Once upon a time, there was a small and shallow water well, and in that well lived a frog. Everyday he lived life at his leisure and felt he was truly blessed.
One day a turtle came to his well, the frog happily welcomed and invited him to stay. As they talked the frog proudly said, "I can play in the well or I can frolic as I like, when I'm tired I rest in a hole in the wall of the well. Look at the small shrimp and insects to eat, don't you want to come and see my well ? It's my heaven on earth.
Hearing these stories, the turtle very much wanted to go and see the well. But he was too fat, and couldn't slip into the hole of the well. With a sigh he told the frog a story about the sea,
"The sea, have you ever seen the sea ? The sea is a massive expanses of blue. You can swim heading for faraway places and never reach them, you can swim down but never reach the bottom. The sea has always been this deep and big. Only when you are in the sea can you really feel truly free and happy." The frog hearing this was dumbfounded. He was so shocked he could only stare into the distance.
We ought to have a broad and far-reaching vision of life, unlike the vision of the frog living in the well, seeing only his little heaven on earth. One must have an open mind, ready to explore beyond his current knowledge, understanding and even his proudly proven skill.
Irene Tsai has the story retold in her wonderful book "The Frog in the Well (Chinese - English bilingual book) (Chinese Edition) (Hardcover)"
Reference:
Zhongguo Gudai Yuyan Gushi
Image source:
http://www.frontstreetreviews.com/Frog%20in%20Well.jpg
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