In a bright, sunny village lived a young boy named Aryan. Aryan was a cheerful boy, but he had one big problem: he was very moody. If he didn't get the toy he wanted, he would cry. If a game didn't go his way, he would get angry and stomp his feet. Everything was either 'I want it!' or 'I hate it!'
His grandfather, an elderly man named Madhav, was the calmest person Aryan knew. One afternoon, Aryan came running home, tears streaming down his face. He had been playing with his friend, Kabir, who had a beautiful wooden spinning top. Aryan desperately wanted it, but when Kabir said no, Aryan threw a tantrum and stormed home.
'Grandpa, it’s not fair!' Aryan sobbed. 'I want everything, and I hate it when things don't go my way! Why am I always so upset?'
Madhav sat Aryan down and spoke softly. 'Aryan, your sadness comes from wanting things you cannot have, and your anger comes from hating things you cannot change. True peace comes from being like the Divine, who has no desires and no aversions. He does not crave, and He does not reject. If you learn to stay steady in both joy and loss, no trouble can shake your heart.'
The next day, while playing in the garden, Aryan accidentally tripped and broke his favorite clay whistle. In the past, he would have screamed and cried for hours. But this time, he remembered his grandfather's words. He took a deep breath and thought, 'It's okay. I can fix it, or I can find a new way to play.' Instead of feeling miserable, he felt a strange sense of calm. He realized that by letting go of his intense wants and hates, he had found a happiness that nothing could take away.
