A kindly, old traveller came upon a small village. He said to the villagers, I am a simple Traveler, looking for a place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal. "There's not a bite to eat in the whole province," he was told by the villagers. "We are weak and our children are starving. Better keep moving on."

"Oh, I have everything I need," the traveler said. "In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you." He then pulled an iron cauldron from his cloak, filled it with water, and began to build a fire in the firepit in the middle of the small village. Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a bag and dropped it into the water.

By now, hearing the rumor of food, the villagers had come out of their homes. As the Traveler sniffed the "broth" and licked his lips in anticipation, the villagers began to feel very hungry indeed. "Ahh," the Traveler said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage -- that's hard to beat." Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a small cabbage he'd retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. "Wonderful!!" cried the Traveler. "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of onion as well, and it was fit for a king." The village Farmer managed to find an onion, then he found, some potatoes, carrots, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for everyone in the village to share. Just before he left, the Traveler gave the bag containing the stone to one of the village elders and said, “It was not the stone, but you kind villagers that performed the magic."

Moral: By working together, with everyone contributing as they are able, a greater good is achieved.