he was envious, because the other man didn't know, that there is only blank wall behind the window. Means the other man had a window in his room that he didn't, although delusion.. but because other man didn't know it's delusion he was happy.
It's just my opinion. I can't know how did those men felt or what they thought.
But in my opinion the man who told stories was very unhappy.
Thank you for explaining what you meant. :)
A bit off-topic: Happiness is a very weird thing. You won't feel it's existence when it's present, but you will miss it, when it's not present. It's so opposite to hating and enviousness. So then why we call hating and enviousness negative feelings? Witch one is really the negative one. It seems like happiness, as it is non existing feeling(You can only miss it?). LOL
But it's logical that u can't notice the present of happiness, because, if u would get every time happy for having happiness, u would turn over, break, burn out, fly away... and all other things because of this endless reaction :P
I 'm not surprised you also know this story, we both seem to have a few things in common. Thanks for your interest to my blog and for your relevant comments.
I am not sure i understand the way you see this story. My english is far to be perfect and i can understand people have some troubles to catch the meaning of it, but really you wrote me: "The reason why the man who couldn't see out got envious, was because the man who told stories got envious first."
I don't know why you got this idea that the man beside the window was envious, he was not and had no reasons to be.
In fact, with that short story i wanted to point out that "happiness" is an inner feeling that comes from the way we see things.
Well I guess I was little cruel by calling those two men two greedy fools.
Did he tell those stories to make other man to dream? I really didn't catch that in the story.
Yes he could have been happy, if there wasn't other sick man beside him and when there was a nice view from his window.
How can you be happy in hospital where in one side u have a sick man and in another side, there is like a cruel teaser a window where u can only see blank wall? I think he didn't tell the stories to make other man to dream, he did tell them to amuse him self with his own imagination and to make other man to smile, but it wasn't only for that other man sake. It was that since he couldn't do anything about that cruel window. He at least tried to bring some sun to other side of him by making other man happy. And aware or not he also bragged with the window that he didn't have.
In reality. The other man who couldn't see out, was happier. The reason why the man who couldn't see out got envious, was because the man who told stories got envious first. His window was artificial, but the other man's window was real and very amazing, although it was only in his imagination. So he started to tell more amazing stories, but he couldn't never catch up with the other mans window....
Please read again the story, i think you have missed something. The man who died could manage to be happy and to see positive things as, even if the window was facing a blank wall, he was describing nice things to his room's neighbour in order to make him dream.
So although he could have been chosen to be happy that he saw the truth through the window. He did chose to see just only black wall?
It's good story, but weird moral.
You can find so many similar situations from life.
Even dogs do act same way. One, by holding a big, but old bone: "I have a great bone, it tastes so good". Other: "Why he have a bone, not me" or "That other bone is surely better than mine"
I think, that in this story neither of these men knew what happiness is. They were just two greedy fools.
Comments
Interesting point of view you have about happiness ! But you're right, no one can be happy all the time.
Wishing you as much happiness as possible :))
Forget-me-not
It's just my opinion. I can't know how did those men felt or what they thought.
But in my opinion the man who told stories was very unhappy.
Thank you for explaining what you meant. :)
A bit off-topic: Happiness is a very weird thing. You won't feel it's existence when it's present, but you will miss it, when it's not present. It's so opposite to hating and enviousness. So then why we call hating and enviousness negative feelings? Witch one is really the negative one. It seems like happiness, as it is non existing feeling(You can only miss it?). LOL
But it's logical that u can't notice the present of happiness, because, if u would get every time happy for having happiness, u would turn over, break, burn out, fly away... and all other things because of this endless reaction :P
I 'm not surprised you also know this story, we both seem to have a few things in common. Thanks for your interest to my blog and for your relevant comments.
Wishing you a shining day.
Manuela
I am not sure i understand the way you see this story. My english is far to be perfect and i can understand people have some troubles to catch the meaning of it, but really you wrote me:
"The reason why the man who couldn't see out got envious, was because the man who told stories got envious first."
I don't know why you got this idea that the man beside the window was envious, he was not and had no reasons to be.
In fact, with that short story i wanted to point out that "happiness" is an inner feeling that comes from the way we see things.
Have a good day.
Forget-me-not
Did he tell those stories to make other man to dream? I really didn't catch that in the story.
Yes he could have been happy, if there wasn't other sick man beside him and when there was a nice view from his window.
How can you be happy in hospital where in one side u have a sick man and in another side, there is like a cruel teaser a window where u can only see blank wall? I think he didn't tell the stories to make other man to dream, he did tell them to amuse him self with his own imagination and to make other man to smile, but it wasn't only for that other man sake. It was that since he couldn't do anything about that cruel window. He at least tried to bring some sun to other side of him by making other man happy. And aware or not he also bragged with the window that he didn't have.
In reality. The other man who couldn't see out, was happier. The reason why the man who couldn't see out got envious, was because the man who told stories got envious first. His window was artificial, but the other man's window was real and very amazing, although it was only in his imagination. So he started to tell more amazing stories, but he couldn't never catch up with the other mans window....
Please read again the story, i think you have missed something. The man who died could manage to be happy and to see positive things as, even if the window was facing a blank wall, he was describing nice things to his room's neighbour in order to make him dream.
Forget-me-not
It's good story, but weird moral.
You can find so many similar situations from life.
Even dogs do act same way. One, by holding a big, but old bone: "I have a great bone, it tastes so good". Other: "Why he have a bone, not me" or "That other bone is surely better than mine"
I think, that in this story neither of these men knew what happiness is. They were just two greedy fools.