The Greatest Masterpiece

Topan loves collecting paintings from all over the place he visits. He was living in a small town where most of the people have the habit of collecting art works. Most of the painters and artists gathered to this small town to sell their art works to them. But in the past few weeks, Topan was not contented with the paintings he saw in the town. Whenever he tried to look at those art works, he felt nothing and thought that they're just a bunch of drawings made in a canvass. He's looking for an art that would satisfy him and make him feel happy but he can't find it in this place.

With his bag loaded with a bottle of water, a small purse, a notebook and a pen, he set out his journey out of town to look for 'The greatest masterpiece'. After a month of traveling, he came to a town called Gior. He noticed how busy the people of Gior were. It seems that they've been thinking of so many things and doesn't even bother anyone in their own business.

"They've the busiest people I've ever seen" thought Topan as he walked along the streets of Gior.

He saw a small bar at the corner and decided to have a drink. He entered the bar and walked towards the stool. He asked for mead and in a few moments the bartender brought a glass half filled with mead. The bartender curiously looked at him as if he was inspecting him from head to toe. Finally, the bartender asked if he was a visitor to their town.

"You can say that" said Topan as he took a sip to his glass "But I'm here to look for something"

"Everyone is looking for something" said the bartender "And it's either they find it or end their lives still looking for it"

Topan stared at him and smiled. Then he took another sip to his glass and said, "I'm looking for the 'greatest masterpiece'"

The bartender stared at him in surprise. He seemed quite confused on what Topan had said.

"I'm an art collector" said Topan "But recently, I felt dissatisfied with the paintings I saw. It's just like whenever I looked at them; I couldn't feel anything not even happiness, delight, pain or anger. It was nothing... nothing at all. For me, they're just a bunch of pictures painted on a simple canvass and mixed with colors."

Topan paused for a moment and shook his glass a little so that the ice can melt easily. Then he continued, "That's why I decided to look for the greatest artwork that can please me as an art collector. In that way I can make myself happy"

The bartender seemed to notice Topan's expression on his face as he looked at him. Then, he took the bottle of mead and poured some to his glass.

"Satisfaction comes with appreciation" said the bartender smiling at him "Sometimes people kept complaining on something that they missed on life's simple things. They just occupied themselves with thoughts like 'I must do this', 'I must do that', 'I want this and that' but they never realize that in the end they would still asked themselves if they feel happy about it."

You can feel the sincerity on the bartender's tone as he said those words to Topan. Even though it was noisy around the bar, you can feel the solemn moment between them.

"We all have different views about happiness but most of us failed to achieve it." Said the bartender

Topan stared at him in surprise.

"Why?" asked Topan

"I don't know..." said the bartender "But you might find the answer when you started to learn how to appreciate things that happened to you or around you."

"Isn't that, if you felt satisfaction that you can be happy?"

"I told you we have different views about happiness" said the bartender "It's up to you how you define it. If that's the way how you can achieve happiness... then go for it"