Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Seasons of Life

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons and he wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer and the youngest son in the autumn.

A year later and when they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the pear tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no, the pear tree was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said the pear tree was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said the pear tree was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The Indian Chief then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He then told them that they cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy and love that come from life can only be measured in the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will no doubt miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer and the fulfilment of your autumn.

-- Author Unknown

No comments: