Eating Stones

As the sun began to set over the picturesque Willowdale, Cordinellas, the revered "Guildmaster," strode through the bustling market square. People stopped to greet him, some offering him a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts. One wealthy man, dressed in the finest silk, caught his eye.
Cordinellas approached him and asked what he usually ate. The man's answer shocked him - he ate nothing but dry bread and salt, washed down with a jug of water.

Cordinellas scolded him, his voice carrying through the crowded square. "Fool," he said. "You have riches beyond measure, yet you eat like a beggar. Go home and eat meat, drink aged wine, indulge in the delicacies of life. If you don't, I am not finished with you yet!"

Later, as they walked through the streets of Willowdale, Cordinellas' disciples asked him why he had spoken to the rich man so harshly. He explained that if the man dined on meat and wine, he would at least feel a sense of obligation to provide bread and salt to the paupers in his town. But if he subsisted on dry bread and salt, he might think that the poor could live on stones. The disciples nodded in understanding, marveling at their master's wisdom.