Once upon a time, there was a businessman who often had to travel from village to village to sell goods. He carried so much that he couldn't carry it all by himself, so he bought a donkey to help him.
The donkey was large, with strong legs, and usually walked steadily, never encountering any major problems. Every time it crossed a river, it safely delivered its goods to the other side. Although it sometimes grew tired, it never complained and continued to work.
One day, the man bought a large amount of salt and prepared to take it across the river to sell. He put the salt into sacks and stacked them one by one on the donkey's back. The donkey looked at the sacks and felt a little worried: "So much stuff! It must be so heavy to carry."
As it walked, it thought, "If only I could carry less." As it thought about this, it began to think about ways to make it easier.
First "Good Idea": Feeling Easier After Falling
The next day, the owner asked the donkey to carry salt across the river again. When the donkey reached the middle of the river, it tripped over a rock, stumbled, and fell into the water. The bag of salt on its back was completely soaked.
But strangely, when it stood up and continued walking, it suddenly felt much lighter on its back!
It turns out that salt slowly dissolves when it comes into contact with water. The water washes away the salt, and the bag naturally becomes lighter. The donkey was overjoyed when he realized this: "Oh, now I feel so much easier! What a great idea!"
From that day on, every time it crossed the river, it would deliberately fall to wet the bag. This way, it would have less salt and save itself the effort.
Although the owner always felt that the salt seemed to be missing a little, he couldn't figure out the cause and could only sigh, thinking that some salt might have spilled along the way. As for the donkey, it thought it was so clever and secretly delighted.
Next time: Cotton arrives, trouble comes too
A few days later, the merchant received another shipment—this time not of salt, but of cotton. The cotton looked fluffy and light, so the owner, as usual, put it into a sack and placed it on the donkey's back, preparing to cross the river.
The donkey, seeing it was still a sack, wasn't the least bit nervous. It thought to itself, "This trick worked last time, and it'll definitely work this time too. If I just wet the sack, the contents will be lighter, saving me some effort."
So, as before, it walked to the middle of the river, deliberately tilted, and dove into the water.
But this time, things were completely different!
Unlike salt, cotton doesn't dissolve. Instead, it absorbs water. The more it absorbs, the heavier the sack becomes. The donkey tried to stand up, but the weight on its back felt like a rock, holding it down, preventing it from moving.
The river continued to flow, and its weight grew heavier until it was finally swept away, along with the sack.
Poor donkey, weighed down by the cotton on its back, it sank to the bottom and never emerged.
What does this story teach us?
This story may sound a bit exaggerated, even a bit funny, but it actually illustrates some important points we often overlook.
Different things require different approaches
Salt and cotton are both items that need to be transported, but their "tempers" are completely different. Salt disappears and becomes lighter when it comes into contact with water, while cotton, on the other hand, becomes heavier. The donkey, unaware of this, simply tried the same method from the previous time, which resulted in a serious loss.https://fairytales.cc/aesops-fables-the-donkey-who-carried-the-salt/
We often encounter similar situations in our lives. For example, some people feel unwell and can simply rest, while others need to see a doctor. The same method can't be used to solve every problem. When faced with a new problem, you must first understand its nature before deciding how to proceed.
Don't always try to take shortcuts
The donkey initially came up with this "deviant idea" to save effort. He thought he was being clever and had an advantage. Unexpectedly, this "cleverness" ultimately backfired.
We sometimes behave this way: to avoid doing homework, we copy answers from others; to get out of school early, we feign illness and ask for leave. These may seem like "easy" solutions, but in the long run, they won't help us learn anything and may even lead to trouble.
Work diligently and don't try to be cunning. A truly effective approach is to solve problems, not to avoid them.
Learning more knowledge truly helps.
If the donkey knew the differences between salt and cotton, it wouldn't have poured salt into the water. Unfortunately, it didn't know and acted solely on instinct, leading to trouble.
When we go to school, learning Chinese, math, and science, we're actually learning how the world works. The more we know, the less likely we are to make mistakes. For example, if you know fire is hot, you won't touch it; if you know you need an umbrella when it rains, you won't get soaked.
So, don't think learning is useless. Knowledge is like a tool; it can be very helpful in critical moments.
A message to children
Children, after listening to this story, have you thought about things you've done?
Perhaps you've tried to solve every problem the same way? For example, using the same formula no matter what the problem is? Or do you always respond the same way no matter who's speaking?
Remember:
- Everything is different. Just like salt and cotton, they both look white and soft, but one is afraid of water, the other isn't. Before solving a problem, first understand its true nature.
- Don't be lazy. It's okay to relax occasionally, but if you constantly try to avoid it by pretending to be okay, you'll eventually fall apart.
- Read more and ask more questions. The more you ask, the more you understand. With more knowledge, you'll be less panicked when faced with difficulties and be able to find truly appropriate solutions.
Final Thoughts
The donkey in this story wasn't actually a bad person. It just relied too much on past experience and wasn't willing to think critically about new situations.
We all make mistakes, and that's normal. But the important thing is: **Can you learn from your mistakes**?
Next time you encounter a problem, don't rush to use your old methods. Stop, look, and think:
- Is this situation the same as before?
- If it's different, how is it different? Do I know enough information now? Should I ask others?
As long as you're willing to observe and think, you won't become that donkey who only pretends to fall.
Instead, you'll become someone who thinks, dares to experiment, and isn't afraid of making mistakes.
That's the truly smart approach.
This story may be simple, but the lesson it teaches can be applied to both adults and children. I hope that after listening to it, you'll remember not only this unfortunate donkey, but also this: The world is changing, and our approaches must change with it.