Irene Adler
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2008
- Messages
- 420
- Reaction score
- 0
For some reason, PB's budhist monk avatar reminds me of a story my World Religion and Thought professor told me once.
I'm not a very avid story teller (in fact, I've failed nearly every English course I've ever taken since the sixth grade, how I'm going to get through college, I have no idea), but I'll give it a go because it really is worth hearing.
I once knew a young man who was highly interested in all things intellectual. We will call him Bob.
Bob loved to read the works of great philosophers and study the great religions of the world in the neverending search for the meaning of life. When his quest for answers left him only with more questions he decided to search elsewhere.
Bob sold everything he owned, save for the clothes on his back, and took off for the far East. When he got to Asia he hiked several hundred miles to the most secluded monestary, where, supposedly, the wisest of all monks held the secret to the meaning of life. Reverently, Bob approached the monk and asked, "What is the purpose of life?"
The monk replied slowly, "Life is like a river."
Bob was dumbfounded. "You mean, I came all this way for you to tell me, 'life is like a river'?"
Perplexed, the monk took a moment to contemplate what Bob had said to him.
"You mean it's not?" he responded.
.................................
That is all.
I'm not a very avid story teller (in fact, I've failed nearly every English course I've ever taken since the sixth grade, how I'm going to get through college, I have no idea), but I'll give it a go because it really is worth hearing.
I once knew a young man who was highly interested in all things intellectual. We will call him Bob.
Bob loved to read the works of great philosophers and study the great religions of the world in the neverending search for the meaning of life. When his quest for answers left him only with more questions he decided to search elsewhere.
Bob sold everything he owned, save for the clothes on his back, and took off for the far East. When he got to Asia he hiked several hundred miles to the most secluded monestary, where, supposedly, the wisest of all monks held the secret to the meaning of life. Reverently, Bob approached the monk and asked, "What is the purpose of life?"
The monk replied slowly, "Life is like a river."
Bob was dumbfounded. "You mean, I came all this way for you to tell me, 'life is like a river'?"
Perplexed, the monk took a moment to contemplate what Bob had said to him.
"You mean it's not?" he responded.
.................................
That is all.