Confucius admired the waterfall in Luliang; the streams fall from a height of three thousand ren, the foam seethes forty li. Neither caimans, nor fish, nor turtles - sea or river - can overcome it. Noticing a swimmer there, Confucius thought that he was seeking death out of grief, and sent his students down to pull him out. But after a few hundred steps he came out of the water with his hair down, began to sing and began to walk near the dam.
Confucius followed him and said to him:
“I took you for the soul of a drowned man, but I took a closer look: you are a man.” Let me ask you a question: do you know the secret of how to walk on water?
“No,” answered the swimmer. - I have no secret. From birth it’s my habit, when I mature it’s my character, when I mature it’s destiny. I submerge with the wave, emerge with the foam, follow the flow of the water, without imposing anything of myself on it. That's why I walk on water.
— What does it mean “at birth it is a habit, at maturity it is character, at maturity it is destiny”? - asked Confucius.
- I was born among the hills and am satisfied with life among the hills - this is a habit; grew up on the water and is satisfied with life on the water - this is his character; it happens on its own, and I don’t know why - it’s fate.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru