Theme: Our defective judgments
Short Story 4
The wayfarer.
The story belong to a date, when the Indian subcontinent consisted of several small countries and were ruled by the kings.
The bullock carts were the most expensive transport and only rich merchants and government officials could afford them.
Common people and small traders walked along the roads laid and maintained by the kings.
Trees were planted along the road so that the pedestrians can rest under them when they grew tired. Some take food that they carry with them, under the sprawling trees and sleep for a while before they continue their journey.
There was a lone traveler among several others walking along the road. He was proud that he knows every thing in the world.
After traveling for a long time, he decided to take the lunch that he brought along. When he had finished his lunch he felt sleepy and lay down under the shade of that tamarind tree.
As he lay down under the tree he looked-up and saw a bunch of small tamarind fruits hanging from the branches. He thought for a while and wondered that the nature is stupid that it produced small fruits and berries on large trees and large vegetables such as pumpkin on slender creepers. With these thoughts he slept off.
After a while, wind blew and the riped fruits from the tree fell down right on the head of the traveler. Since it fell from a height, it hurt him very bad and he woke up then.
Then came the thought.
If pumpkin or similar large fruit grew on such sprawling tree, no one can ever rest under the tree. If they did, their head would be smashed some time.
Since creepers do not provide shade no one stay under it. So the people are safe.
The nature, he realized, knew what to grow and where. Our judgments are based on very limited exposure and incomplete knowledge.
Theme: Fight to finish
Know this:
(1) Most of our pursuits come to an end with very little resistance.
(2) Those who succeed brave the failures, overcome obstacles in their path, go through the resistance from every source successfully.
(3) This is possible only for people with a positive mind set.
(4) Several research projects were discontinued only when a few steps were left before it could have given results. Some more efforts, some additional investments would have marked the success.
(5) The Tamil Saint Thiruvalluvar advises as follows. Before you set off on your pursuits, think well. When once started, stopping or rethinking is wrong.
(7) Some of us change the directions and goals half way through a chosen pursuits. We engage ourselves in multitudes of tasks and reach nowhere.
To this, a Zen Guru observes, one who chases two rabbits gets none. Suggestion:
(1) Stay focussed till you succeed in your mission. Two stories are attributed to Edison, first one to his perseverance and second that demonstrates that he could see advantages even in adverse situations.