Professor Rowan Kahn from Stanford University in the United States took two oranges: one large but sour, the other small but sweet.
He gave the large, sour orange to the first child, and the small, sweet orange to the second child.
As a result, the first child complained about the sourness and was very unhappy, while the second child jumped with joy.
When asked why, the child smiled and said, "My orange may be small, but it's sweet."
Later, Professor Kahn switched the oranges between the two children.
The first child still wore a frowning face, complaining that the orange was too small.
But the second child remained unusually excited. When asked again why, he laughed even more joyfully and said, "My orange isn't sweet anymore—it's turned sour—but it's much larger than the one I had before!"
In life, nine out of ten people are like the first child: they hope their lives can be like a large, sweet orange. But that is merely a beautiful wish, because no one's life can ever be absolutely perfect.
Whether you are happy or unhappy, satisfied or dissatisfied, depends on how you treat the orange in your hand.
Like the second child—feeling grateful for its size when given a sour orange, and appreciating its sweetness when given a small one—this is indeed a wise way of living, well worth learning from.