Salty Liquor
Once upon a time, there was a tavern owner in Benares. He had a hard working bartender, who was always trying to be helpful by inventing new ways of doing things. One hot day, the tavern owner wanted to bathe in a nearby river. So he left the bartender in charge while he was gone. The bartender had always wondered why most of the customers ate a little salt after drinking their liquor. Not wishing to show his ignorance, he never bothered to ask them why they did this. He did not know that they ate the salt in order to chase away the aftertaste of the liquor. He thought it needed salt to taste good. He wondered why taverns did not add salt to their liquor. He decided that if he did so, the business would make much higher profits, and the tavern owner would be very pleased. So he added salt to all the liquor! To his surprise, when the customers came to the tavern and drank the salty liquor, they immediately spit it out and went to a different bar. When the owner returned from his dip in the river, he found his tavern without customers, and all his liquor ruined. So he went and told this story to his friend, an adviser to the king. The adviser said, “The ignorant, wishing only to do good, often cannot help doing harm.”
ແປບົດເລື່ອງ “Salty Liquor” ເຫຼົ້າເຄັມ
ການລະຄັ້ງໜຶ່ງ ມີເຈົ້າຂອງຮ້ານບາແຫ່ງໜຶ່ງໃນເມືອງ ເບນາເຣສ. ລາວມີພະນັກງານບາເທັນເດີທີ່ເຮັດວຽໜັກ, ເຊິ່ງມັກຈະພາຍາຍາມໃຫ້ຄວາມຊ່ວຍເຫຼືອດ້ວຍການຄິດຄົ້ນວິທີໃໝ່ໆ ໃນການເຮັດສິ່ງຕ່າງໆ. ມື້ໜຶ່ງອາກາດຮ້ອນອົບເອົ້າ, ເຈົ້າຂອງຮ້ານບາຕ້ອງການໄປອາບນ້ຳໃນແມ່ນ້ຳໄກ້ໆ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, ລາວຈື່ງປ່ອຍໃຫ້ບາເທັນເດີເຝົ້າເບິ່ງໃນຂະນະທີ່ລາວບໍຢູ່. ບາເທັນເດີເຄີຍສົງໃສຢູ່ສະເໝີວ່າເປັນຫຍັງລູກຄ້າສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ເຖິງກິນເກືອເລັກໜ່ອຍຫຼັງຈາກດື່ມເຫຼົ້າ, ລາວບໍ່ຢາກສະແດງຄວາມບໍ່ຮູ້ຂອງລາວ, ລາວບໍເຄີຍສົນໃຈທີ່ຈະຖາມພວກເຂົາວ່າເປັນຫຍັງພວກເຂົາຈື່ງເຮັດແບບນັ້ນ, ລາວບໍ່ຮູ້ວ່າພວກເຂົາກິນເກືອເພື່ອໄລ່ລົດຊາດທີ່ຄ້າງຢູ່ໃນຄໍຂອງເຫຼົ້າອອກໄປ. ລາວຄິດວ່າຕ້ອງໃຊ້ເກືອຈື່ງຈະແຊບໄດ້. ລາວສົງໃສວ່າເຫດໃດຮ້ານເຫຼົ້າຈື່ງບໍ່ໃສ່ເກືອລົງໃນເຫຼົ້າ, ລາວຕັດສິນໃຈວ່າຖ້າລາວເຮັດແບບນັ້ນ, ທຸລະກິດຈະເຮັດກຳໄລໄດ້ຫຼາຍຂຶ້ນ ແລະ ເຈົ້າຂອງຮ້ານບາກໍ່ຈະບິນດີເປັນຢ່າງຍິ່ງ, ລາວຈື່ງໃສ່ເກືອລົງໃນເຫຼົ້າທັງໝົດ! ລາວປະຫຼາດໃຈເມືອລູກຄ້າມາທີ່ຮ້ານບາ ແລະ ດື່ມເຫຼົ້າລົດຊາດເຄັມ, ພວກເຂົາກໍ່ບ້ວນຖີ່ມທັນທີ ແລະ ໄປຮ້ານອື່ນ. ເມື່ອເຈົ້າຂອງຮ້ານກັບມາຈາກການແຊ່ຕົວໃນແມ່ນ້ຳກໍ່ພົບວ່າຮ້ານບາຂອງລາວບໍ່ມີລູກຄ້າ ແລະ ເຫຼົ້າກໍ່ເສຍຫາຍທັງໝົດ. ລາວຈື່ງໄປເລົ່າເລື່ອງນີ້ໃຫ້ເພື່ອນເຊິ່ງເປັນທີ່ປືກສາຂອງກະສັດຟັງທີ່ປືກສາໄດ້ເວົ້າວ່າ “ຄົນໂງ່, ປາຖະໜາພຽງແຕ່ຈະເຮັດຄວາມດີເລື່ອຍໆ ບໍ່ສາມາດຊ່ວຍເຮັດອັນຕະລາຍໄດ້.”