the perfect heart
One day a young man stood in the center of a village and proclaimed that he possessed the most beautiful heart in the whole region.
A large crowd gathered around her and everyone admired and confirmed that her heart was perfect, since there were no blemishes or scratches on it. Yes, they all agreed that it was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. Seeing himself admired, the young man felt even more proud, and with greater fervor he claimed to have the most beautiful heart in all the vast place. Suddenly, an old man approached and said: Why do you say that, if your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine?
Surprised, the crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart and saw that, although it was beating vigorously, it was covered in scars and there were even areas where pieces were missing and these had been replaced by others that did not fit perfectly in the place, because they were missing. they saw jagged edges and edges all around them. What’s more, there were places with holes, where deep pieces were missing.
The gaze of the people was awed – “How can he say that his heart is more beautiful?” they thought…
The young man looked at the old man’s heart and seeing his gangly state, he laughed.
“You must be kidding,” he said. “Compare your heart with mine… Mine is perfect. Instead yours is a set of scars and pain.
“It’s true,” said the old man, “your heart looks perfect, but I would never get involved with you… Look, each scar represents a person to whom I gave all my love. I tore pieces of my heart to give them to each of those that I have loved. Many, in turn, have given me a piece of theirs, which I have placed in the place that was left open. As the pieces were not the same, the edges remained for which I am happy, because when I own them they remind me of the love that we have shared. “There were times, in which I gave a piece of my heart to someone, but that person did not offer me a piece of theirs in return. Hence the holes remained. Giving love is taking risks, but despite the pain that those wounds cause me to have been left open, they remind me that I still love them and feed hope, that one day -perhaps- they will return and fill the void they have left in my heart. ” Do you understand now what is truly beautiful?”
The young man remained silent. Several tears ran down his cheeks. He approached the old man, ripped a piece of his beautiful young heart and offered it to him. The old man received it and placed it in his heart, then in turn tore off a piece of his own, already old and battered, and with it he covered the young man’s open wound. The part is molded, but not perfectly. As the pieces were not identical, the edges were noticeable. The young man looked at his heart, which was no longer perfect, but looked much more beautiful than before, because the old man’s love flowed inside him.
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