Long ago in a small village outside a kingdom, lived two brilliant boys. They were kind, helpful and used their intelligence to help their village. The village was a peaceful one. Every one helped each other. One day, soldiers came to the village saying that there was a threat from another kingdom, who was planning to wage war on their own and needed volunteers. By ths time, the two boys were now young men and volunteered to go help fight in the war, knowing that their village would be in danger too if anything happened to the nearby kingdom. The war waged on for a few years, and the two men had witnessed many things. During the war they watched people brutally kill each other, good men had become corrupted, evil men begged for mercy. Everything they saw made them begin questioning life. How could humans turn to such vile actions? What would cause people to act this way? What did that make them, for having to resort to some of the same actions as the enemies they faced?
When the war ended, the two men returned home to their small village. The village welcomed them. Over time though, the two seemed to changed. One seemed to become no different than a common fool. Though he was jovial, he played with the children and helped the villagers, it seemed as though the brilliance was now gone. The other however, continued struggling with the things he saw and had done. He wondered how if the pleasant little village could just as easily become the nightmarish life he saw during the war, and if so how long would it be? Would they make it so? Finally he decided that he would leave and travel the world in search of answers, to improve his knowledge.
During his travels, he had seen many things. He would find one answer, just for another question to be raised. He had seen many different people, good and bad. Many different ways of life, and both great wonders created by people, as well as great destruction caused by people. In time, he became lost in his thoughts, confused. He became over whelmed in time, as he saw greed and violence happening more and more, many of the people committing the acts feeling no remorse for them. They were perfectly happy with how they were choosing to live, with no concern for those hurt in the process. He tried to help, he tried to change it but it seemed like no matter how much good he did, it was never enough to stop these things, and it seemed like more and more people needed his help.
In time he slowly changed, worn out from trying to fight the many evils, and even at times forced to act just like them to defeat them. He came to the idea that all humans will eventually become the things they hate no matter how much we fight it. He began using his intelligence for greedy purposes, thinking only of his own self. As he continued doing this, he got worse, using the strength he had once used to defend others and slay enemies, to obtain whatever he wanted. In doing so, he would slay anyone who appeared a threat to him, good or bad. He was happy living this way for a while but in time, he questioned this life style too. He wondered why it never satisfied him, he had anything he wanted, but he also had many enemies now as well. Was this the kind of person people were truly meant to become? Are we truly destined to turn on each other, and destroy each other simply for our own sake? These questions haunted his mind day and night. Finally, he decided once again to travel, searching for answers.
As age fell upon him, and he was becoming too old to travel much more, he made his way home, to the village he once grew up in. He only had one question left to answer, and no where he went, no one he talked to seemed to provide the answer. He had hoped that he would meet his old friend again, and recount their lives, maybe his friend could help him find the answer, even if he had long since lost his once brilliant mind. Upon returning to the village, he saw an old woman, she was a girl the two had grown up with. While talking to her, he found out that his best friend had passed away a few years ago. She told him that in all the time he had been away, his best friend rarely ever showed any signs that his once brilliant mind was returning to him. He spent his life playing with the children, helping the villagers as he always did. She also said that war had broken out again nearby and caused many terrible changes around them. However, any time it seemed that the village was about to be in trouble or trouble did find the village, his best friend seemed to change. The brilliant man everyone knew would shine again and protect the village. Once the trouble would pass though, the brilliant mind they knew would disappear again, and the fool would take his place again it seemed.
The wise man was saddened by the news that his friend was gone. He had hoped to see him again one more time. He sat, reflecting upon his life, still searching for the one answer he had yet to find. He had done many things with his life. He had done many great deeds, committed many horrible acts, and spent the remainder of his travels spreading the knowledge he had, and doing his best to try and solve the world’s problems. Even after age claimed his physical abilities, his mind was as sharp as ever and he spread the knowledge he had. Still this one question haunted him.
It was a dark, rainy day. The wise man sat under shelter, eyes closed, thinking. A scholar approached him, and standing in the rain he said. “I have traveled the world learning, and I have seen many things. They say you are the wisest man on the planet, surely you must have the answer to the greatest question mankind has. Wise man I beseech you, what is the meaning of life?†The wise man opened his eyes to look at the scholar, and behind him in the distance, he noticed a fool dancing in the rain. How could anyone dance about such miserable conditions on such a gloomy day? Then, he suddenly thought of his old friend and what he was told about him. All his knowledge, suddenly made sense, and came together to form a whole new picture in his mind, and that picture provided the answer he had been desperately searching for.
The old man smiled and shook his head. He looked up at the scholar, and pointed to the fool dancing in the rain. “If you have not found the answer already, maybe you should ask that fool over there.†The wise man closed his eyes, and drifted away from this world. A look of disappointment crossed the scholars face. He turned and walked away, thinking that surely this man must not have been as wise as they claimed, or old age claimed his mind. Certainly no fool could answer this question.
When the war ended, the two men returned home to their small village. The village welcomed them. Over time though, the two seemed to changed. One seemed to become no different than a common fool. Though he was jovial, he played with the children and helped the villagers, it seemed as though the brilliance was now gone. The other however, continued struggling with the things he saw and had done. He wondered how if the pleasant little village could just as easily become the nightmarish life he saw during the war, and if so how long would it be? Would they make it so? Finally he decided that he would leave and travel the world in search of answers, to improve his knowledge.
During his travels, he had seen many things. He would find one answer, just for another question to be raised. He had seen many different people, good and bad. Many different ways of life, and both great wonders created by people, as well as great destruction caused by people. In time, he became lost in his thoughts, confused. He became over whelmed in time, as he saw greed and violence happening more and more, many of the people committing the acts feeling no remorse for them. They were perfectly happy with how they were choosing to live, with no concern for those hurt in the process. He tried to help, he tried to change it but it seemed like no matter how much good he did, it was never enough to stop these things, and it seemed like more and more people needed his help.
In time he slowly changed, worn out from trying to fight the many evils, and even at times forced to act just like them to defeat them. He came to the idea that all humans will eventually become the things they hate no matter how much we fight it. He began using his intelligence for greedy purposes, thinking only of his own self. As he continued doing this, he got worse, using the strength he had once used to defend others and slay enemies, to obtain whatever he wanted. In doing so, he would slay anyone who appeared a threat to him, good or bad. He was happy living this way for a while but in time, he questioned this life style too. He wondered why it never satisfied him, he had anything he wanted, but he also had many enemies now as well. Was this the kind of person people were truly meant to become? Are we truly destined to turn on each other, and destroy each other simply for our own sake? These questions haunted his mind day and night. Finally, he decided once again to travel, searching for answers.
As age fell upon him, and he was becoming too old to travel much more, he made his way home, to the village he once grew up in. He only had one question left to answer, and no where he went, no one he talked to seemed to provide the answer. He had hoped that he would meet his old friend again, and recount their lives, maybe his friend could help him find the answer, even if he had long since lost his once brilliant mind. Upon returning to the village, he saw an old woman, she was a girl the two had grown up with. While talking to her, he found out that his best friend had passed away a few years ago. She told him that in all the time he had been away, his best friend rarely ever showed any signs that his once brilliant mind was returning to him. He spent his life playing with the children, helping the villagers as he always did. She also said that war had broken out again nearby and caused many terrible changes around them. However, any time it seemed that the village was about to be in trouble or trouble did find the village, his best friend seemed to change. The brilliant man everyone knew would shine again and protect the village. Once the trouble would pass though, the brilliant mind they knew would disappear again, and the fool would take his place again it seemed.
The wise man was saddened by the news that his friend was gone. He had hoped to see him again one more time. He sat, reflecting upon his life, still searching for the one answer he had yet to find. He had done many things with his life. He had done many great deeds, committed many horrible acts, and spent the remainder of his travels spreading the knowledge he had, and doing his best to try and solve the world’s problems. Even after age claimed his physical abilities, his mind was as sharp as ever and he spread the knowledge he had. Still this one question haunted him.
It was a dark, rainy day. The wise man sat under shelter, eyes closed, thinking. A scholar approached him, and standing in the rain he said. “I have traveled the world learning, and I have seen many things. They say you are the wisest man on the planet, surely you must have the answer to the greatest question mankind has. Wise man I beseech you, what is the meaning of life?†The wise man opened his eyes to look at the scholar, and behind him in the distance, he noticed a fool dancing in the rain. How could anyone dance about such miserable conditions on such a gloomy day? Then, he suddenly thought of his old friend and what he was told about him. All his knowledge, suddenly made sense, and came together to form a whole new picture in his mind, and that picture provided the answer he had been desperately searching for.
The old man smiled and shook his head. He looked up at the scholar, and pointed to the fool dancing in the rain. “If you have not found the answer already, maybe you should ask that fool over there.†The wise man closed his eyes, and drifted away from this world. A look of disappointment crossed the scholars face. He turned and walked away, thinking that surely this man must not have been as wise as they claimed, or old age claimed his mind. Certainly no fool could answer this question.
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