Creativity has been known since ancient times, and it has always been used as a powerful means of education. The reason is that the stories underlying each parable for children are as close as possible to real life and therefore understandable to everyone. They also help to identify vices without direct condemnation of a particular person. Let's recall the most interesting of them and see how you can use them for educational purposes when communicating with children.

About bad and good

Two friends were walking through the desert. Tired of the long journey, they argued and one rashly slapped the other. The comrade endured pain and did not say anything in response to the offender. He just wrote in the sand: "Today I received a slap in the face from a friend."

A few more days passed, and they were at the oasis. They began to bathe, and the one who received the slap almost drowned. The first comrade came to the rescue just in time. Then the second carved an inscription on a stone, saying that his best friend saved him from death. Seeing this, the comrade asked him to explain his actions. And the second answered: “I made an inscription in the sand about the offense so that the wind would erase it faster. And about salvation - carved on a stone, so that you never forget about what happened.

This parable about friendship for children will help them understand that bad things cannot be kept in memory for a long time. But the good deeds of other people should never be forgotten. And one more thing - you need to cherish friends, because in difficult times it is they who often find themselves next to a person.

About love for mother

Equally important are the relationships between family members. We often explain to children that they should show respect for their parents, take care of them. But parables for children like the one below will say everything better than any words.

An old man and three women were sitting by the well, and three boys were playing next to them. Here the first one says: "My son has such a voice that everyone will listen." The second one boasts: “But mine can show such figures - you’ll look at it.” And only the third is silent. The old man turns to her: “Why don’t you tell about your son?” And she replies: “Yes, there is nothing unusual about him.”

So the women took buckets full of water, and the old man got up with them. They hear: the first boy sings, the nightingale is flooded. The second one circles around them. And only the third one approached his mother, took the heavy buckets and carried them home. The first two women ask the old man: "Well, how do you like our sons?" And he replies: “Where are they? I see only one son."

It is such short parables for children, close to life and understandable to everyone, that will teach children to truly appreciate their parents and show the true value of family relationships.

Lie or tell the truth?

Continuing the theme, we can recall another wonderful story.

Three boys played in the forest and did not notice how evening had come. They were afraid that they would be punished at home, and began to think what to do. Should I tell my parents the truth or lie? And here's how it all turned out. The first came up with a story about a wolf that attacked him. His father would be afraid for him, he decided, and forgive him. But at that moment the forester came and said that they did not have any wolves. The second told his mother that he had come to visit his grandfather. Look - and he himself is on the threshold. Thus, the lies of the first and second boys were revealed, and as a result they were punished twice. First for being guilty, and then for lying. And only the third came home and told everything as it was. His mother made some noise and soon calmed down.

Such parables for children prepare them for the fact that lying only complicates the situation. Therefore, in any case, it is better not to come up with excuses and not to hide your guilt in the hope that everything will work out, but to immediately admit to a misconduct. This is the only way to maintain the trust of parents and not feel remorse.

About two wolves

It is equally important to teach the child to see the boundary between good and evil. These are two moral categories that will always accompany a person, and, perhaps, fight in his soul. Among the large number of instructive stories on this topic, the most understandable and interesting for children is the parable of two wolves.

Once an inquisitive grandson asked his grandfather - the leader of the tribe:

Why do bad people appear?

To this the elder gave a wise answer. Here's what he said:

There are no bad people in the world. But in every person there are two sides: dark and light. The first is the desire for love, kindness, compassion, mutual understanding. The second symbolizes evil, selfishness, hatred, destruction. Like two wolves, they are constantly fighting each other.

Sure, the boy replied. - And which one of them wins?

It all depends on the person, - finished the grandfather. - The top is always won by the wolf that is fed more.

This parable about good and evil for children will make it clear that a person is responsible for much that happens in life. Therefore, it is necessary to consider all your actions. And wish others only what you wish for yourself.

Oh hedgehog

Another question that adults often ask is: "How to explain to a kid that you can't blindly trust everyone around you?" How to teach him to analyze the situation and only then make a decision? In this case, parables for young children, similar to this one, will come to the rescue.

Somehow a fox and a hedgehog met. And the redhead, licking her lips, advised her interlocutor to go to the hairdresser and make a fashionable hairstyle “under the turtle”. "Thorns are out of fashion these days," she added. The hedgehog was delighted with such care and set off. It's good that he met an owl along the way. Having learned where, why and on whose advice he was going, the bird said: “Do not forget to ask to be smeared with cucumber lotion and refreshed with carrot water.” "Why is that?" - did not understand the hedgehog. “And so that the fox eats you better.” So, thanks to the owl, the hero realized that not every piece of advice can be trusted. And yet - not every "good" word is sincere.

Who is stronger?

Often parables resemble folk tales, especially if the heroes are the forces of nature, endowed with human qualities. Here is one such example.

The wind and the sun argued which of them is stronger. Suddenly they see: a passer-by is walking. The wind says: "Now I will tear off his cloak." He blew with all his might, but the passer-by only wrapped himself more tightly in his clothes and continued on his way. Then the sun began to warm up. And the man first lowered his collar, then untied his belt, finally took off his cloak and threw it over his arm. This is how it happens in our life: with caress and warmth you can achieve more than with screams and force.

About the prodigal son

Now we quite often turn to the Bible and find in it answers to many moral questions. In this regard, it is necessary to especially note the parables cited in it and told by Jesus Christ. They will tell children about goodness and the need for forgiveness more than the long instructions of their parents.

Everyone knows the story of the prodigal son who took his share of the inheritance from his father and left home. At first he led a cheerful, idle life. But the money soon ran out, and the young man was ready to eat even with the pigs. But he was driven from everywhere, as a terrible famine set in the country. And the sinful son of his father remembered. He decided to go home, repent and ask for a mercenary. But the father, seeing the returned son, was delighted. He raised him from his knees and ordered a feast. This offended the elder brother, who said to his father: “I have been with you all my life, and you spared me even a kid. He squandered all his wealth, and you ordered that a fattened bull be slaughtered for him. To which the wise old man replied: “You are always with me, and everything that I have will go to you. You need to rejoice that your brother seemed to have died, and now he has come to life, disappeared and was found.

Problems? Everything is solved

Orthodox parables for older children are very instructive. Popular, for example, is the story of the miraculous rescue of a donkey. Here is its content.

A farmer's donkey fell into a well. The owner pushed. Then he thought: “The donkey is already old, and the well is dry. I will fill them with earth and solve two problems at once. I called my neighbors and they got to work. After a while, the peasant looked into the well and saw an interesting picture. The donkey threw the earth falling from above from its back and crushed it with its feet. Soon the well was full, and the animal was at the top.

This is how it happens in life. The Lord often sends us, as it seems at first glance, insurmountable trials. At such a moment, it is important not to despair and not give up. Then you can find a way out of any situation.

Five important rules

And in general, to become happy, you do not need much. Sometimes it is enough to follow a few simple rules that are understandable to the child. Here they are:

• expel hatred from your heart and learn to forgive;
• avoid unnecessarily unrest - more often they do not come true;
• live simply and appreciate what you have;
• give more to others;
• expect less for yourself.

These wise sayings, on which many parables for children and adults are based, will teach you to be more tolerant of others and enjoy everyday life.

a wise man

In conclusion, I would like to turn to the text of another parable for children. It is about a traveler who settled in an unfamiliar village. The man was very fond of children and constantly made unusual toys for them. They are so beautiful that you will not find them at any fair. But they were all painfully fragile. The kid will play, and the toy, looking, has already broken. The child is crying, and the master is already giving him a new one, but even more fragile. The villagers asked the man why he was doing this. And the master replied: “Life is fleeting. Soon someone will give your child their heart. And it is very fragile. And I hope that my toys will teach your children to take care of this priceless gift.

So, any parable prepares the child for a meeting with our difficult life. Unobtrusively teaches to think about each of his actions, to correlate it with the moral norms accepted in society. It makes it clear that spiritual purity, stamina, readiness to overcome any adversity will help to go through life with dignity.

Good and evil - these two opposites have existed and, I think, will always exist. It seems that this is how our life works. But what will be more in our life depends all the same on us. Fairy tales, legends, parables about good and evil teach us this from childhood.

The struggle between good and evil - we often encounter this in our lives, but our attitude to this, which path we choose in the end, originates in ourselves.

A short parable about good and evil about wolves is just about that. The wisdom of this parable is relevant at all times.

Read it for yourself and be sure to tell your children.

Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed to his grandson one vital truth:

In every person there is a struggle, very similar to the struggle of two wolves. One wolf represents evil - envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies. The other wolf represents goodness - peace, love, hope, truth, kindness, loyalty.

The little Indian, touched to the depths of his soul by his grandfather's words, thought for a few moments, and then asked: "Which wolf wins at the end?"
The old Indian smiled almost imperceptibly and replied:

The wolf you feed always wins.

Good - it appears from childhood - a child was born - is it not good - a pure, bright creature. And what kind of child will be next depends on us adults. Therefore, the old Indian was right that he revealed the truth about the internal struggle between good and evil to his grandson, while he was still a child.

Watch this parable in verse performed by the author Vladimir Shebzukhov in the video.

From childhood, we must form in children the concept of good and evil. Indeed, their worldview is greatly influenced by the environment - kindergarten, school and much more, but the family gives rise to everything.

Leading Soviet teacher - innovator V.A. Sukhomlinsky said:

Children live by their ideas of good and evil, honor and dishonor, human dignity; they have their own criteria of beauty, they even have their own measurement of time.

And the main task for us, parents, is to try with all our might to keep the little man clean.

It is clear that a person will not become ideal and the time will come when he himself will form his personality. But the foundations of goodness laid in childhood will bear fruit.

The internal struggle between good and evil is constantly happening, very often life throws us different situations when we have to make certain decisions, make choices. Each of us can minimize evil, act out of good intentions. After all, the more good there is in the world, the better for all of us.

Although there is often such information that without evil we would not be able to appreciate the good, that there is no black and white in life, there is only gray, that good and evil are one and perform some kind of common mission.

Yes, the topic is interesting and it claims to be a separate discussion, but since you have looked at this page for parables, I will not take your attention from them. But I will say one thing, since these two opposites exist in our life, we must remember that there is also a “boomerang law”.

At the end of all of the above, one more little parable.

Parable of good and evil

Wrath had a son. His name was Evil. The son had such a complex character that Anger could hardly cope with it.

He decided to marry his son to some virtue. You look, he will soften a little, and in his old age it will be easier with him!

He stole Joy and married Evil to her. That marriage was only short-lived. The truth remains of this union a child, and his name is Schadenfreude.

It is true they say that there can be nothing in common between good and evil. And if suddenly it happens, then good still does not work!

P.S. You got acquainted with short parables about good and evil. If you want to continue this topic, take a look at the page, a pleasant and cute fairy tale-parable that both adults and children like.

Elena Kasatova. See you by the fireplace.

“Hello, is this a lost and found office?” asked a childish voice.
- Yes baby. Have you lost something?
- I lost my mother. She is not with you?
- What is your mother like?
- She is beautiful and kind. And she also loves cats.
- Yes, just yesterday we found one mother, maybe it's yours. Where are you calling from?
- From orphanage No. 3.
“Okay, we will send your mother to your orphanage. Wait.
She entered his room, the most beautiful and kind, and in her hands was a real live cat.
- Mother! The little boy screamed and rushed towards her. He hugged her with such force that his fingers turned white. - My mommy!!!

… Artyom woke up from his own scream. He had such dreams almost every night. He put his hand under the pillow and pulled out a photograph of the girl. He found this photo a year ago on the street during a walk. Now he always kept her under his pillow and believed that this was his mother. In the darkness, Artyom gazed at her beautiful face for a long time and fell asleep…
In the morning, the head of the orphanage, Angelina Ivanovna, as usual, went around the rooms with the pupils to wish everyone good morning and stroke each baby on the head.
On the floor near Artyomka's bed, she saw a photograph that fell out of his hands at night. Picking it up, Angelina Ivanovna asked the boy:
— Artyomushka, where did you get this photo from?
- I found it on the street.
- And who is it?
- My mother, - the kid smiled and added, - she is very beautiful, kind and loves cats. The manager immediately recognized this girl. The first time she came to the orphanage was last year with a group of volunteers. Probably, then she lost her photo here. Since then, this girl has often hung around the thresholds of various institutions in the hope of obtaining permission to adopt a child.
But, according to local bureaucrats, she had one significant drawback: she was not married. - Well, - said Angelina Ivanovna, - since she is your mother, then this completely changes the matter. Entering her office, she sat down at the table and waited. Half an hour later there was a timid knock on the door: "Can I come to you, Angelina Ivanovna?" - And the same girl from the photo appeared at the door.
- Yes, come in, Alinochka.
The girl went into the office and put a thick folder with documents in front of the manager.
“Here,” she said, “I got everything.
- All right, Alinochka. I have to ask a few more questions, that's the way it's supposed to be, you know... Do you realize the responsibility you're taking on? After all, a child is not to play for two hours, it is for life.
“I understand everything,” Alina breathed, “I just can’t live in peace, knowing that someone really needs me.
“Okay,” agreed the manager, “when do you want to see the children?”
“I won’t look at them, I’ll take any child you offer,” Alina said, looking the manager straight in the eyes.
Angelina Ivanovna raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“You see,” Alina began to explain confusedly, “after all, real parents don’t choose a child for themselves ... they don’t know in advance how he will be born ... beautiful or ugly, healthy or sick ... They love him the way he is. I also want to be a real mom.
“For the first time I meet such an adoptive parent,” Angelina Ivanovna smiled, however, I already know whose mother you will become. His name is Artem, he is 5 years old, his own mother abandoned him in the maternity hospital. I'll bring it now if you're ready.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Alina said in a firm voice, “show me my son.”
The manager left and after 5 minutes returned, leading a little boy by the hand.
“Artyomochka,” began Angelina Ivanovna, “meet this…
- Mother! Artyom shouted.
He rushed to Alina and clung to her so that his fingers turned white.
- My mommy!
Alina stroked his tiny back and whispered: “Son, son… I’m with you…”
She looked up at the manager and asked, "When can I pick up my son?"
- Usually, parents and children gradually get used to each other, first they communicate here, then they take them away for the weekend, and then for good, if everything is in order.
“I’ll take Artyom right away,” Alina said firmly.
- Okay, - the manager waved her hand, - tomorrow is still a weekend, you can take it, but on Monday you will come, and we will draw up all the documents as expected.
Artem was just happy. He held his mother's hand and was afraid to let her go even for a second. Educators, nannies fussed around ... some collected his things, others simply stood on the sidelines and wiped their eyes with handkerchiefs.
- Artyomushka, goodbye. Come and visit us,” Angelina Ivanovna said goodbye to him.
“Goodbye, I’ll come,” Artyom replied.
When they said goodbye to everyone and went outside, he finally decided to ask his new mother the most important question: - Mom ... do you like cats?
“I love it, I have two of them at home,” Alina laughed, gently squeezing a tiny palm in her hand.
Artem smiled happily and walked to his house.
Angelina Ivanovna looked out the window after Alina and Artemka were leaving. Then she sat down at her desk and started calling somewhere.
“Hello, Heavenly Office?” Please accept the application. Client's name: Alina Smirnova. Category of merit: the highest, gave happiness to a child ... send everything that is necessary in such cases: unlimited happiness, mutual love, good luck in everything, etc. ... Well, of course, an ideal man, she is not married ... Yes, I understand that there are few of them left, a shortage, but this is an exceptional case. Oh, and don’t forget the endless cash flow, it will be very useful to her ... the baby should eat well ... Has everything been sent yet? Thank you!

The courtyard of the orphanage was filled with soft sunlight and joyful children's cries. The manager put down the phone and went to the window. She loved to stand for a long time and look at her kids, spreading huge snow-white wings behind her back ...

I offer a small selection of parables about good and evil.

Parable the first.

A professor at a university asked his students this question:
- Everything that exists is created by God? And if God created everything, then God created evil, since it exists. According to the principle that our actions define ourselves, then God is evil.
Everyone fell silent when they heard such conclusions. Then one student stood up and asked:
- Can I ask you a question, professor? Tell me, does the cold exist?
- What a question? Of course there is. Have you never been cold?
The young man replied:
“Actually, sir, there is no cold. According to the laws of physics, what we call cold is the absence of heat. We study heat, not cold. Professor, does darkness exist?
- Of course there is.
- Sir, darkness also does not exist. Darkness is really the absence of light. We can study light, but not darkness. We can use Newton's prism to split white light into many colors and study the different wavelengths of each color, but we can't measure darkness. Darkness is a concept that a person uses to describe what happens in the absence of light. Please tell me, professor, does evil exist?
- Of course, as I said. We see him every day. Cruelty between people, many crimes and violence around the world. These examples are nothing but the manifestation of evil.
To this the student replied:
Evil is simply the absence of God. It is like darkness and cold, a man-made word to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of the absence of Divine love in the human heart. It is like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the kind of darkness that comes when there is no light.
They say the name of this student is Albert Einstein.

Parable the second.

One day, a wise old Indian - the leader of the tribe was talking to his little grandson.

- Why are there bad people? - asked his inquisitive grandson.

- There are no bad people, - the leader answered. - In every person there are two halves - light and dark. The light side of the soul calls a person to love, kindness, responsiveness, peace, hope, sincerity. And the dark side personifies evil, selfishness, destruction, envy, lies, betrayal. It's like a fight between two wolves. Imagine that one wolf is light and the other is dark. Understand?

- I understand, - said the kid, touched to the depths of his soul by the words of his grandfather. The boy thought for a while, and then asked: - But which wolf wins in the end?

The old Indian smiled faintly.

- The wolf you feed always wins.

Parable Three (from Gibran Khalil's The Prophet)

… And one elder of the city said: Tell us about Good and Evil.
And he answered: I can speak of the good in you, and not of the evil. After all, what is evil, if not good, tormented by its own hunger and thirst? Indeed, when good is hungry, it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it is thirsty, it drinks even dead waters.
You are good when you are one with yourself. But even when you are divided, you are not evil. Because even a house where there is no consent is not yet a nest of thieves, it is just a house where there is no consent. And a ship without a rudder can sail aimlessly between dangerous islands and still not sink to the bottom.
You are kind when you force yourself to give. But also when you want to receive for yourself - you are not evil. Because when you try to acquire, you are just a root that clings to the breasts of the earth and sucks their milk. Of course, the fruit cannot say to the root, "Be like me, mature and always distributing your abundance." Because for the fruit, giving is its purpose, just as receiving is the purpose of the root.
You are a bearer of goodness, when you speak, all your feelings do not sleep, reflected in words. But you are not a bearer of evil, even when your tongue mutters something without purpose, while your I is sleeping. After all, even muttering can strengthen a weak tongue. You are the bearer of goodness when you move firmly towards your goal and your steps are bold. But you are not a bearer of evil, and when you walk lame. Even the one who walks limping also walks forward. But you, who are strong and quick, take care not to limp before the real lame, thinking that by doing this you are doing a good deed.
You are good at countless good deeds, but you are not evil, and when you are not doing good, you are just wasting your time and procrastinating. It is a pity that deer cannot teach speed to turtles.
In your desire to make your Self huge lies your kindness, and this desire is in each of you. But in some this yearning is as strong as a stream rushing mightily towards the sea, carrying with it the secrets of the hillsides and the songs of the forests. And in others, the same desire is just a quiet stream, lost in its own loops and bends and not reaching the sea. But let not the one who is zealous say to the one who is calm: “Why do you hesitate and stop?”
Because a true bearer of good will not ask a naked man: “Where is your dress?” - or from the homeless: "What happened to your house?"

The fourth parable.

One day, the disciples came to the mentor and asked him: “Why do bad inclinations easily take possession of a person, and good inclinations are difficult and remain fragile in him?”

- What will happen if a healthy seed is left in the sun, and a diseased seed is buried in the ground? - asked the old man.

- The good seed that is left without soil will perish, and the bad seed will germinate, give a diseased sprout and a bad fruit, the disciples answered.

- This is what people do: instead of secretly doing good deeds and deep in their souls to grow good seedlings, they put them on display and thereby destroy them.

And people hide their shortcomings and sins so that others do not see them deep in their souls. There they grow and wound a person in the very heart.

You - be wise and do not do so!

A parable is one of the most ancient varieties of an edifying story. Instructive allegories make it possible to briefly and succinctly give some kind of moral attitude, without resorting to direct persuasion. That is why parables about life with morals - short and allegorical - have always been a very popular tool for education, touching on a variety of problems of human existence.

The ability to distinguish between good and evil distinguishes a person from an animal. It is not surprising that the folklore of all nations keeps many parables on this topic. They tried to give their own definitions of good and evil, explore their interaction and explain the nature of human dualism in the Ancient East, and in Africa, and in Europe, and in both Americas. A large corpus of parables on this topic shows that, despite the difference in cultures and traditions, different peoples have a common idea of ​​​​these fundamental concepts.

two wolves

Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed to his grandson one vital truth:
- In every person there is a struggle, very similar to the struggle of two wolves. One wolf represents evil - envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies ... The other wolf represents goodness - peace, love, hope, truth, kindness, loyalty ...
The little Indian, touched to the depths of his soul by his grandfather's words, thought for a few moments, and then asked:
Which wolf wins at the end?
The old Indian smiled almost imperceptibly and replied:
The wolf you feed always wins.

Know and don't

The young man came to the sage with a request to accept him as a student.
- Can you lie? the sage asked.
- Of course not!
- What about stealing?
- No.
- What about killing?
- No…
“So go and know all this,” exclaimed the sage, “and having known, do not do it!”

black dot

One day the sage gathered his disciples and showed them an ordinary sheet of paper, where he drew a small black dot. He asked them:
– What do you see?
Everyone answered in chorus that a black dot. The answer was not correct. The sage said:
“Don’t you see this white sheet of paper – it is so huge, bigger than this black dot!” This is how it is in life - we first see something bad in people, although there is much more good. And only a few see a "white sheet of paper" at once.

Parables about happiness

Wherever a person is born, whoever he is, whatever he does, in fact, he does one thing - he is looking for happiness. This inner quest continues from birth to death, even if it is not always conscious. And along the way, a lot of questions lie in wait for a person. What is happiness? Is it possible to be happy without having anything? Is it possible to get happiness ready-made or do you have to create it yourself?
The concept of happiness is as individual as DNA or fingerprints. For some people and the whole world is not enough to feel at least satisfied. For others, a little is enough - a ray of sunshine, a friendly smile. It seems that there can be no agreement between people about this ethical category. And yet, in different parables of happiness, points of contact are found.

piece of clay

God molded man from clay. He blinded the earth, the house, animals and birds for man. And he had an unused piece of clay.
- What else to blind you? God asked.
“Blind me happiness,” the man asked.
God did not answer, thought and put the remaining piece of clay in the man's palm.

Money can not buy happiness

The student asked the Master:
- How true are the words that happiness is not in money?
The master replied that they were completely correct.
- It's easy to prove. For money can buy a bed, but not sleep; food - but not appetite; medicines - but not health; servants - but not friends; women - but not love; dwelling - but not the hearth; entertainment - but not joy; teachers - but not the mind. And what is mentioned does not exhaust the list.

Khoja Nasreddin and traveler

One day Nasreddin met a gloomy man walking along the road to the city.
- What happened to you? Khoja Nasreddin asked the traveler.
The man showed him a battered travel bag and said plaintively:
- Oh, I'm unhappy! Everything that I own in an infinitely vast world will hardly fill this miserable, worthless bag!
“Your deeds are bad,” Nasreddin sympathized, snatched the bag from the traveler’s hands and ran away.
And the traveler continued on his way, shedding tears. In the meantime, Nasreddin ran ahead and put the sack right in the middle of the road. The traveler saw his bag lying on the way, laughed with joy and exclaimed:
- Oh, what happiness! And I thought I had lost everything!
“It is easy to make a man happy by teaching him to appreciate what he has,” thought Khoja Nasreddin, watching the traveler from the bushes.

Wise parables about morality

The words "morality" and "morality" in Russian have different shades. Morality is more of a social attitude. Morality is internal, personal. However, the basic principles of morality and morality are largely the same.
Wise parables easily, but not superficially touch upon precisely these basic principles: the relationship of man to man, dignity and meanness, attitude towards the Motherland. Questions of the relationship between man and society are often embodied in a parable form.

Bucket of apples

A man bought himself a new house - a big, beautiful one - and a garden with fruit trees near the house. And nearby, in an old house, lived an envious neighbor who constantly tried to spoil his mood: either he would throw garbage under the gate, or he would do some other nasty things.
Once a man woke up in a good mood, went out onto the porch, and there was a bucket of slop. The man took a bucket, poured out the slop, cleaned the bucket to a shine, collected the largest, ripest and most delicious apples into it and went to a neighbor. The neighbor opens the door in the hope of a scandal, and the man handed him a bucket of apples and said:
- Whoever is rich, he shares it!

low and worthy

One padishah sent three identical bronze figurines to the sage and ordered him to convey:
“Let him decide which of the three people whose statues we are sending is worthy, who is so-so and who is low.
No one could find any difference between the three figurines. But the sage noticed holes in his ears. He took a thin flexible stick and stuck it in the ear of the first figurine. The wand came out through the mouth. The second figurine's wand came out through the other ear. The third figurine has a wand stuck somewhere inside.
“A person who divulges everything he hears is certainly low,” the sage reasoned. “The one whose secret enters in one ear and exits through the other is a so-so person. Truly noble is he who keeps all secrets within himself.
So the sage decided and made the corresponding inscriptions on all the figurines.

change your voice

Dovewing saw an owl in the grove and asked:
Where are you from, owl?
I used to live in the east, and now I'm flying west.
So the owl answered and began to hoot and laugh angrily. The dove asked again:
- Why did you leave your home and fly to foreign lands?
“Because in the East they don’t like me because I have a nasty voice.
- In vain you left your native land, - said the dove. – You need to change not the land, but the voice. In the west, just as in the east, they do not tolerate evil hooting.

About parents

Attitude towards parents is a moral task that has long been solved by mankind. Biblical legends about Hama, Gospel commandments, numerous proverbs, fairy tales fully reflect people's ideas about the relationship between fathers and children. And yet, so many contradictions arise between parents and children that it is useful for a modern person to recall this from time to time.
The constant relevance of the topic "Parents and children" gives rise to more and more parables. Modern authors, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, find new words and metaphors to touch upon this issue again.

feeder

There lived an old man. His eyes were blind, his hearing dulled, and his knees trembled. He almost could not hold a spoon in his hands, spilled soup, and sometimes food fell out of his mouth.
The son and his wife looked at him with disgust and began to put the old man in a corner behind the stove while eating, and the food was served to him in an old saucer. One day, the old man's hands were shaking so much that he could not hold a saucer of food. It fell to the floor and broke. Then the young daughter-in-law began to scold the old man, and the son made a wooden feeder for his father. Now the old man had to eat from it.
Once, when the parents were sitting at the table, their little son entered the room with a piece of wood in his hands.
- What do you want to do? the father asked.
“Wooden feeder,” answered the kid. - When I grow up, my father and mother will eat from it.

Eagle and eagle

The old eagle flew over the abyss. He carried his son on his back. The eaglet was still too small and could not master this path. Flying over the abyss, the chick said:
- Father! Now you are carrying me across the abyss on your back, and when I become big and strong, I will carry you.
“No, son,” the old eagle answered sadly. “When you grow up, you will carry your son.

Suspension bridge

There was a deep gorge on the way between two high mountain villages. The inhabitants of these villages built a suspension bridge over it. People walked on its wooden boards, and two cables served as a railing. People were so accustomed to walking on this bridge that they could not hold on to this railing, and even children fearlessly ran across the gorge on the planks.
But one day the ropes-railings disappeared somewhere. Early in the morning people approached the bridge, but no one could take a step across it. While the cables were, it was possible not to hold on to them, but without them the bridge turned out to be impregnable.
It's the same with our parents. While they are alive, we think that we can do without them, but as soon as we lose them, life immediately begins to seem very difficult.

Worldly parables

Everyday parables are a special category of texts. In a person's life every moment there is a situation of choice. What role can seemingly insignificant trifles, inconspicuous little meanness, stupid provocations, ridiculous doubts play in fate? Parables answer this question unequivocally: huge.
For a parable, there is nothing insignificant and unimportant. She remembers strongly that "the flutter of a butterfly's wing echoes like thunder in the distant worlds." But the parable does not leave a person alone with the inexorable law of retribution. She always leaves the opportunity for the fallen to rise and continue on their way.

All in your hands

A sage lived in a Chinese village. From everywhere people came to him with their problems and illnesses, and no one left without receiving help. For this he was loved and respected.
Only one person said: “People! Who do you worship? After all, this is a charlatan and a swindler! One day he gathered a crowd around him and said:
Today I will prove to you that I was right. Let's go to your sage, I'll catch a butterfly, and when he comes out on the porch of his house, I'll ask: "Guess what I have in my hand?" He will say: “Butterfly”, because anyway one of you will let it slip. And then I will ask: “Is it alive or dead?” If he says that he is alive, I will squeeze his hand, and if he is dead, then I will release the butterfly to freedom. In any case, your sage will be fooled!
When they came to the house of the sage, and he came out to meet them, the envious man asked his first question:
“Butterfly,” answered the sage.
- Is it alive or dead?
The old man, smiling through his beard, said:
Everything is in your hands, man.

Bat

A long time ago, a war broke out between the beast and the birds. The hardest thing was the old Bat. After all, she was both an animal and a bird at the same time. That is why she could not decide for herself who it would be more profitable for her to join. But then she decided to cheat. If the birds prevail over the beasts, then she will support the birds. Otherwise, she will quickly go over to the beasts. And so she did.
But when everyone noticed how she was behaving, they immediately suggested that she not run from one to the other, but once and for all choose one side. Then the old Bat said:
- No! I will stay in the middle.
- Fine! both sides said.
The battle began and the old Bat, caught in the middle of the battle, was crushed and died.
That is why he who tries to sit between two chairs will always end up on the rottenest part of the rope that hangs over the mouth of death.

A fall

One student asked his Sufi teacher:
“Master, what would you say if you knew about my fall?”
- Get up!
– And next time?
- Get up again!
- And how long can it go on - all fall and rise?
- Fall and get up while you're alive! After all, those who fell and did not rise are dead.

Orthodox parables about life

Another academician D.S. Likhachev noted that in Rus' the parable as a genre "grew" from the Bible. The Bible itself is littered with parables. It was this form of preaching to the people that Solomon and Christ chose. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that with the advent of Christianity in Rus', the parable genre took root deeply in our land.
Folk faith has always been far from formalism and "bookish" complexity. Therefore, the best Orthodox preachers constantly turned to allegory, where they generally transformed the key ideas of Christianity into a fabulous form. Sometimes Orthodox parables about life could be concentrated into one phrase-aphorism. In other cases - in a short story.

Humility is a feat

Once, a woman came to Optina hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov) and asked him for blessings for a spiritual feat: to live alone and fast, pray and sleep on bare boards without interference. The old man said to her:
“You know, the evil one does not eat, does not drink, and does not sleep, but lives in the abyss, because he does not have humility. Submit in all the will of God - here is your feat; humble yourself before everyone, reproach yourself for everything, bear illness and sorrow with gratitude - this is beyond all feats!

your cross

One person seemed to have a very hard life. And one day he went to God, told about his misfortunes and asked Him:
– May I choose another cross for myself?
God looked at the man with a smile, led him into the vault, where there were crosses, and said:
- Choose.
A man walked around the store for a long time, looking for the smallest and lightest cross, and finally found a small, small, light, light cross, went up to God and said:
“God, can I have this one?”
“Yes, you can,” God replied. - This is your own.

About love with morality

Love moves the worlds and human souls. It would be strange if the parables ignored the problems of relations between a man and a woman. And here the authors of parables raise a great many questions. What is love? Can you define it? Where does it come from, and what destroys it? How to get it?
Parables also touch upon narrower aspects. Household relations between husband and wife - it would seem, what could be more banal? But here, too, the parable finds food for thought. After all, it is only in fairy tales that the wedding crown ends. And the parable knows: this is just the beginning. And keeping love is as important as finding it.

All or nothing

A man came to a wise man and asked, "What is love?" The wise man said: "Nothing."
The man was very surprised and began to tell him that he had read many books that describe that love can be different, sad and happy, eternal and fleeting.
Then the sage replied: "That's it."
The man again did not understand anything and asked: “How can I understand you? All or nothing?"
The sage smiled and said, “You yourself have just answered your own question: nothing or everything. There can be no middle ground!

Mind and heart

One person argued that the mind on the street of love is blind, and that the main thing in love is the heart. As proof of this, he cited the story of a lover who many times swam across the Tigris River, bravely fighting the current to see his beloved.
But one day he suddenly noticed a speck on her face. After that, as he swam across the Tigris, he thought, "My beloved is not perfect." And at the same moment the love that kept him on the waves weakened, in the middle of the river his strength left him, and he drowned.

Repair, don't throw away

An elderly couple who had lived together for over 50 years was asked:
- Probably, you have never had a fight in half a century?
“They fought,” the husband and wife replied.
- Maybe you never had a need, there were ideal relatives and a house - a full bowl?
- No, it's like everyone else.
- But you never wanted to disperse?
– There were also such thoughts.
How did you manage to live together for so long?
– Apparently, we were born and raised in those times when it was customary to fix broken things, and not throw them away.

Don't demand

The teacher found out that one of his students was persistently seeking someone's love.
“Don’t ask for love, that way you won’t get it,” the teacher said.
- But why?
- Tell me, what do you do when uninvited guests are breaking at your door, when they knock, shout, demanding to open it, and tear their hair out because they are not opened?
“I lock her tighter.
- Do not break into the doors of other people's hearts, so they will close even more strongly in front of you. Become a welcome guest and any heart will open before you. Take an example from a flower that does not chase bees, but by giving them nectar, attracts them to itself.

Short parables about insult

The outside world is a harsh environment that constantly pushes people against each other, striking sparks. The situation of conflict, humiliation, insult received can permanently unsettle a person. The parable comes to the rescue here too, playing a psychotherapeutic role.
How to respond to an insult? Give vent to anger and respond to insolent? What to choose - the Old Testament "eye for an eye" or the gospel "turn the other cheek"? It is curious that of the entire corpus of parables about insults, Buddhist parables are the most popular today. The pre-Christian, but not the Old Testament, approach seems to be the most acceptable to our contemporary.

Go your own way

One of the disciples asked the Buddha:
- If someone insults me or hits me, what should I do?
- If a dry branch falls on you from a tree and hits you, what will you do? he asked in response:
- What will i do? It's a mere accident, a mere coincidence, that I was under a tree when a branch fell from it, - said the student.
Then the Buddha remarked:
- So do the same. Someone was mad, angry and hit you. It's like a branch from a tree has fallen on your head. Don't let it bother you, go your own way as if nothing happened.

Take it for yourself

One day, several people began to viciously insult the Buddha. He listened silently, very calmly. And so they became uncomfortable. One of these people addressed the Buddha:
“Are you not offended by our words?!
“It is up to you to decide whether to offend me or not,” said the Buddha. “And it is mine to accept your insults or not. I refuse to accept them. You can take them for yourself.

Socrates and the insolent

When some insolent man kicked Socrates, he endured without saying a word. And when someone expressed surprise why Socrates ignored such a brazen insult, the philosopher remarked:
- If a donkey kicked me, would I really begin to bring him to court?

About the meaning of life

Reflections on the meaning and purpose of being belong to the category of so-called "damned questions", and no one has a clear answer. However, a deep existential fear - "Why am I living if I'm going to die anyway?" - torments every person. And of course, the genre of the parable also concerns this issue.
Every nation has parables about the meaning of life. Most often, it is defined as follows: the meaning of life is in life itself, in its endless reproduction and development through subsequent generations. The brevity of the existence of each individual person is considered philosophically. Perhaps the most allegorical and transparent parable of this category was invented by the American Indians.

stone and bamboo

It is said that once stone and bamboo had a strong argument. Each of them wanted a person's life to be similar to his own.
Stone said:
- A person's life should be the same as mine. Then he will live forever.
Bamboo replied:
- No, no, a person's life should be like mine. I die, but immediately I am born again.
Stone objected:
- No, let it be different. Let the person be better like me. I do not bow down to the wind or to the rain. Neither water nor heat nor cold can harm me. My life is endless. For me there is no pain, no worries. This is how a person's life should be.
Bamboo insisted:
- No. A person's life should be like mine. I am dying, it is true, but I am reborn in my sons. Isn't it true? Look around me - my sons are everywhere. And they will also have their sons, and all will have smooth and white skin.
The stone failed to answer this. Bamboo won the argument. That is why the life of a man is like the life of a bamboo.