In a remote village lived peasants who worked the land from sun to sun. Their life was hard and monotonous, but they knew no other. Only one of them, Leo, dreamed of something more. Leo was a young inventor who spent the nights building a machine that would do the field work for them.
One day, Leo finished his work and presented it to the Council of Elders. It was a machine that could plow, sow and harvest with just the push of a button. The elders were amazed and wanted to try it. Leo explained how it worked and handed them the remote control.
The machine started up and began to do the work of hundreds of peasants in a matter of hours. The elders could not believe what they saw. They looked at each other and wondered what they would do now that they did not have to work.
Some proposed to sell the machine and split the money. Others suggested using it to produce more food and trade with other villages. But Leo had another idea. He told them that the machine was a gift from the universe to free them from work and allow them to dedicate themselves to love.
– To love? – asked the elders, puzzled.
– Yes, to love – repeated Leo -. To love yourselves, your families, your friends, your dreams, your planet. To love life.
Leo explained to them that work was not the only meaning of existence. That there were many other things they could do to be happy and grow as people. That they could play, learn, create, explore, share, help, enjoy…
The elders were thoughtful. They had never had time for those things. They had always been busy surviving. But maybe Leo was right. Maybe it was time to change.
So they decided to give Leo’s idea a chance. They announced to the whole village that they would no longer have to work anymore thanks to the machine and that they could do whatever they wanted with their free time.
At first, the peasants felt lost and bored. They did not know what to do without their daily routine. But little by little they discovered new activities and hobbies. Some devoted themselves to painting, others to singing, others to reading, others to traveling… Each one found his passion and his purpose.
And most importantly: they realized that there was a lot of love in their hearts. Love for themselves, for their loved ones, for their neighbors, for their community, for their environment. Love for life. That’s how the village became a place full of joy and harmony. And that’s how Leo became the hero of his people. The hero who taught them the value of love.