A Foolish Traveler: the message of the story?
From the anime: Fruits Basket
Once upon a time, there was this foolish traveler who had gone to a journey.
Why was it foolish?
Well because he was fooled by everyone he met.
“I need money for medicine”
Everywhere he went people made all sorts of sad stories to tell him, and the traveler fell for everyone of them.
“I have a sick younger sister”
“I don’t have money to buy seeds to plant in my field”
Pretty soon the traveler’s money, his clothes, and even his shoes had been cheated away from him.
But the foolish traveler was always glad to help. He always told people the same thing.
He said, “I wish you happiness”
But by this point though, the traveler was completely naked and with nothing left to cover himself. He decided to leave the main road and travel through the dense forest, where no one could see him.
However, soon he was discovered by the goblins that lived in the woods.
The goblins wanted to eat the traveler’s body. They begged him, pleaded, and used kind words to try to trick him. And of course the traveler was fooled.
First he let them eat one of his leg, them one arm, then more and more.
Before it was over, all the traveler had left was his head. He even had given his eyes away to the last of the goblins.
And as this last goblin was eating the traveler’s eyes, he turned and said “thank you traveler.”
In return, I leave you this present.
What the goblin left was a piece of paper with the word “fool” written on it.
The traveler couldn’t see it. He didn’t know what it was. Even so, tears began to flow down his face “thank you” the traveler said.
“This is the first present anyone has ever given me, I am so happy, I am so happy, thank you.”
Even without his eyes, he cried and he cried, great tears of joy.
Then the traveler died, the smile still on his face. And that’s the end of the story.
