The country was called Khorasan. It was a very beautiful country.
In that country lived two holy men.
One was quite stout. He loved to eat. He wouldn't be at peace unless he ate his fill of delicious food twice a day.
The other was completely different. He was thin and frail. He didn't like eating at all. He would eat only once every two days.
The two were very good friends.
One day, they set out on a journey together. They traveled across mountains and forests, exploring new lands and meeting new people—a constant stream of new experiences. They were having a wonderful time. The days passed by joyfully.
While traveling, they arrived in a new city. As soon as they entered the city, they were arrested. The king's soldiers took them to the Qazi's court. The verdict was given: they were spies.
The two holy men protested: "We are innocent, we have done nothing wrong. We are traveling from country to country. We are harmless people."
But no one listened to them.
They were both imprisoned in a thieves' cell. The door was locked. What could be a more terrible punishment than to be left to die of starvation?
After some time, however, it was proven that the two were not spies. They were holy men who had set out to travel the world for their own pleasure.
The king's men went to release the prisoners. They had to break down the door to rescue them. But a person cannot survive for so long without food. Surely, they must be dead.
When the soldiers opened the door, they were astonished. One of them was still alive. The one who was thin and frail had survived, while the stout one had died. Everyone was surprised.
Then a wise man said: "There is nothing to be surprised about. The stout man was bound to die. Because he was a glutton. He couldn't go a moment without food.
He died because he didn't get any food. But the thin man was very disciplined. He was used to going without food." He observed a hunger strike in prison.
The wise man then said to everyone: Those who live in poverty can endure hardship.
But those who live in luxury become distressed by even the slightest misfortune. They even die. Such a fate befell those two.