The Mango Tree That Gave Nothing Back

Near the village road stood a large mango tree. Children climbed it, travelers rested under it, birds nested in it, and strangers plucked its fruit. No one thanked the tree. No one watered it. Still, every season it gave shade and sweetness.

A boy once sat beneath it after being treated unfairly by his friends. "I am tired of being kind," he said aloud. "People only take."

An old man sitting nearby replied, "Then learn from the tree."

The boy frowned. "The tree gets nothing back."

The old man nodded. "And yet it remains a blessing. Not because others deserve it, but because it is its nature to give."

The boy looked up through the branches. He realized that goodness which depends entirely on reward is still weak. But goodness rooted in love becomes like a tree: steady, fruitful and generous.