제우스와 행운의 단지

제우스 신은 날마다 되풀이되는 일상생활 속에서 아무런 의미도 없이 살아가는 사람들에게 선물을 주기로 결심했습니다.

제우스 신은 사람들이 좀더 재미있게 살아가도록 좋은 일들을 모두 모아서 포도주 단지 속에 집어 넣었습니다. 포도주 단지 속에는 기쁨과 즐거움, 행복, 웃음 같은 것들이 들어 있었습니다. 

제우스 신은 좋은 것들이 모두 들어간 포도주 단지의 뚜껑을 닫았습니다. 좋은 것들이 날아가지 않도록 말입니다. 포도주 단지만 갖고 있으면 사람은 좀더 행복하게 웃으면서 살아갈 수 있었습니다.

제우스 신은 사람들을 불러놓고 포도주 단지를 전해주면서 이렇게 말했습니다.

"사람들이 좀더 즐겁고 행복하게 살기를 바라는 마음에서이 선물을 주는 것이다. 이것을 잘 가지고 있으면 행복하게 살아갈 수 있을 것이다. 그 대신에 좋은 것들이 멀리 달아나지 않도록 뚜껑을 열지 말고 잘 보관하도록 해라."

포도주 단지를 받아 든 사람들은 몹시 기뻤습니다. 사람들은 포도주 단지를 받아서 집에다가 잘 보관해 두었습니다.

"도대체 이 속에 뭐가 들었을까? 젤대로 뚜껑을 열지 말라고 했는데...포도주 단지 속에 뭐가 들었길래 우리가 행복하게 살 수 있다는 거야?"

며칠이 지나자 사람들은 포도주 단지 속에 무엇이 들어 있는지 몹시 궁금해서 견딜 수가 없었습니다.

"뚜껑만 살짝 열어보고 금방 닫으면 되지 않겠어? 조금 엿본다고 해서 크게 달라질 건 없을 거야."

이렇게 생각한 사람들은 꽁꽁 묶어둔 단지 뚜껑을 살짝 열고 그 안을 들여다보았습니다. 그 순간 제우스 신이 넣어 두었던 온갖 '좋은 일' 들은 신들이 사는 하늘로 올라가고 말았습니다.

모든 일에 호기심을 갖는 것은 생각하는 힘을 길러줄 수 있기 때문에 좋은 일입니다. 그러나 호기심을 가져야 할 것과 때로는 다른 사람의 충고를 따라야 할 것이 있습니다. 어떤 일에 대해 호기심을 갖더라도, 그것이 과연 나의 발전에 도움이 될 것인가를 먼저 생각해 보는 것도 중요한 일입니다.

우리나라에 '아는 것이 힘' 이라는 속담과 '모르는 것이 약' 이라는 속담이 있습니다. 각각의 속담이 지닌 뜻을 알아보고 왜 이렇게 서로 다른 속담이 나왔는지 말해 보세요. 또 이 우화의 경우에는 어떤 속담을 적용할 수 있을까요?

여러분은 금지된 일에 대해 호기심을 가진 적이 있나요? 그 경험에 대해 서로 이야기를 해보세요.

그리스 신화에는 이것과 비슷한 '판도라의 상자'라는 이야기가 있습니다. 그 이야기를 읽어보고 이솝 우화와 서로 비교해 보세요. 

 

The god Zeus decided to give a gift to people who lived their daily lives without any meaning.

Zeus gathered all the good things to make people’s lives more enjoyable and put them into a wine jar. Inside the wine jar were joy, pleasure, happiness, and laughter.

Zeus closed the lid of the wine jar containing all the good things so they wouldn’t fly away. People could live happily and laugh more if they had the wine jar.

Zeus called the people together and handed them the wine jar, saying,

“I give you this gift with the hope that people will live more joyfully and happily. If you keep this well, you will be able to live happily. But do not open the lid so the good things do not fly away.”

The people were pleased to receive the wine jar. They took it home and kept it well.

“What could be inside this? We were told not to open the lid… What could be inside the wine jar to make us live happily?”

After a few days, the people became curious about what was inside the wine jar and couldn’t stand it.

“Can’t we just open the lid and close it right away? It won’t make much difference if we peek a little.”

Thinking this way, the people opened the tightly sealed lid slightly and looked inside. At that moment, all the ‘good things’ that Zeus had put inside flew up to the sky where the gods lived.

Curiousness about everything is good because it can develop the power of thinking. However, there are things you should be curious about and times when you should follow others’ advice. Even if you are curious about something, it is essential to consider whether it will help your development.

In our country, there are sayings, “Knowledge is power” and “Ignorance is bliss.” Find out the meaning of each proverb and why such different proverbs came about. Also, which proverb can be applied to this fable?

Have you ever been curious about something forbidden? Share your experiences.

Greek mythology has a similar story called “Pandora’s Box.” Read that story and compare it with Aesop’s fable.

In Adventure Bay, the wise Ryder decided to give a gift to the pups who lived their daily lives without much excitement.

Ryder gathered all the good things to make the pups’ lives more enjoyable and put them in a special treat jar. Inside the treat jar were joy, pleasure, happiness, and laughter.

Ryder closed the lid of the treat jar containing all the good things so they wouldn’t fly away. The pups could live happily and laugh more if they had the treat jar.

Ryder called the pups together and handed them the treat jar, saying,

“I give you this gift with the hope that you will live more joyfully and happily. If you keep this well, you will be able to live happily. But do not open the lid so the good things do not fly away.”

The pups were pleased to receive the treat jar. They took it to the Lookout and kept it well.

“What could be inside this? We were told not to open the lid… What could be inside the treat jar to make us live happily?”

After a few days, the pups became curious about what was inside the treat jar and couldn’t stand it.

“Can’t we just open the lid and close it right away? It won’t make much difference if we peek a little.”

Thinking this way, the pups opened the tightly sealed lid slightly and looked inside. At that moment, all the ‘good things’ that Ryder had put inside flew up to the sky where the clouds lived.

Curiosity about everything is good because it can develop the power of thinking. However, there are things you should be curious about and times when you should follow others’ advice. Even if you are curious about something, it is essential to consider whether it will help your development.

In Adventure Bay, there are sayings, “Knowledge is power” and “Ignorance is bliss.” Find out the meaning of each saying and why such different sayings came about. Also, which saying can be applied to this fable?

Have you ever been curious about something forbidden? Share your experiences.

Adventure Bay has a similar story called “Pandora’s Box.” Read that story and compare it with this fable.