The Old Man and The Old Cottage - A Story

Once there was an old man who lived in a cottage in the forest. He had recently retired due to old age, and was bored and restless as a result. He missed going to work in the village every day.

His cottage was old. He built it when he was young, and they had both had seen better days. More cracks and leaks appeared every day.

One day, while noticing he could see sunlight streaming through one of the larger cracks, he thought, “Why not tear it all down and build a new one? I did it once before.”

He decided to start right away. He picked up his heaviest sledgehammer and – with some effort – hoisted it over his shoulder…

Then he stopped himself, lowering the hammer.

Something told him he should get some advice in case he was making a big mistake.

He heard there was an old guru who lived deep in the forest, so he decided to seek him out. He'd never had time before because he always worked long hours, but this was the perfect excuse. 

After a long day of traveling into the deepest part of the forest, he found the bearded guru sitting on a rock contemplating a bird on the branch of a tree. After he explained his situation to the guru, he asked, “Should I tear down my cottage and rebuild it, or just let it waste away?”

The guru stroked his beard and said, “There is only one important voice you should listen to, yes? When you hear it, come back and tell me what it says.”

The old man said he would and thanked him.

On the way back home, he stopped in the village to chat with some villagers. He told them what he was thinking of doing.

Immediately everyone started giving him opinions on what he should do. This surprised and confused him.

Suddenly the crowd parted, and the richest man in the village strutted through. He spoke louder than the rest:

“Your cottage is old and falling apart. But so are you, old man, so just sit in your rocking chair and wait till your next life to build a new one.”

This saddened the old man. As he left, he even heard some of the villagers laugh at him.

He went back to the guru and told him what happened. "...so therefore, I think it's best I leave my cottage alone.”

“Because of what the man said, yes?”

“You said to listen for the most important voice. He’s very rich and successful, so I knew his voice was the most important one.”

The guru clasped his hands and spoke in a low tone. “Go deeper, yes? Because the most important voice is within you."

"I don't hear it."

"With time and patience, you will hear it constantly. You just have to work at it."

The old man nodded and left.

As he stepped over some large roots on the way back, he tried in vain to hear some voice inside himself. But all he could hear were the villagers’ taunts and the rich man’s insults.

This made him angry. “They didn’t care about me, or what was best for me. I’ll show them!”

When he got home he immediately picked up the sledgehammer. It was very heavy and he grunted as he swung it...

But he stopped himself again. Something told him he should see the guru one more time, even at this late hour. Plus, his back hurt from swinging the sledgehammer.

The guru was sitting by a small campfire when the old man emerged from the trees, limping from  his back pain.

“Did your inner voice show you the way?” the guru asked.

“Yes! It said 'I'll show them and tear it down even if it kills me!'” the man said.

The guru poked the small fire with a stick. A glowing ember fluttered up into the night sky.

“That voice was your ego talking with pride, yes?”

“But it’s the only voice I hear!”

“If you go deeper in your meditation, I promise you will hear your divine voice, from your purest, truest Self. It will guide you every time. You just need to work at it.”

“Is it talking to me now?”

“Every second of the day. You just have to work at it.”

“The other voices are so strong! I don’t think I can do it, Master. Something must be broken inside of me.”

The guru smiled. “Then we would repair it, yes? But you can’t be too broken because you already hear the voice. Don’t you see? It’s the one that told you to come to me for help.”

The old man was suddenly enlightened by this – nothing else needed to be said.

He had a nice, quiet walk home.

At home, he meditated on all the guru said and knew it to be true. He started listening.

He started hearing.

And he was no longer restless.

So now that he hears his divine voice consistently, what did it tell him to do with his cottage and all of its cracks and leaks?

Maybe it wasn’t too broken. Maybe he just needed to work at it. 

by Scott Ware