The Boy's Promise and a Lesson About Fairness

On a Sunday morning, golden sunlight spread gently over a quiet street. A boy of about seven or eight walked hand in hand with his father toward a familiar noodle shop. His stomach growled with hunger, and he was already imagining a steaming bowl of noodles fragrant with fried shallots. Suddenly, his eyes stopped at a street corner: a ragged, thin man sat huddled there, his gaze fixed on the hot bowl of noodles in the boy's hands, drooling and swallowing hard.

The boy looked at his father, then at the man. A feeling of pity rose within him. Without hesitation, he walked over and offered his untouched bowl of noodles, holding it out with both hands: "Please, sir, eat this." The man took it with trembling hands, eyes brimming with tears, devouring the food as if he had never eaten before. The boy stood watching, his heart both glad and aching. When the man had finished, the boy turned to his father and said, with unusual seriousness:

"Father, I make a vow! One day I will become the richest person in the world. When I am rich, anyone on this earth who asks for food will receive it immediately. No one will ever go hungry again!"

The father smiled, patted his son's head, and said nothing. But the boy kept that promise in his heart as a way of life.

Thirty years passed. The boy of those years had become a billionaire, the richest man in the world. His fortune stretched across every continent, and he controlled powerful economic empires. One day, he summoned three hundred leading scientists—the most brilliant minds serving his business empire—to a large conference room. Before their curious eyes, he spoke in a deep voice:

"I have a promise from my childhood. As a boy, I swore that if I ever became the richest person in the world, I would feed everyone in need. Now I will fulfill it. From this day forward, anyone in the world need only pick up a phone and call one of our representative offices, and food will be delivered to them immediately. No one will go hungry again!"

The room fell silent. The three hundred scientists looked at one another, then all knelt down together:

"Sir, we beg you to abandon this promise! It will destroy the entire world!"

The billionaire was astonished: "Why? This is the most humane promise I have ever conceived!"

One scientist rose to his feet, his voice trembling: "Sir, if everyone could eat simply by making a phone call, no one would want to work anymore. Farmers would abandon their fields, workers would leave their machines, police would desert their posts, and armies would abandon their nations. Where would you get the grain to distribute? Where would you get the oil to keep everything running? Banks would collapse, the economy would collapse, and the world would fall into chaos. Your promise, however well-intentioned, is completely impractical. It would destroy everything!"

The billionaire stood frozen. He remembered the hungry face of that man long ago, and the vow he had made. But now he understood that if carried out, that promise would turn all of humanity into beggars, stripping people of any motivation to work, to create, to progress. He sighed and nodded:

"You are right. I was wrong. My promise, however noble, cannot be carried out. Because this life requires fairness. People eat their fill and dress warmly through their own labor and contribution—it cannot simply appear out of nothing."

He abandoned the plan, but from that day on, he used his wealth to establish charitable foundations, supporting education and healthcare, helping people rise through their own efforts. He understood that fairness is the foundation of all progress.

The Meaning of the Story

This story reminds us that promises, however beautiful, must be grounded in reality and fairness. Without fairness, people lose the motivation to strive, and society falls apart. The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) speak of cause and effect (karmic law)—every result comes from one's own causes and efforts. Therefore, never promise the impossible. Instead, live and act in accordance with cause and effect (karmic law), so as to build a good and lasting life.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang