Two
brothers worked together on the family farm. One was married and had a
large family. The other was single. At the day's end, the brothers
shared everything equally, produce and profit.
Then one day the single
brother said to himself, "It's not right that we should share equally
the produce and the profit. I'm alone and my needs are simple." So each
night he took a sack of grain from his bin and crept across the field
between their houses, dumping it into his brother's bin.
Meanwhile, the married
brother said to himself, "Its not right that we should share the produce
and the profit equally.
After all, I'm married and
I have my wife and my children to look after me in years to come. My
brother has no one, and no one to take care of his future." So each
night, he took a sack of grain and dumped it into his single brother's
bin.
Both men were puzzled for
years because their supply of grain never dwindled. Then one dark night
the two brothers bumped into each other. Slowly it dawned on them what
was happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another.