Summary
Once upon a time, in a small village, there was an ancient shrine. At this shrine, a deity known as the "Village God" was enshrined, and the villagers offered their daily gratitude to him, wishing for bountiful harvests and good health. However, the villagers began to take the deity's existence for granted and gradually forgot the value of his blessings.
One day, the god was pained by this situation and decided to hide away in a corner of the village. The morning after the villagers stopped giving thanks to the "God," he no longer appeared from anywhere in the village. At first, the villagers noticed nothing, but as time passed, the crops in the rice fields began to wither, and strange sounds echoed every time the wind blew.
Confused, the villagers started to question, "Is the god really that important?" Soon, the young people of the village spoke in unison, saying, "Even without him, we can manage!" They resolved to rebuild the village with their own strength. However, months went by, and the village continued to decline. The young people, who were supposed to be trying hard, were plagued by feelings of powerlessness, and one by one, they began to leave the village.
Eventually, the village elder visited the ruins of the shrine. Then, he suddenly remembered, "On that day, we disregarded the god. We forgot to be grateful and took him for granted." The elder bowed his head and suggested gathering the villagers to perform a ritual to call upon the god. As they prayed together, suddenly, the appearance of the god was revealed. He said, "Remember my existence and the buried heart of gratitude," and once again, the god bestowed strength upon the village. From that day on, the villagers marked the deity’s value in their hearts and began to cherish their daily lives more deeply.
