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He Bought Tomorrow… and Lost Everything | A Powerful Story About Time — Transcript

by Dare to do. Motivation · 3,788 words · 635 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:02The merchant who bought tomorrow. An
0:05original philosophical story by dear to
0:07the motivation.
0:09There was once a merchant who became the
0:11richest man in his city. By knowing the
0:14price of everything. He knew the price
0:17of silk before it reached the market. He
0:19knew when grain would become scarce,
0:22when copper would rise in value, and
0:24when a desperate man would accept half
0:26of what his possessions were worth.
0:29But there was one thing he could never
0:31discover the price of tomorrow. And when
0:35a stranger finally offered to sell it to
0:37him, the merchant did not hesitate.
0:41He would spend the rest of his life
0:44wishing that he had.
0:47In the ancient city of Isvahan, where
0:50blue domes rose above crowded bazaars,
0:53and the smell of zaffron drifted through
0:55narrow streets, there lived a merchant
0:58named Fared.
1:01Fared owned seven warehouses, three
1:04caravans, and a house so large that
1:06visitors sometimes lost their way
1:08between its courtyards.
1:10His carpets came from distant mountains.
1:13His porcelain arrived from the east. His
1:16horses drank from fountains carved out
1:18of white marble. Men bowed when he
1:20entered the room.
1:22Officials invited him to their tables,
1:25and when Fared spoke, people listened
1:28because wealth had given his words a
1:30weight they had never [music] possessed
1:31when he was poor.
1:34Yet Fared was not a happy man. Every
1:36evening after his servants had closed to
1:38the gates [music] and the lamps had been
1:40lit, he would climb the stairs to a
1:42small chamber overlooking the city.
1:46There he would sit alone studying his
1:48accounts, not because he needed more
1:51money, but because he was afraid of
1:53losing what he already had.
1:56If a caravan was expected on Thursday,
1:59he worried about a storm on Wednesday.
2:02If he purchased a field, he worried that
2:04the next season would bring drought.
2:08If his business partner smiled too
2:10warmly, he wondered what betrayal was
2:13hidden behind the smile.
2:16His mind was always one day ahead of his
2:18life.
2:20And because of this, he was never truly
2:22present in either.
2:25One autumn evening, while walking
2:27through the bizaar, Farit noticed a
2:29small shop he had never seen before. It
2:32stood between a spice seller and a man
2:34who repaired broken instruments.
2:37There was no sign above its entrance, no
2:40goods displayed in the window,
2:42only a wooden door painted black and a
2:45brass [music] lantern burning beside it.
2:49Fared might have passed without looking
2:51had he not heard a voice [music] from
2:53within. Come in, Fared. I have been
2:56expecting you. He stopped. The voice
3:00belonged to an old man seated [music]
3:02behind a simple wooden table.
3:05The room contained almost nothing. A
3:08chair, a small oil lamp, and a peculiar
3:11silver box, no larger than a man's fist.
3:14Fared frowned. Do I know you? No,
3:18replied the old man. But I know you.
3:22Fared was accustomed to strangers
3:25recognizing him. He stepped inside. What
3:28do you sell? The old man smiled.
3:31Something you have wanted all your life.
3:35Fared glanced around the empty shop. And
3:38what would that be? Certainty. Fared
3:42laughed.
3:43If you have certainty, old man, you
3:45possess something more valuable than all
3:47the gold in Persia.
3:49That is why I do not sell it cheaply.
3:52The old man placed the silver box on the
3:54table. Inside this box [music] is
3:57tomorrow. Fared stared at him.
4:01The old man continued. Each evening when
4:04the sun has disappeared, you may open
4:06it. Inside you will find a single piece
4:09of paper. Written upon it will be
4:11everything of importance that will
4:13happen to you the following day.
4:17Fared smile faded. Everything.
4:21Everything that concerns you.
4:23Business. Yes.
4:26Accidents. Yes. Fortune. Yes. And will
4:32these predictions be true?
4:34They will never be wrong. Farit studied
4:37the old man's face. He saw no trace of
4:40madness, no excitement, not even the
4:42nervousness of a man attempting to
4:44deceive a wealthy customer.
4:47Only a strange, almost sorrowful calm.
4:51What is the price? The old man folded
4:54his hands. One gold coin for the first
4:57tomorrow.
4:59Fared reached into his robe and placed
5:01the coin on the table. And after that,
5:05the price will be written on the next
5:07paper. Fared considered this. He had
5:10paid far greater sums for information
5:12far less valuable.
5:15Very well. The old man pushed the box
5:18toward him. But remember one thing,
5:21Fared paused. You may purchase tomorrow.
5:24You may prepare for it. You may even
5:27attempt to escape it.
5:29The old man's eyes settled upon him. But
5:32you cannot return it.
5:36Farit took the box and walked home. That
5:39evening, he waited until the last trace
5:41of sunlight had vanished from the
5:44courtyard. Then he opened it. Inside lay
5:47a narrow strip of parchment.
5:50On it were written three sentences.
5:54Tomorrow a caravan carrying blue silk
5:56will arrive from the north. Before noon,
5:59its owner will learn that his brother
6:01has died and will sell the entire
6:03shipment at half its value.
6:063 days later, the price of blue silk
6:08will double.
6:10Fared read the [music] words twice. Then
6:12he laughed.
6:14A clever trick, he thought. Perhaps
6:17someone had overheard a conversation.
6:19Perhaps the old man was working with a
6:21merchant who wanted to manipulate the
6:23market.
6:25But the following morning, a caravan
6:27carrying blue silk entered [music] the
6:29northern gate. Before noon, its owner
6:32received news of his brother's death,
6:35and Fared purchased the entire shipment
6:38for half its value.
6:413 days later, a fire destroyed a large
6:44silk warehouse in another city. The
6:47price of blue silk doubled. Farid made
6:50more money in 3 days than most men
6:52earned in a lifetime.
6:56That evening, he returned to the silver
6:58box. A new piece of parchment waited
7:00inside.
7:02Tomorrow, a man named Rashid will offer
7:05you 20 horses. Refuse him. By sunset,
7:08seven of the animals will fall ill.
7:11Beneath the words written in smaller
7:13letters was the price, two gold coins.
7:18Fared paid it, and the next day unfolded
7:20exactly as the parchment had promised.
7:23From then on, the silver box became the
7:25center of Fared's existence. Each
7:27evening, he opened it. Each morning, he
7:30obeyed.
7:32He avoided ships that would sink. He
7:34purchased land before wells were
7:36discovered beneath it. He dismissed
7:38dishonest servants before they could
7:40steal from him. He knew which merchants
7:43would fail, which officials would rise
7:45to power, and which investments would
7:48bring him fortunes. Within a year, Fared
7:50had become the wealthiest man in
7:53Isvahan.
7:54And yet, something peculiar had begun to
7:57happen. He no longer enjoyed his
7:59victories.
8:01When a profitable caravan returned, he
8:03felt no excitement. He had known it
8:06would return.
8:08When a business rival was ruined, he
8:11felt no satisfaction. He had known the
8:13man would fail.
8:15When friends congratulated him on his
8:17remarkable judgment, he smiled politely,
8:20but their praise meant nothing.
8:23There was no judgment involved, only
8:26obedience.
8:28At first, Fared told himself that this
8:30was the price of wisdom. A foolish man
8:33celebrates good fortune because he does
8:36not understand it. A wise man expects
8:39it, but gradually even his ordinary
8:41pleasures began to disappear.
8:44A beautiful sunrise could no longer
8:46surprise him. A visitor arriving
8:49unexpectedly was never unexpected.
8:53Even laughter became strange to him
8:56because he often knew the words of a
8:57joke before they had been spoken.
9:02One afternoon, while walking through his
9:04garden, he came upon his young daughter,
9:06Ila, kneeling beside a rose bush. She
9:10was trying to rescue a small bird that
9:13had fallen from its nest. "Father," she
9:16called. "Come and help me." Fared looked
9:19at the bird. [music] He remembered the
9:21words he had read the previous evening.
9:23"Tomorrow, a young bird will die in your
9:26garden."
9:28He knew what would happen. "There is
9:31nothing we can do," he said. Leila
9:34looked up. "But it is still alive."
9:37Yes. Then how do you know? Fared said
9:41nothing. His daughter lifted the
9:43trembling creature into her hands.
9:45Please, father.
9:47He could have knelt beside her. He could
9:49have brought water. He could have helped
9:51her build a little nest in the shade.
9:54But he had already seen the ending. And
9:57so he turned away. An hour later, the
10:00bird died.
10:02That evening, Ila refused to speak to
10:05him.
10:07Fared was troubled, though not by the
10:09bird. He was troubled because for the
10:12first time knowing tomorrow had made him
10:14ashamed of today. Years passed. The
10:18price of the box continued to rise.
10:21First five coins, then 10, then 50.
10:25Eventually, each prediction cost Fared
10:28more than a poor family might earn in an
10:30entire year. But he paid without
10:33hesitation, for by then he had forgotten
10:36how to live without knowing what came
10:38next.
10:40One winter morning, his oldest friend, a
10:42book seller named Ysef, visited him.
10:46They had known each other since
10:48childhood, when both had run barefoot
10:50through the streets and dreamt of owning
10:52enough money to buy a horse. Ysef had
10:56never become wealthy. He lived above his
10:58little bookshop, drank inexpensive wine,
11:01[music] and spent his evenings reading
11:03poetry.
11:05Yet there was a lightness about him that
11:07Fared had begun to find almost
11:09offensive.
11:11Tell me, Yu asked as they sat beside the
11:14fire. When was the last time you were
11:17happy?
11:19Fared frowned. What kind of question is
11:22that? A simple one. I am the richest man
11:25in the city. I did not ask how much
11:28money you have.
11:30Fared looked away. Yuf waited.
11:34At last, Fared said, "Happiness is for
11:38men who do not understand how easily
11:40everything can be lost." Yu smiled
11:43sadly.
11:45"And has understanding that made you
11:47less afraid?" Farit didn't answer. His
11:51friend leaned forward.
11:54When we were boys, do you remember the
11:56old bridge outside the city? Of course.
12:01We used to jump from it into the river.
12:04Furried almost smiled. We were fools.
12:09Perhaps, but do you remember standing on
12:12the edge, not knowing whether the water
12:14would be cold, whether the current would
12:16carry us away, whether we would land
12:18badly?
12:20Yes, I remember.
12:23And do you remember how alive you felt?
12:27Fared stared into the fire.
12:30Yu continued, "You have spent your life
12:33trying to remove uncertainty, but
12:36perhaps uncertainty was never the
12:38enemy."
12:40Fared shook his head. "Easy words from a
12:43man with nothing to lose." Yu stood. "I
12:47have a great deal to lose, my friend."
12:50He placed a hand upon Fared's shoulder.
12:54That is why I try to be there while I
12:56still have it. After Yu had gone, Fared
13:00climbed to his chamber.
13:02He opened the silver box.
13:05The parchment contained only one
13:07sentence.
13:09Tomorrow Yu will die.
13:12Fared felt [music] the blood leave his
13:14face. He read the words again, then
13:17again. There was no explanation, no
13:19illness, no accident, only the certainty
13:22[music] of death.
13:24For the first time in years, Fared did
13:27not sleep.
13:29Before dawn, he sent his fastest servant
13:31to Yu's home with instructions to bring
13:34him to the mansion immediately. Yu
13:36arrived shortly after sunrise, confused
13:39and irritated. What has happened? Fared
13:42seized [music] his arm. You must remain
13:45here today. Why? Because I say so. Yu
13:50laughed. Have you become a king now?
13:52Please.
13:54Stay. Something in Fared's voice
13:57silenced him. He agreed to stay. Fared
14:01ordered the gates locked. He dismissed
14:03the cooks and prepared the food himself,
14:05fearing poison.
14:07He inspected every room for loose stones
14:10and dangerous objects. He would not
14:12allow Yu near the stairs, the balconies,
14:14[music]
14:14or the garden well. By afternoon, Yu had
14:18grown impatient. This is madness, Fared.
14:22Only until sunset.
14:24What happens at sunset? Fared looked
14:27toward the windows. Nothing. Nothing at
14:30all.
14:32As evening approached, a servant entered
14:34carrying a tray of tea.
14:37Fared, startled by the sudden opening of
14:39the door, turned sharply.
14:42His elbow struck the tray.
14:45The cups fell, one shattered against the
14:47floor. Yu stepped backward to avoid the
14:50boiling water. His foot caught the edge
14:53of a carpet. He fell and struck his head
14:56against the marble floor. For one
14:59terrible moment, there was silence.
15:02Then Fared was on his knees. "You?" His
15:06friend did not answer. Fared lifted his
15:09head.
15:10Blood spread slowly across the white
15:12marble. Yuf.
15:15He called for physicians. He promised
15:17gold. He promised houses. He promised
15:20everything he owned to anyone who could
15:22save him.
15:24But by the time the last light of day
15:26disappeared beyond the city walls, Yu
15:29was dead.
15:31Fared remained beside the body long
15:33after the servants had carried away the
15:36broken cups.
15:38And for the first time, he began to
15:40wonder whether the silver box had shown
15:43him the future,
15:45or whether his desperate attempt to
15:47escape it had helped bring it into
15:49being. He could never know. The
15:53following evening, he approached the box
15:55with trembling hands. Inside was another
15:58parchment.
16:00Tomorrow, Ila will ask you to accompany
16:02her to the river. You will refuse.
16:07Fared stared at the words. Ila was 17
16:10now. She rarely asked him for anything.
16:14The river had been her favorite place
16:15when she was a child.
16:18He remembered how she used to collect
16:20smooth stones along its banks.
16:23Holding them up to the sunlight as
16:25though each one were a jewel. He
16:27remembered her small hand reaching for
16:30his. He remembered how often he had told
16:32her that he was too busy.
16:35And suddenly he felt an anger so fierce
16:38that [music] he swept the silver box
16:39from the table.
16:42It struck the floor. The lid sprang
16:44open. The parchment lay beside it.
16:49Fared picked it up. You will refuse.
16:52No, he whispered. He tore the paper into
16:55pieces.
16:57The next morning, [music]
16:58Ila entered his study.
17:00Father, he looked up. Yes. She
17:04hesitated. I was wondering if you would
17:07come with me to the river today.
17:10Fared felt his heart tighten. He wanted
17:13to say yes. More than anything, he
17:15wanted to say yes. But his eyes fell
17:18upon the account spread across his desk.
17:21A caravan was due. A shipment had to be
17:24inspected. There were letters requiring
17:26his signature. And beneath all these
17:29ordinary concerns lay something deeper.
17:33[snorts] Fear.
17:35What if the parchment had been right
17:36because something terrible waited at the
17:38river? What if agreeing would place his
17:42daughter in danger? What if the
17:44prediction was not merely a description
17:46but a warning? He looked at Ila.
17:50Not today. She lowered her eyes. Of
17:54course, father. She turned toward the
17:56door.
17:58And as she left, Fared understood
18:00something that frightened him more than
18:02the death of his friend.
18:04He had become a prisoner of words
18:06written on paper. He no longer knew
18:09whether he was making his own decisions
18:11or merely fulfilling what he had already
18:14read.
18:16That night he carried the silver box
18:18back to the bazaar. The black door was
18:21still there.
18:23The brass lantern was still burning and
18:26the old man sat behind the same wooden
18:28table.
18:30Farit threw the box before him. You have
18:33cursed me. The old man looked at it.
18:36Have I?
18:39You told me I could know tomorrow.
18:41And you have. You never told me what it
18:44would cost.
18:46I told you the price would be written on
18:48the paper. Not gold. Fared shouted. I am
18:52not speaking of gold. The old man was
18:55silent. Fared's voice broke.
18:58I have lost my friend. My daughter has
19:00become a stranger. I own half the city
19:03and I cannot remember the last morning I
19:05woke without fear.
19:08The old man lowered his eyes. After a
19:11while, he asked, "Then why did you
19:14continue opening the books?"
19:17Fared opened his mouth, but no answer
19:20[music] came. The old man gestured
19:22toward the chair. "Sit."
19:26Fared remained standing.
19:29"Tell me," the old man said.
19:31When you purchased your first tomorrow,
19:34what did you hope [music] to gain?
19:37Security.
19:38And did you gain it for a time? Yes.
19:42No. You gained information.
19:45The old man leaned forward.
19:48Information tells you what may happen.
19:51Security is the belief that you can
19:53survive [music] what happens. They are
19:55not the same thing. Fared said nothing.
19:59You wanted to remove the unknown from
20:01your life. But the unknown is not an
20:04illness for Reed. It is the space in
20:07which life takes place.
20:10He picked up the silver box.
20:13Consider a man who knows the ending of
20:15every story before he begins reading it.
20:18He may still admire the words. He may
20:21still understand the plot. But something
20:23essential has been taken from him.
20:27Surprise, Fared whispered.
20:30More than surprise, the old man looked
20:32at him.
20:34Hope.
20:36Fared lowered himself slowly into the
20:38chair.
20:40Can you give me back the years?
20:43No. Can you bring back Yuf?
20:48No. Can you make my daughter a child
20:50again?
20:52The old man's expression [music]
20:53softened. No, I cannot.
20:56Fared covered his face with [music] his
20:57hands. Then what can you give me? The
21:01old man pushed the silver box toward
21:03him. One final tomorrow.
21:07Fared stared at it. How much?
21:11Everything you have left.
21:13Fared gave a bitter laugh. All my
21:16wealth. No. Then what? The old man
21:20opened the box. Inside was a final piece
21:23of parchment. He placed it face down
21:26upon the table.
21:28The price is that you must never open
21:31this box again.
21:33Fared looked at the parchment. His hand
21:36moved toward it, then stopped.
21:40What does it say? The old man smiled.
21:44That is what you must decide not to
21:46know. Fared sat for a long time. Outside
21:50the bazaar was closing. Merchants were
21:52lowering their shutters.
21:54Children ran through the narrow streets.
21:57Somewhere a woman was singing as she
21:59prepared the evening meal.
22:02And for the first time in many years,
22:04Fared listened.
22:06He listened to the footsteps, to the
22:09distant voices, to the wind moving
22:11through the wooden shutters.
22:14These were things he had heard a
22:15thousand times before. Yet somehow
22:18tonight they seemed new.
22:22At last he stood. He left the parchment
22:26on the table and walked out of the shop.
22:30The next morning, Fared woke before
22:32sunrise. For several moments, he lay
22:35still. He did not know whether his
22:38caravans would arrive. He did not know
22:41whether the price of silk would rise or
22:43fall.
22:45He did not know who might knock at his
22:47door.
22:48He didn't even know whether he would
22:50live to see another sunset.
22:53The familiar fear began to rise inside
22:55him. His chest tightened. His mind
22:59surged desperately for something
23:00certain.
23:02Then he heard laughter from the
23:03courtyard.
23:05Ila was speaking to one of the servants.
23:08Fared rose dressed and went downstairs.
23:13She looked surprised to see him. Father,
23:16you're awake early. Yes. Is something
23:19[music] wrong? He shook his head. No.
23:24Would you like to go to the river? Ila
23:26stared at him. Today? Today? But what
23:30about your work, father? It can wait.
23:33She studied his face as though searching
23:35for some hidden reason. Then slowly she
23:38smiled. It was not the wide, unguarded
23:41smile she had worn as a little girl.
23:45That smile belonged to another time, but
23:48it was real. And Fared felt something
23:51open inside him that no amount of gold
23:53had ever been able to purchase.
23:56They walked through the city as the sun
23:58climbed above the rooftops. At the
24:00river, Ila removed her shoes and stepped
24:03[music] into the shallow water. Fared
24:06sat beneath a willow tree.
24:08He watched the current move around the
24:11stones. After a while, [music] his
24:13daughter came and sat beside him.
24:16Father,
24:17yes. Why did you come today?
24:21He reached down and picked up a smooth
24:23stone from the riverbank.
24:25He turned it over in his palm. Then he
24:28said, "Because I don't know how many
24:30days like this we have."
24:33Ila rested her head against his shoulder
24:35and they sat together without speaking.
24:39Fared did not know whether tomorrow
24:41would bring wealth or poverty. He didn't
24:44know whether his daughter would marry,
24:47whether his health would fail, or
24:49whether the city he loved would one day
24:52fall into ruin. He didn't know how much
24:55time remained to him. But for the first
24:58time in his life, he understood that he
25:00had never known these things. Not
25:02really.
25:04Even with the silver box, he had only
25:06known events. He had never known what
25:09[music] those events would mean to his
25:10heart until he lived through them.
25:14And there beside the river, Fared
25:16finally discovered the difference
25:18between knowing what would happen
25:20and being alive when it happened.
25:25Many years later, when Fared had grown
25:27old and his hair had turned white, a
25:29young merchant came [music] to visit
25:31him. The young man was ambitious,
25:34restless, and terribly afraid of
25:36failure.
25:38He had heard stories of Fared's
25:39extraordinary success and hoped to
25:42discover the secret behind it.
25:45Master, he asked, what is the most
25:47valuable thing a man can possess?
25:50Fared thought for a moment and then he
25:53said, a day he has not yet lived. The
25:57young merchant frowned. Why?
26:00Because it still contains everything.
26:03Everything?
26:05Yes. A mistake you may learn from. A
26:08kindness you may offer, a person you
26:11have not yet met, a word you have not
26:14yet spoken, a road you have not yet
26:17taken.
26:18The young man considered this, but
26:21surely it would be better to know what
26:23tomorrow holds. Fared smiled.
26:28Once I believed that, too.
26:31He looked toward the window where the
26:33evening sun was disappearing behind the
26:36distant mountains.
26:37Then he said something the young
26:39merchant would remember for the rest of
26:41his life. He said, "Do not spend today
26:44trying to make tomorrow harmless.
26:47You may succeed only in making today
26:49empty. For tomorrow will come, whether
26:53we welcome it or fear it.
26:56It will bring things we hoped for and
26:58things we prayed would never happen.
27:01Some doors will open, others will close
27:04forever.
27:06We will lose [music] people we thought
27:08we could not live without. We will find
27:10strength we never knew we possessed.
27:13And one day, without warning, we will
27:16arrive at the final tomorrow of our
27:18lives. But until that day comes, there
27:21is still this morning.
27:24this conversation, this breath, this
27:27person sitting beside us. And perhaps
27:29the greatest tragedy is not that we
27:32cannot know how our lives will unfold.
27:35Perhaps it is that we spend so much of
27:38our lives trying to find out, that we
27:41forget to live them. Because the future
27:44was never something we were meant to
27:46possess. It was something we were meant
27:48to enter, one [music] uncertain,
27:51irreplaceable day at a time.
27:55This was the merchant who bought
27:56tomorrow
27:59dare to do motivation stories. Thank you
28:01so much for watching and stay blessed.

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This page contains the full transcript of He Bought Tomorrow… and Lost Everything | A Powerful Story About Time by Dare to do. Motivation, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 3,788 words across 635 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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