AN EXCELLENT ANALOGY OF DESIRE AND MOTIVES (The Lesson Of The Old Sage)

An Old African sage, wise and influential, lived on the side of a mountain near a lake. It was common practice for the people of the village to seek his advice. The old man spent many hours sitting in front of his small hut, where he rocked in a crude rocking chair made of branches and twigs. Hour after hour he sat and rocked as he thought.

One day he noticed a young African warrior walking on the path toward his hut. The young man walked up the hill and stood erect before the sage. "What can I do for you?" the old man said.

The warrior replied, "I was told by those in the village that you are very wise. They said that you can give me the secret of happiness and success."

The old man listened, then gazed at the ground for several moments. He rose to his feet, took the boy by the hand, and led him down the path back toward the lake. Not a word was spoken. The young warrior was obviously bewildered, but the sage kept walking. Soon they approached the lake, but did not stop. Out into the water the old man led the boy. The farther they walked, the higher the water advanced. The water rose from the boys knees to his waist, then to his chin, but the old man said nothing and kept moving deeper and deeper. Finally the lad was completely submerged. At this point the wise man stopped for a moment, turned the boy around, and led him out of the lake and up the path back to the hut. Still not a word was spoken. The old African sat again in his creaky chair and rocked to and fro.

After several though-provoking minutes, he looked into the boy's questioning eyes and asked, Young man, when you were in the lake, underwater, what was it you desired most?"

Openly excited, the boy replied, "Why, you old fool, I wanted to breathe!"

Then the sage spoke these words: "My son, when you want happiness and success in life as badly as you wanted to breathe, you will have found the secret."

Now, dear friends, when you pursue your objective with the same state of mind so clearly described in the above tale, then you will reach your goal!