Two old friends were separated when they were young. Decades later, they met again by chance.

One had become an important minister to the king — powerful, respected, surrounded by wealth, status, and influence.
The other had become a monk — quiet, unknown, living simply on a bowl of beans.

The minister friend felt sorry for his monk friend and said, “You were always more brilliant than I was. If only you could learn how to cater to the king, you would not need to live on just a bowl of beans.”
The monk smiled and replied: ““And if only you had learned how to live on a bowl of beans… You would never have to cater to any king.”

I used to be in the ministers’ circle once in life; ran operations, sat in rooms where decisions shaped the future. My calendar was full, my network powerful. I mattered – or so I thought.
Then I walked away. Not dramatically, not with fanfare. I simply stopped catering to kings.

The bowl of beans came quickly. The savings dwindled. The prestigious invitations stopped. The phone calls became fewer.
I learned to live on less, then less again, until I discovered what “enough” actually meant.
I’ve slowly built a different kind of life. Not extravagant, not celebrated. But free.

My former minister colleagues speak at conferences while I speak to no one in particular. They’ve climbed higher while I’ve grown smaller, quieter, invisible.

But then I remember:
Learning how to live on a bowl of beans means no one owns your time, your thoughts, or your soul.

I don’t check my phone hoping for validation. I don’t measure my worth by endorsements or meeting invitations. I don’t perform for applause that never quite fills the emptiness inside.
The monk’s life is lonely sometimes. There’s no applause for choosing authenticity over achievement, no recognition for finding peace in anonymity.
But there’s also no anxiety about losing what you never needed to begin with.

I learned how to live on a bowl of beans, my friends. And in that learning, I discovered the difference between being important and being free.

To those walking a quieter path: I see you.
To those chasing the crown: I respect you.

And to anyone caught between:
Just know… sometimes, the bowl of beans leads to the most profound peace.
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