A hunter once lost his way deep inside the jungle while chasing a deer.
He used all his navigation skills but neither did he find any way out of the jungle, nor could he find any food to eat for days at a stretch.
He started feeling so damn hungry that he could eat an entire elephant at one go.
Disappointed, he lost all hope. And that is exactly when an apple tree caught his sight.
He collected a dozen apples to feed him for the rest of his search.
As he ate the 1st apple, his joy knew no bounds and he just couldn't stop feeling grateful and blessed.
He thanked life.
He thanked God.
He could not believe his luck when he ate the 1st apple, but he was less grateful while having the 2nd apple and even lesser grateful when he had the 5th apple.
When he took the 10th apple in his hand, he just did not feel like having it any more.
Economics calls this diminishing marginal utility...I would like to call it diminishing gratitude...
in simple words, taking things for granted !!
Or let’s just call it the 10th apple effect.
The 10th apple did not lack taste, it did not lack the potential to satisfy his hunger but the only thing lacking was his gratitude for finding food in the middle of the jungle.
The hunter represents us.
And the apple represents the gifts that life gives us.
The 10th apple represents our lack of gratitude for these gifts of life and our ‘take everything for granted’ attitude.
As we continue receiving the gifts of life, our greed keeps on increasing and the joy we get from these gifts diminishes.
The 10th apple is as sweet as the first apple.
If the 10th apple fails to give you as much pleasure as the first one, nothing is wrong with the apple, everything is wrong with you !!
