the foolish traveler

all three of my best friends and i love to watch anime...

best jin - anime that has "power" stuff.intelligent plot;
not necessarily"action" oriented..

best arik - watch all stuff that's made
unto anime/animation excluding "love stories"..

best mai - anything that strucks her fancy..
love stories, action..she loves those specialythe "guys"...

one of these anime of hers in called
"fruit's basket"


...a family (mostly guys) cursed with the zodiac. if one is born on the
year of the cat (for example, a guy) and an opposite sex (girl)
hugs him, he turns into a cat..

...fur and all...

i watched an episode once and liked it..
that episode has this story told byone of the
charcters that turns into a hare...

i hope i recounted it correctly as i understand it..

"the foolish traveler"
once upon a time there is a traveler
who traveled all his life. one day he came upon a village,
he came up on one of the villagers who saw nothing but
the traveler's wealth. the villager then took advantage
of the traveler; he told him that he was so poor and in
need of shoes. the traveler took pity on him and give him his shoes.
another villager, saw the exchange, came up the
traveler too and told him that her daughter is dying.
the traveler gave her his gold. as he walked around town,
more and more people approch him for help,
not noticing the murmurs they pass each other,

"what a foolish traveler. he didn't notice that everybody is tricking him."

until he suddenly noticed all his money and clothes
are gone including the ones he's wearing. abate with shame for not
wearing anything, the traveler has gone to the woods. as he travels
deeper he encountered some forest beast. one of them told him that
he's been starving for days. the traveler, out of pity, gave him
one of his legs. as he go deeper still, he encounters more forest beast,
losing a toe, or another until all he has left is his head and he
encounters another one.

"mr. traveler please, i'm so hungry, give me your left eye."
one of the beast said."here, take it."
as the traveler gave the beast his left eye and watch with his right
how the beast chew it, the beast gave him a piece of paper as he walked
pass him laughing saying "thanks".. written on the paper is the word

"fool"

upon reading, the traveler wept and laugh...

"thank you. thank you." he kept on saying.
"this is the first time i have ever received a gift from another!
thank you. thank you. this has made me so happy!" he said.
it was then told that the traveler died that way.
in tears with a smile on his face..

....as the story ends, the character (hare guy) asked this
question and left this words to his cusins whom he recounted
the story too..and i'll ask you the same...

is the traveler a fool as people see him?
or he's just another soul in search of another?

sometimes we tend to over look the things we
see, hear and feel...and judge another for doing the things they do
that we simply couln't..
and we just wouldn't understand..

for me, that traveler was never a fool. it's never foolish to do the things that
ones heart desires and if in that action one shows
pupose and fulfillment in life and makes him happy
then i envy him for i never had the courage to do the same in mine.

is the traveler a fool?
or should i change the title of the story...?