THE TALE OF THE TWO PEBBLES
FOR EVERY PROBLEM THERE IS A SOLUTION
FOR EVERY PROBLEM THERE IS A SOLUTION
Many years ago in a small Chinese village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the village moneylender, an old and ugly man who fancied his beautiful daughter. When the farmer fell behind with his payments, the lender called in the loan and demanded that the whole remaining sum should be paid at once. As the farmer could not possibly do this, the lender proposed that if he could marry the farmer’s daughter, he would consider the debt as paid in full.
The farmer and his daughter were horrified. So, the cunning lender suggested that providence should decide the matter for them in the following manner: he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. The girl then would have to pick one pebble from the bag.
• If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father’s debt would be paid in full.
• If she picked the white pebble she did not need to marry him, but her father’s debt would still be fully redeemed.
• If she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
Discussing this, the three people were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer’s field. Whilst explaining his proposition, the moneylender bent over and picked up two pebbles. But, as the girl was sharp-eyed, she noticed that the lender picked up two black pebbles. Putting them into his bag, he turned to her and asked her to pick one of the pebbles from his bag.
The situation is a dire one. Imagine you are the daughter. What are you going to do? Or if you had to advise her, what would you tell her? It seems she has three options:
• She refuses to take a pebble.
• She shows that there were two black pebbles in the bag and exposes the money-lender as a cheat,
• She picks one of the black pebbles and sacrifices herself to release her father from his debt and save him from imprisonment.
Clearly, the girl’s dilemma cannot be solved by traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses one of the above logical choices. The story is intended to help us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. So, let’s ponder on it for a moment. What would you recommend the girl should do?
This is what she did: putting her hand into the moneybag, she drew out a pebble without looking at it. For a second she fumbled with it and then dropped it onto the pebble-strewn path, where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. ‘Oh, how clumsy of me!’ she exclaimed. ‘Please, forgive me. Never mind though! If you look into your bag for the remaining pebble, you will be able to tell which one I picked.’ Because it was black, if the deal had been an honest one, it would have been safe to assume that she had actually picked the white pebble. The girl was aware that, to save his face, the moneylender could not possibly admit his dishonesty. And this is how the girl changed an apparently impossible situation into a highly advantageous one.
The tale of the two pebbles is a well known one. I have merely retold it in my own words and added some of my observations to it. To my mind, it belongs to the realm of fables and is an allegory to demonstrate how solutions can always be found, even for the most complex problems and situations, if only we are willing to pay attention to the guidance that comes from within. It is there for each one of us at all times, ready and waiting to show us the way. No matter how learned our earthly self believes itself to be, true wisdom has its origin in the wise one within, i.e. the intuitive knowledge who has the answer to all our questions and a solutions for all our problems.
So, let’s start each new day with this positive thought and rest safely in the knowledge that by listening within we shall always find our way. Have a fruitful day and may each day, week, month and year that remains of your present lifetime be filled with positive thinking and sound decisions.
And may the living God inside us grant all of us the wisdom of thinking outside the boxes of our world.
From ‘Relationship Healing’
With love and light,
Aquarius
From ‘Relationship Healing’
With love and light,
Aquarius