"THE BIRD STORY"
Once there was a wise old man and a smart-aleck boy. The boy was driven by a single desire - to expose the wise old man as a fool. The smart aleck had a plan. He captured a small and fragile bird in the forest. With the bird cupped in his hands, the boy's scheme was to approach the old man and ask him, "Old man, what do I have in my hand?" to which the wise man would reply, "You have a bird, my son."
Then the boy would ask, "Old man, is the bird alive or is it dead?" If the old man replied that the bird was dead, the smart aleck would open the hands and allow the bird to fly off into the forest. But if the old man replied that the bird was alive, the boy would crush the bird inside his cupped hands, and crush it and crush it until, at last, the bird was dead. Then the boy would open his hands and say, "See, old man, the bird is dead!"
And so, as the story goes, the smart-aleck boy went to the old man, and he said, as planned, "Old man, what do I have in my hands?" "Old man," the boy then said, his voice dripping with disdain, "is the bird alive or is it dead?" Whereupon the old man looked at the boy with his kindly old eyes and replied, "The bird is in your hands, my son."
I really like this story as it tells us 2 things... 1. Never underestimate your opponent! 2. Whatever decision you make, there will be 2 outcomes, either it is good or bad, as you hold the control to your life!
Once there was a wise old man and a smart-aleck boy. The boy was driven by a single desire - to expose the wise old man as a fool. The smart aleck had a plan. He captured a small and fragile bird in the forest. With the bird cupped in his hands, the boy's scheme was to approach the old man and ask him, "Old man, what do I have in my hand?" to which the wise man would reply, "You have a bird, my son."
Then the boy would ask, "Old man, is the bird alive or is it dead?" If the old man replied that the bird was dead, the smart aleck would open the hands and allow the bird to fly off into the forest. But if the old man replied that the bird was alive, the boy would crush the bird inside his cupped hands, and crush it and crush it until, at last, the bird was dead. Then the boy would open his hands and say, "See, old man, the bird is dead!"
And so, as the story goes, the smart-aleck boy went to the old man, and he said, as planned, "Old man, what do I have in my hands?" "Old man," the boy then said, his voice dripping with disdain, "is the bird alive or is it dead?" Whereupon the old man looked at the boy with his kindly old eyes and replied, "The bird is in your hands, my son."
I really like this story as it tells us 2 things... 1. Never underestimate your opponent! 2. Whatever decision you make, there will be 2 outcomes, either it is good or bad, as you hold the control to your life!