Stories for the Soul

Story 1 - To Climb Up and Down the Tree

In the land where everyone got their own tree to climb up and down, there was a little boy who stood looking at his own.

His tree was quite tall, and the leaves quite tender. Of course,it was tender because he too was a tender one and his tree, like everyone's tree was designed to grow along with him.

The boy began to climb his tree. He reached the first branch and the moment he did that, well, lo and behold, a golden apple appeared on the branch. The little boy's eyes grew wide as he saw the golden apple taking shape in front of his eyes.

Yes, the apple, like all apples was there to be eaten. The boy plucked the fruit and gobbled it up within seconds. This boy being a quick one, and all that, realized that with every branch that he climbed, he would be able to make a golden apple appear.

Consumed by this thought, the boy began to climb the branches at a speed that resembled incredible. He climbed another branch, plucked another fruit, ate another fruit and climbed another branch.

What the little boy was doing, was playing a game. He was trying to become the fastest to reach the top of the tree, and each branch climbed, was another level aced in the game.

At last, the little boy reached the place where he could climb no more. It was a tree after all, and every tree also has a top, beyond which you can only reach into infinity. At the highest branch, with the best view, the little boy also realized that he was at the end of his game.

Eager to find out if he was the first to reach the top, the boy hastened to climb down from his tree. He jumped to the ground and looked around at the other trees. He noticed no one jumping down and stood savoring the fact that he was indeed the first one to come back.

As he stood looking for some more time, he heard a soft thud. Turning to look at the child who had come in second, the little boy saw that this was no child at all. It was a fully grown adult!

Very soon the boy caught sight of more adults jumping down from their own trees. And, he was the only child around. Now, why was everyone who was jumping down an adult?! Did he not get the rules of the game correctly?

"What made you think you were playing a game in the first place?"

The little boy turned towards the wise old one who had asked that question. "It looked like fun. So I thought it was a game. Was I wrong then?" asked the little boy.

"Did anyone tell you that climbing the tree was a game?" wondered the wise old one.

"No," whispered the boy soberly. "If it's not a game, then what is it?"

"It's just a simple climb up and down. You climb a branch, eat an apple, and then move onto the next branch, when you are hungry – only when you are hungry. It is something that everyone has to do on account of being on this land."

"But that sounds so boring," declared the little boy, very loudly.

The wise old one shrugged. "If exciting is a part of the climb, then boring too deserves its place in it. What feeling do you think urges you to slow down and think deeper?"

"What do I do now?" wailed the little boy. "I have already climbed down my tree, and I know that it can be climbed only once. What will I do with the rest of my life?!"

"The reason for designing the "slow" climb is for doing something for the rest of your life," sighed the wise old one. "What do you think you can do with the rest of your life?"

The little boy thought for a while biting his lower lips. "Obviously I don't want to spend the rest of my life in boredom...maybe...maybe...I will go around telling other little boys and girls to wait for their pang of hunger while climbing the tree." As he said this, the little boy's eyes lit up at the new something that he had to do.

"Good idea," patted the wise old one. "Keep in mind to walk it out. The details lie in the walk, not the run."

Dear Reader,

Why are we rushing?! Where are we going when all of us have the same destination called "death?!" The real question is, why on earth are we rushing to this destination?!

The point of this story is about the tree called our brain. Quite unlike the concept of the abundance through the infinite mind, the brain, on account of being a measurable, retains its finite features. And one of the key features of anything finite, is its breaking point.

The brain reminds us of its own breaking point every night, when it shuts down, albeit partly, to recharge itself. So, it does us good to not push the brain towards its breaking point, something that we are all failing to do, with our focus on the thrill of speed.

The truth about life is that it is a continuous movement. Even if we are simply sitting, we are still moving through our breath. What we do as a part of this movement lies in the interests that we develop, and in the patience that we have with this great movement.

Upon birth, we are all given a tree, and it is called the brain. This tree is a gift and must be savored,cherished and nourished. For this tree is the tree of life – the human Brain.

Here's to developing the attitude to climb our tree in the way it is meant to be climbed – slowly and steadily!