I love a teaching story, and my mother loves a good teaching story almost as much as I do. Recently, she told me one that I’d never heard before—it’s a short but very powerful story. When I did a little research, I learned that this story is drawn from the Sufi tradition of teaching tales. 

It’s an old and famous story, told with many variations, so here is my version.

Once upon a time, far away, there lived a man who needed to make a long journey across the desert.

He packed up provisions for a week of travel, but after a few days, bandits rode up and robbed him, and all he had left was a small bag containing three dates. Those three dates were the only food he had until he reached his destination.

He tried to resist eating them as long as he could, but one night, he was so hungry that he lit a candle, pulled out a date, and took a bite. He noticed that the date had a worm inside, and so disappointed, he threw away the date.

The next night, he lit a candle, took a bite out of a date—and alas, again he discovered a worm. He went to sleep, hungrier than ever.

On the third night, he didn’t light a candle before he pulled out a date.

This story is a great reminder that sometimes, it’s time to light a candle. Sometimes, it’s time to eat in the dark.