The Boy and the Filberts

In a prosperous household in a busy market town, where merchants and craftsmen conducted their daily business and families lived comfortably from their various trades and enterprises, there lived a young boy named Oliver who was known for his insatiable appetite for sweets and treats of all kinds.

Oliver’s family was well-off enough to provide him with plenty of good food and occasional special treats, but the boy was never satisfied with reasonable portions or moderate indulgence. He always wanted more of everything, especially when it came to anything sweet or particularly delicious.

Oliver’s mother, who was a kind but wise woman, had learned to manage her son’s greedy tendencies by carefully controlling his access to special treats and teaching him about the importance of moderation and self-control.

One day, Oliver’s mother purchased a large jar of fresh filberts—sweet, delicious nuts that were considered a special delicacy in their region. These filberts were particularly high quality, imported from a distant region famous for producing the finest nuts available in the markets.

Oliver’s mother placed the jar of filberts on a high shelf in the kitchen pantry, intending to serve them as special treats during family meals and to guests who might visit their home. The jar had a narrow neck that was designed to keep the nuts fresh and to make it easy to pour out small portions as needed.

Oliver noticed the jar of filberts immediately and was filled with desire for the delicious nuts. He had tasted filberts before and knew how sweet and satisfying they could be, and he could think of nothing else but getting his hands on some of those tempting treats.

However, Oliver’s mother had specifically instructed him not to touch the jar of filberts without permission, explaining that they were special treats that needed to be saved for appropriate occasions and shared properly with the family.

“Oliver,” his mother had said clearly, “these filberts are not for snacking whenever you feel like it. They are special treats that we will enjoy together as a family, and I expect you to leave them alone until I give you permission to have some.”

For several days, Oliver managed to control his desire for the filberts, but the temptation grew stronger each time he saw the jar sitting on the pantry shelf. The boy found himself thinking about the nuts constantly, imagining how good they would taste and planning ways he might be able to get some without his mother noticing.

Finally, Oliver’s desire overcame his obedience to his mother’s instructions. One afternoon, when his mother was busy in another part of the house, Oliver sneaked into the pantry and climbed up to reach the jar of filberts.

The jar was heavier than Oliver had expected, and the narrow neck made it difficult to see exactly how many nuts were inside. But Oliver could hear them rattling around when he shook the jar gently, and he could smell their sweet, rich aroma.

Oliver carefully removed the lid from the jar and looked down at the pile of beautiful, plump filberts inside. His mouth watered as he imagined how delicious they would taste, and he decided that he would take just a few nuts to satisfy his craving.

However, when Oliver put his hand into the jar to grab some filberts, his greedy nature took control of his actions. Instead of taking just a few nuts as he had originally planned, Oliver decided that he might as well take as many as he could hold in one handful.

Oliver opened his hand as wide as possible and grabbed an enormous handful of filberts, squeezing his fingers around as many nuts as he could possibly hold. His hand was completely full, with filberts packed tightly between his fingers and filling his palm to overflowing.

But when Oliver tried to withdraw his hand from the jar, he discovered that he had created a serious problem for himself. His hand, now swollen with the huge quantity of filberts he was gripping, had become too large to fit back through the narrow neck of the jar.

Oliver tried pulling his hand out gently, then more forcefully, but the opening was simply too small to accommodate his hand when it was closed around such a large quantity of nuts. The more he struggled, the more frustrated and worried he became.

Oliver realized that he was trapped by his own greed. His hand was stuck in the jar, and he couldn’t remove it without letting go of the filberts he was so determined to keep.

The boy tried various strategies to solve his problem. He attempted to tilt the jar at different angles, hoping to find a position that would allow his hand to slip out more easily. He tried wiggling his fingers and rotating his wrist, thinking that he might be able to change the shape of his hand enough to fit through the opening.

But nothing worked. No matter what Oliver tried, his hand remained firmly stuck in the jar as long as he continued to grip the large handful of filberts.

As time passed, Oliver began to panic. He could hear his mother moving around in other parts of the house, and he knew that she might come into the pantry at any moment and discover what he had done.

Oliver also began to realize that his hand was starting to hurt from being stuck in the uncomfortable position, and he was worried that he might not be able to get free at all.

Finally, Oliver’s mother did indeed come into the pantry to check on something, and she found her son standing there with his hand trapped in the jar of filberts, looking embarrassed and frightened.

“Oliver!” his mother exclaimed. “What are you doing? I specifically told you not to touch those filberts without permission.”

Oliver’s face turned red with shame and embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Mother,” he said quietly. “I just wanted a few filberts, but now my hand is stuck and I can’t get it out.”

Oliver’s mother looked at the situation and immediately understood what had happened. She could see that her son’s hand was trapped because he was trying to hold too many nuts at once.

“Oliver,” his mother said calmly, “the solution to your problem is very simple. If you let go of some of those filberts, your hand will be small enough to come out of the jar easily.”

“But then I won’t get as many filberts,” Oliver protested.

“That’s exactly the point,” his mother replied wisely. “Your greed has trapped you. You wanted to take more than you should have, and more than you could actually manage, and now you’re stuck with nothing.”

His mother continued her explanation patiently. “If you had taken just a reasonable number of filberts—say, three or four nuts—you could have removed your hand easily and enjoyed your treat. Instead, you tried to grab as many as possible, and now you can’t have any at all unless you let go of most of them.”

Oliver realized that his mother was absolutely right. His excessive greed had created a situation where he was worse off than if he had been moderate and reasonable in his desires.

Reluctantly, Oliver released most of the filberts he had been gripping so tightly. As soon as his hand returned to its normal size, he was able to withdraw it easily from the jar, holding only two or three nuts.

“Now,” Oliver’s mother said gently but firmly, “you can eat those few filberts you’re holding, and then we’ll discuss the consequences of disobeying my instructions and trying to take treats without permission.”

As Oliver ate the small number of filberts he had ended up with, he reflected on what had happened. He realized that if he had simply asked his mother for permission to have a few nuts, or if he had taken only a moderate amount when he decided to disobey, he would have been much better off.

His greed had not only gotten him into trouble with his mother, but it had also prevented him from achieving his goal of enjoying the delicious filberts.

From that day forward, Oliver remembered the lesson of the filbert jar whenever he felt tempted to take more than he should have or to let his greedy desires control his actions.

Moral: Trying to take too much at once often results in getting nothing at all. Moderation and self-control lead to better outcomes than excessive greed and desire.