My Personal Moral Story

Giving in to Peer Pressure

       When I was six years old, my family went on a vacation to Arizona to visit my uncle Rich and explore the interesting Arizona landscape. One particular day on the vacation, we drove about an hour north east of his native Tuscon and hiked around a park. About midday, we broke for a lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches, juice boxes, chips, and cookies. Afterwards, my sister and I left my parents and uncle behind and began to play around some giant puddles cut into a platform of grey rock. These puddles were about ten feet long, three or four feet wide, and eight to ten feet deep. My sister, who was five years older than I, found a particular puddle quite interesting. This puddle was divided into two by a "bridge" in the middle which was under two inches of water. The bridge was also covered in algae. My sister decided to jump over the puddle at its narrowest point, and cleared the water by three feet. She then told me that I, too, should jump over the puddle. Knowing that Kate was much more physically developed than I, I was more than reluctant to jump. However, she goaded me to no end, saying that she knew I could make it. After weighing my options, I decided that Kate was right. I could clear that gap easy.
       Immediately after I jumped, I knew I was in trouble. In jumping, my foot slipped on the wet smooth rock. However, I thought I could still make it and land on the bridge. However, the wet, slick moss prevented and traction I would have had, and I slipped into the dark abyss, hitting my shoulder on the bridge.
       My sister called my parents over, laughing all the while. They came quickly, looking at my cold shivering body with disappointment. I spent the rest of the day cold, wet, and ashamed, knowing that I should have trusted my conscience and not responded rashly to my sister's goading. By the end of the day, I knew my own limits, and knew that I should be my own person, answering only to myself and my parents.

My Favorite Classical Moral Story

King Midas and the Golden Touch

       Once there was a man named King Midas who valued gold and riches above all else. His one goal in life was to achieve more and more wealth, and he was quite successful at it. Midas' favorate pasttime was to go down to a secret area where he stored all his most valuable gold pieces. He was there one day when a very strange looking man walked into his secret storage area. Midas was extremely surprised, because only he knew the location of his vault, and also because this man was three feet tall with long white hair. Before Midas could question the man the man told Midas that he would grant him one wish. Midas could hardly believe his ears! He had dreamed of this day ever since he owned his first piece of gold, and always knew what he would wish for. Midas immediately told the short man that he wanted the power to turn anything to gold. The man said that by the time Midas woke up the next morning his wish would be fulfilled.
       Midas woke up more excited than ever. He had to test out his new powers immediately. First he touched his robe to put it on. It turned to pure spun gold! Then all the pots and vases in his bedroom turned to gold. Midas was very excited, but he suddenly realized that he was very hungry. Midas sat down to a lavish meal of grapes, strawberries, pastries, and meat. Midas's happiness only increased as his plate, silverware, and chalice all turned to gold before his very eyes. How could life get any better?!? Midas picked up a juicy strawberry and put it up to his mouth. But when he tried to bite into it, it was terribly hard! Even the strawberry had turned to gold! Midas tried every other kind of food, trying to avoid touching the food until the last second. But as soon as the food touched his mouth, it inevitably turned to gold.
       Midas moped around, looking for someone to console him. Midas saw his daughter, who Midas loved more than anything else. As Midas' tears turned to gold on his cheeks, he reached out for his daughter, looking for a hug. But as Midas embraced her, his daughter did not hug back. She felt cold and lifeless. Midas immediately knew what he had done! His daughter was now a giant block of gold! Taken by grief and self-hate, Midas retreated to his gold vault, relecting on the desire that had ruined his life. After days of thought and meditation, the short man came back, asking how Midas liked his wish. Midas told the man how miserable his life was, and how he now wished more than anything that his wish was revoked. The short man, filled with compassion, told Midas that when he woke up the next day, his golden touch would be removed.
       Once again, Midas' night was filled with anticipation, but he finally slipped into sleep. Midas was awoken the next day by his daughter's kiss on his cheek. Midas finally knew what was most important in his life. It is not the pursuit of wealth, but the people in life that make life worth living.