Plato; on Love and Marriage.
One day, Plato asked his teacher, "What is love? How can I find it?"
His teacher answered, "There is a vast wheat field in front. Walk forward without turning back, and pick only one stalk. If you find the most magnificent stalk, then you have found love." Plato walked forward and before long, he returned with empty hands, having picked nothing. His teacher then asked, "Why did you not pick any stalk?" Plato answered, "Because I could only pick once, and yet I could not turn back. I did find the most magnificent stalk, but did not know if there was any better ahead, so I did not pick it. As I walked further, the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier one, so I did not pick any in the end."
His teacher then said, "And that is love."
Soon after, Plato asked his teacher, "What is marriage? How can I find it?"
His teacher answered, "There is a thriving forest in front. Walk forward without turning back, and chop down only one tree. If you find the tallest tree, then you have found marriage". Plato walked forward and before long, he returned with a tree. The tree was not thriving, and it was not tall either. It was only an ordinary tree. His teacher asked, "Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree?" Plato answered, "Because of my previous experience. I walked through the field, but returned with empty hands. This time, I saw this tree,and I felt that it was not bad, so I chopped it down and brought it back. I did not want to miss the opportunity."
His teacher then said, "And that is marriage."
"You see, love is the most beautiful thing to happen to a person; it's an opportunity... but you don't realize what it is worth when you have it, but only once it's gone, like the field of stalks. Marriage, like the tree you chopped; it's a compromise."
His teacher answered, "There is a vast wheat field in front. Walk forward without turning back, and pick only one stalk. If you find the most magnificent stalk, then you have found love." Plato walked forward and before long, he returned with empty hands, having picked nothing. His teacher then asked, "Why did you not pick any stalk?" Plato answered, "Because I could only pick once, and yet I could not turn back. I did find the most magnificent stalk, but did not know if there was any better ahead, so I did not pick it. As I walked further, the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier one, so I did not pick any in the end."
His teacher then said, "And that is love."
Soon after, Plato asked his teacher, "What is marriage? How can I find it?"
His teacher answered, "There is a thriving forest in front. Walk forward without turning back, and chop down only one tree. If you find the tallest tree, then you have found marriage". Plato walked forward and before long, he returned with a tree. The tree was not thriving, and it was not tall either. It was only an ordinary tree. His teacher asked, "Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree?" Plato answered, "Because of my previous experience. I walked through the field, but returned with empty hands. This time, I saw this tree,and I felt that it was not bad, so I chopped it down and brought it back. I did not want to miss the opportunity."
His teacher then said, "And that is marriage."
"You see, love is the most beautiful thing to happen to a person; it's an opportunity... but you don't realize what it is worth when you have it, but only once it's gone, like the field of stalks. Marriage, like the tree you chopped; it's a compromise."