The Guitar Maker

30 The Guitar Maker There once were two guitar makers who lived in the same town in Mexico. One was known for his cheap prices and the other for the quality of his guitars. The young builder, who made the cheap guitars, could make them very quickly. The old builder took his time and focussed on the quality. Everyone wanted to buy a guitar because it was a sign of being rich. So both builders were very busy. But bad times came to the town, and no one had much money. The builder who made cheap guitars did well. But the builder who made quality instruments went out of business because no one could afford his guitars. After a couple of years, the cheap guitars that people bought began to fall apart. The guitars that the old builder made were still perfect. The people who bought the cheap guitars were angry, and they went to the guitar maker's house to get their money back. They pulled him from his home and pushed him onto the ground.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind the crowd. “ Wait! " said the voice. “ How can you blame him? This man never claimed that his guitars were good. He has always said that they are cheap. It is all of you who are to blame, for you just wanted to look rich. You didn't care about the quality of the guitars. You cared only about how they made you look! " The voice belonged to the old guitar maker. " I have spent my whole life learning how to make guitars that last a lifetime. And I can tell you that something that is really good takes time, " he said. “ They take a lot of effort and sweat. " All the people went home. The next day, there was a knock on the old guitar maker's door. It was the young guitar maker. “ Please teach me how to make good guitars that will last a lifetime, " he asked. The old man taught him, and the young man taught others. Today, there are many guitar makers in that little town, and all make guitars that last a lifetime.