There was once two men who were invited to a banquet. The fist of them was an important man and he went at once to take a place of honour at the table. "Surely this seat is reserved for me" he thought to himself.
He had not been there long however, when the host came to him and said "I am sorry, but this seat is reserved for someone more distinguished than yourself."
The man was humiliated and hung his head in shame as he took the seat of least importance at the table. The guests seated nearby however, seemed not to have noticed his discrace and said "Celebrate with us friend! Is this not a grand feast?" So the man ate and drank and soon forgot his humiliation in the merriment of the celebration.
The other man who came to the feast kenw that he was much less important than the other poeple around him so he didn't bother even sitting at the table. He sat on the floor. The host saw him and said "Friend, it is ridiculous of you to sit on the floor. Look, there is a place here for you at the table."
But the man replied, "Ah, you truly are a most generous and gracious host to offer me such a place at your table, but really there is no need. I know that I am a man of no importance and I am content to sit here on the floor."
The host said, "Friend, that does not matter. We are not here to see who is more important than who, but to celebrate. Come, join us."
I am just a humble man," said the man sitting on the floor, "I couldn't possibly sit at the table."
The host tried to convince the man with many persuasive words to join the table, but the man refused. So the host went and celebrated with the other guests. And the man thought to himself, "I must be very humble to sit here on the floor when the host tried so hard to get me to join the table."
It was not long however, before the man began to grow lonely on the floor. Bits of food and spilled drink form the table fell on him and he became filthy. "Can't they see how humble I'm being?" he though to himself. But the guests were busy celebrating and didn't notice him.
The man began to groan, thinking "Surely they will hear me groaning and see how humble I am." But still the guests went on celebrating and did not notice him. One of the servants however, went to the host and said, "Sir, there is a filthy man sitting on the floor and groaning." And the host said "If the man will insist on behaving like a dog, then shut him outside with the dogs." And so the man was shut outside and he went home very angry with the host and his guests.
THE END.