Floating Down River
2014-7-10
(c) 2013 by Martin Spernau
On the way to the training grounds, a young warrior would come by a bridge over a river. Every day, he would see an old man sit there, gazing out on the river. The old man would be there in the morning, and he’d still be there when the young warrior came by again in the evening, on his way home.
One day, the young warrior gave in to his curiosity and sat by the old man’s side. After waiting for the appropriate time, he said: "Old man, why do you sit here, gazing at the river all day, every day?"
The old man turned to the young warrior and studied him for a moment. Finally he spoke: "Son, have you ever heard the saying: If only you sit at the river long enough, you will eventually see all your enemies float by?"
The young warrior, who was wiser than could be expected of one of his age, said: "I've heard it now. It kind of makes sense. Interesting thought."
They sat in silence, both gazing out at the river. After a while the young warrior’s curiosity overcame his good manners and he asked: "Tell me then, old man, how many of your enemies have you seen float past already?"
"None," replied the old man.
The young warrior was taken aback by this terse reply, but after another respectful moment of silence, he said: "How many are you expecting to see?"
"None," the old man said with a chuckle. "I never made any."
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alles Bild, Text und Tonmaterial ist © Martin Spernau, Verwendung und Reproduktion erfordert die Zustimmung des Authors
