The Snail Seeking Happiness
Snails are born with a home, but this snail was very dissatisfied with its own home. Many people envied it for having a warm little family without having to work hard, but it thought its home was too insignificant and brought no prestige. It believed that sparrows' homes on high branches allowed them to look down on others from above; bees' homes were beautiful and grand, and spiders' homes were even better — they didn't have to do anything every day, relying solely on their advantageous homes to ensure food and drink.
Crawling on the ground every day and working hard, the snail felt very inferior. Seeing rabbits run a thousand miles a day, sparrows chirping boastfully on high branches, bees flying across thousands of mountains and rivers, and ants gathering treasures in their dens, it resolved to change its life and fate.
Because of its humble origins, it had always looked up to others, so it longed to turn things around and be able to look down on others' lives from a higher position. After setting this goal, it began to climb towards the high branches.
Carrying its heavy shell, it climbed very slowly, one day, two days... Gradually, it lost confidence and grew tired of the hard work. It increasingly felt that its home was a burden, an obstacle to its pursuit of happiness. It gradually developed the idea of abandoning its home to seek another path.
Finding a new, prestigious, and happy home became its goal. After some consideration, it set its sights on a spider. It chose the spider because not only was the spider's home on a high branch, but also its lifestyle was superior. The snail had once visited the spider's home, standing high and looking down at the ants and rabbits laboring below. The snail found a sense of superiority and transcendence there.
The snail and the spider started dating, and when things got passionate, the spider asked the snail to abandon her home and shell, to join him online for a common life.
The snail was more than willing, secretly marveling: if it weren't for her ideals and aspirations, she might forever remain just a snail crawling on the ground, never seeing the direction of happiness.
She asked God to remove her home and shell. God said: "This is my gift to you, something unique among all creatures, divinely matched, and cannot be separated by humans. If you insist on removing it today, are you not afraid of punishment?" The snail firmly believed she was right, that she had a mind, and insisted on leaving her home and shell. God then removed them. Although separating from her home caused her great pain, both physically and mentally, shedding much blood, for the sake of future happiness, she resolutely parted ways with her home.
After enduring the excruciating pain of separation, she healed her wounds and became a free-moving snail. The spider took her to his web.
At first, she indeed felt the sense of superiority, but gradually, she became increasingly uncomfortable. When she had her shell, although she worked hard and was poor, whenever there was wind, rain, or sun, she could retreat into her shell. Now, hanging on the web without the protection of her shell, she couldn't adapt to the scorching sun or the wind and rain. In winter, the spider had already become accustomed to this kind of life and had no feelings about it, but she felt as if she were being punished. The spider criticized her for being too delicate, and she had no way to express herself. Since they were not of the same kind, their life experiences, customs, and cultures were different, making many things incomprehensible and uncommunicable. She gradually felt extremely lonely and unsupported.
At this point, she remembered her shell and home and quietly returned to take a look, hoping to see her old home. But to her surprise, a new snail had already moved into her shell, and there was no way back.
Although she did not have to work hard in the spider's home and had food and drink assured, due to lack of exercise from not working daily, her body grew weaker and weaker. Having nothing to do led to spiritual emptiness. The spider was busy weaving new webs to catch new insects, leaving her alone on the web every day. Instead of feeling a solid sense of happiness, she experienced a floating void, suspended in mid-air.
She kept asking God: why, after enduring the pain of parting with her flesh and blood, and abandoning her home and shell to seek happiness, did she end up with such a result? God smiled but remained silent. One day, the sparrow told her: most people who think they are smart and clever, refuse advice, and do not cherish what they possess, often end up like this.
After hearing these words, the snail's heart froze. On a stormy night, she accidentally fell from the web and froze to death on the ground.