Windows and Mirrors
A rich miser was asked by a priest for a donation to the local parish and was refused.
The priest sighed and said, “Come to the window, Mr. Smith. Look out and tell me what you see.”
The miser looked and said, “People, what else?”
“Now come to this mirror, and look in, and tell me what you see.”
“Myself, what else?”
“There you are. The window is glass, the mirror is glass, but the mirror has a thin layer of silver on it. As soon as a little silver is added, you no longer see other people, you see only yourself.”
The miser gave a donation.