One day, Plato asked his teacher, "What is love? How can I find it?"
His teacher answered, "There is a vast wheat field in front. Walk forward
without turning back, and pick only one stalk. If you find the most
magnificent stalk, then you have found love."
Plato walked forward, and before long, he returned with empty hands, having
picked nothing.
His teacher asked, "Why did you not pick any stalk?"
Plato answered, "Because I could only pick once, and yet I could not turn
back. I did find the most magnificent stalk, but did not know if there
were any better ones ahead, so I did not pick it.
As I walked futher, the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier
one, so I did not pick any in the end. His teacher then said, "And that is
love."
On another day, Plato asked his teacher, "What is marriage? How can I find
it?"
His teacher answered, "There is a thriving forest in front. Walk forward
without turning back, and chop down only one tree. If you find the tallest
tree, then you have found marriage." Plato walked forward, and before long,
he returned with a tree. The tree was not thriving, and it was not tall
either. It was only an ordinary tree.
His teacher asked, "Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree?"
Plato answered, "Because of my previous experience. I walked halfway
through the forest, but returned with empty hands. This time, I saw this
tree, and I felt that it was not bad, so I chopped it down and brought it
back.
"I did not want to miss the opportunity."
His teacher then said, "And that is marriage." |
