*The Parable of the Blacksmith*🔨 In a small village, there was a single blacksmith for the entire area, whose daily earnings were enough to buy food for his family for just one day. One day, a doctor and a chef came to him, requesting that he forge knives for their work: a kitchen knife for the chef and a scalpel for the doctor. The blacksmith gladly accepted the task. At that moment, a passerby walked by the forge and became intrigued by the blacksmith’s work. As he got closer, he greeted the blacksmith and asked what he was making. “Knives,” the blacksmith replied. “Knives?” the passerby asked again. “Aren’t you afraid that someone might use them for evil? With a knife, one can kill or rob. You’re a good person, and I think you shouldn’t make something that could cause harm,” he said. “I’ve never thought about that. Perhaps you’re right,” replied the blacksmith and threw the metal blank into the corner of the forge. Satisfied that he had guided the blacksmith to the right path, the passerby continued on his way. That day, the blacksmith had no more orders, so he sat idle until evening. When the doctor and chef returned, they were surprised by the refusal to make the knives. They had no choice but to go home empty-handed. The blacksmith returned home as well, having earned nothing that day, and his family went without dinner. As it turned out later, the refusal to forge the knives affected not only his family but also the chef and his customers, who couldn’t get food, and the doctor and his patients, who didn’t receive timely surgery. That evening, the blacksmith pondered the passerby’s words for a long time. Then, it struck him: There are no good or bad things. If your work is good, do it. The nature of the object isn’t what determines whether it’s good or bad, but rather who and how it is used. Even a good tool in evil hands or with evil intent can become harmful, while kind hands can find useful purposes for even "bad" tools. You can’t look into the heart and mind of a person, and you can’t follow the fate of the object, where it will end up. And so, the ancients were right: "Do what you must (and do it as well as you can), and let whatever happens, happen." After this realization, the blacksmith fell into a peaceful sleep, and the next day, he completed the orders for the chef and doctor.