Today’s Excerpt:

Here’s an old Shinto story:

An emperor named Nintoku lived a life of luxury in an elaborate and beautiful palace.

One day he looked out over the land and realized there was no smoke rising from the houses of the common people, which was a sign they were so poor they lacked fireplaces.

Struck by the thought of so many people living in poverty while he lived in a palace, he declared an end to all taxes for three years.

Soon enough, his palace fell into disrepair. Rain leaked through the roof and sunlight shone onto the floor.

At the end of the three years, the land was full of cooking and the people had enough money to build their wealth. This is why Nintoku is praised as a ruler.

Reflect:

• If you ruled over a kingdom, how would you rule?  What would you do to make things fair?
• When you feel like things are unfair between you and your siblings or friends, what do you do?