Aesop's Fable "The Three Bricklayers"

A traveler who had been wandering the world was walking down a road on the outskirts of a town when he saw a man laying bricks by the side of the road with a troubled expression on his face. The traveler stopped beside the man,

"What exactly are you doing here?" I asked.

"What do you mean? Can't you see? I'm obviously laying bricks. From morning till night, I have to lay bricks here. You wouldn't understand, but I lay bricks all day long, in the heat, the cold, and the wind. My back aches, and my hands are like this."

The man held out his cracked, dirty hands.

"Why do I have to do things like this all the time? I'm so unlucky. There are so many people out there who have it much easier..."

The traveler left the man with words of comfort and continued walking.

Walking a little further, the traveler came across another man diligently laying bricks. Unlike the previous man, he didn't seem to be struggling. The traveler asked:

"What exactly are you doing here?"

"I'm building a big wall here. That's my job."

"That's tough."

The traveler offered words of comfort.

"It's nothing. Thanks to this job, I can provide for my family. It's hard to find a job here that allows you to support a family. I'm lucky to have a job like this here, so my whole family doesn't have to worry about food. If I complained that it was hard, I'd be punished."

The traveler left the man with words of encouragement and continued walking.

Further along, I came across another man who was happily and energetically laying bricks.

"What exactly are you doing here?"

The traveler asked with interest.

"Oh, you mean us? We're building a magnificent cathedral that will go down in history!"

"That's tough."

The traveler offered words of comfort.

"Not at all. So many people will receive blessings and find solace here! Isn't that wonderful!"

The traveler thanked the man and continued walking with renewed energy.