Stories of Jivavarta: Appearance by Shon Mehta (Parables Of Success)

There was a young man. He had started a new shop selling merchandise. However, the business was not doing as well as he had hoped.

One day, he complained to his father. "Father, my goods are excellent, and the pricing is competitive. But whenever I try to meet new people for business, either they refuse or they don't pay much attention. Because of this, I don't have business connections. What should I do?"

The father was a shrewd man. He looked at his son.

"Don’t dress so simple. Start dressing well. You need to appear rich and powerful, for people to gain confidence in you." advised his father.

The son followed his fathers advice. He started getting better attention, and his business started to flourish.

Time passed by, and the young man became a wealthy merchant. But something was still missing.

He went back to his father, and asked him, "As a wealthy person, I get a lot of attention. But nobody admires me. Everybody thinks that I am a show-off. What should I do?"

The father again looked at him.

"Don't appear so lavish. Be modest in your appearance." said the father.

"I don't understand! In the past, when I was poor, you told me to dress lavishly. But now, when I am rich, you are telling me to live modestly. Why?” asked the son.

"Simplicity of appearance can cause hindrance to success when you are poor. But the same simplicity is admired in a rich and successful person." explained the father.

Reflection: Is it possible to be truly admired for who we are, or are we always admired for who we appear to be?

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Saying of Jivavarta

'When poor, overdress. When rich, underdress.' — Shon Mehta

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Key Philosophical Concepts Represented

1. Social Construction of Value
   Worth is not intrinsic but mediated by social perception and shared symbols.

2. Status Signaling
   Appearance functions as evidence. Signals substitute for proof of competence.

3. Contextual Virtue
   The same trait is praised or condemned depending on one’s social position.

4. Appearance–Essence Divide
   Admiration targets what is shown, not what is possessed.

5. Recognition Dependence
   Esteem arises from social acknowledgment, not self-knowledge alone.

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   Originally Published On 25th September 2015 

   Jivavarta is a fictional land created by Shon Mehta, where epic tales of power, survival, and social upheaval unfold, as seen in her novels The Timingila and Lair of the Monster, along with many other stories and parables set in this richly imagined world.