"I feel so sorry for you," said the unlit candle to her flickering friend. "Your time is so short. You’re constantly burning away, and soon, you’ll be gone forever. I’m much happier than you. I don’t burn, so I don’t melt. I just lie here in peace, and I’ll last for years. But your days are numbered."
The burning candle replied:
"I don’t regret a single moment. My life is beautiful and full of meaning. Yes, I burn, and my wax is melting away, but my flame has lit countless other candles, and my own light is never diminished by sharing it.
With my light, I drive back the darkness of the night. I bring a sparkle to a child’s eyes at a celebration. I purify the air by a sick person’s bedside, for shadows and despair cannot stand the presence of a living flame. I stand as a symbol of hope and a silent prayer. Isn't a life like that—even a short one—truly beautiful?
Actually, it’s you I feel sorry for, my unlit sister. Your fate is the one that's truly sad. You’ve never fulfilled the very reason you were created. What has happened to your soul—your fire? Yes, you might lie there untouched for years, but who do you serve? Where is the joy in your existence?
To be honest, it is far better to burn than to rest. Because in the burning, there is life, but in the stillness, there is only a slow death.
You pity me because I will burn out soon, but in your safety, you haven't even begun to live. You will fade away without ever having started.
Life is passing you by."
And so the two candles spoke—one a living flame, the other a hollow shell.