THE AGED MOTHER

Once upon a time, in a small village in Japan, there lived a poor farmer and his elderly mother. The ruler of the land issued a cruel decree: all old people must be abandoned on the mountain to reduce the burden on the young. Heartbroken but obedient, the farmer carried his mother on his back to the mountain. As they walked, the mother quietly broke small twigs and dropped them along the path. When they reached the top, she gently said, “My son, follow the twigs to find your way home.”

Moved by her love, the son could not leave her. He carried her back and hid her in his home, determined to protect her despite the law. One day, the ruler faced a difficult problem: how to make a rope out of ashes. No one could solve it — except the old mother, who told her son how to do it by soaking a rope in salt and burning it carefully. The farmer shared her wisdom, and the ruler was amazed. Realizing the value of the elderly, the ruler lifted the cruel law. The village learned that wisdom does not only come from strength or youth but from the love and experience of the old.