The Parable of the Ice-Cream Seller

Once, a cheerful ice-cream seller used to arrive in a distant, hot village at the same time on the same day. The children, exhausted by the heat, awaited him each time with such delight and longing, gathering in advance.

But one day he desired to work at a large ice-cream factory and to achieve great results there. He abandoned everything and everyone, forgetting those children from the far hot village, and went to the city after his dream. The children came again and again, waiting for the one who brought them coolness, a smile, cheer, and his care. But he did not come.

He wanted more, forgetting and discarding the little he had, the thing that had been his support.

But the city would not take him. He had hoped so much to obtain that position, that gift, to become a great man, that when he was refused he could not accept his sorrow; his pride was wounded.

No matter what you dream of, when your heart is full of love for that dream and for the great results it promises—when it becomes something inspiring and needed by many, not pursued for its own sake—then it matters.

He returned to that village and understood how they had waited for him, how much good and warmth he had given those children. Something inside him broke in that moment when he saw their happy faces and eyes filled with joy. He decided to teach them how to make ice cream. The children quickly learned the craft and created something entirely new, unimaginable. With that recipe they won a contest, and they dedicated their victory to their teacher.

As soon as the city heard about it, they immediately invited him to head the ice-cream factory.

He no longer thought about how great a man he would become. He understood that greatness does not lie in profession or knowledge alone. Greatness is realized through the loving hearts of others, through the care they show to you and to those who will come after you. That is what greatness is.

Once a week at that factory, anyone who wished could taste the ice cream for free while learning the craft.

And he understood that he did not give merely the taste of sweetness and coolness, but the taste of life to those worn by the endless heat of harsh gossip—he gave life the flavor of happiness, love, and prosperity, nurturing virtues.