A man received two gifts at his housewarming party: a crystal horse and a spanner. The crystal horse was beautiful but of no particular use. Still, he placed it in a visible place in his living room. The spanner was helpful, but it was not beautiful. It had a particular and irreplaceable use. He placed it inside a box and shoved it under a rack.
The man dusted the crystal horse often and admired it. He was proud of it and showed or to everyone who came by. He bragged about its worth and its beauty. One day he had to loosen a tight rusted nut. Only then he remembered the spanner. He took it out from its hiding place and got the job done. Then he shoved it inside the same dirty box without even bothering to wipe it. But later that day, the man wiped the crystal horse in the living room and placed it in a better visible place.
Time passed. One night, while walking past the crystal horse, the man accidentally knocked it off, and it shattered into tiny pieces. He was devastated. But by the morning, he had forgotten about the broken ornament.
The spanner lasted for years and gave excellent service. But he always took it for granted. One day, while he was away, while the spanner was lying around, someone stole it. That’s how he lost it. From that day onwards, he sadly thought of the lost spanner every time he needed to loosen or tighten a nut. Worst of all, he had to beg others to lend him one. Finally, he decided to buy a spanner. Only then he realised that the spanner was more expensive than the crystal ornament.
It’s alright to admire ornaments. But never take tools for granted. Ornaments are pretty but fragile. Tools may not be eye pleasing. But they can be irreplaceable and unaffordable if lost.
The end.
Substitute. Think. Understand.