Story of the day 1 Leave comments for your interpreted lesson of the story: A man was driving down the road on his way home and happened to notice a peculiar fellow running erratically across a nearby field. Curious about this person, the man parked his car at the edge of the field and began observing the fellow while casually approaching him. The man saw that the fellow appeared to be chasing something in the sky that was obviously beyond his reach. The fellow kept his eyes on his target, but moved without a definite direction or speed; he would go back and forth, side to side, and in circles without regard to how far he went after changing course. Along with his random movements, the fellow frequently jumped up as if he were trying to catch something even though it wasnt coming down. Upon arriving near the fellow, the man called out to him and asked him what he was doing. The fellow turned and saw the man and answered that he was trying to catch the rainbow. He pointed out towards the sky, so the man looked upwards and saw that indeed a full rainbow was visible in the distance. The man asked the fellow why he was trying to catch the rainbow, to which the fellow replied that he wanted to admire its beautiful colors and feel its texture in his hands. It was clear to the man that the fellow was undoubtedly a fool, but the man was intrigued by his answer. So the man asked the fellow if he had realized that no matter where he moved, the distance between him and the rainbow didnt seem to change. The fellow exclaimed that of course he did, but he explained that it didnt matter because he believed that one day he would finally catch the rainbow. The man was shocked; he couldnt conceive that it was possible for someone to be unable to understand that a rainbow cant be caught. So he asked the fellow why he would believe such a thing. The fellow told him his story: he hadnt always believed such a silly thing; he had seen many rainbows before without thinking that he could catch one. One day, however, he was passing by this field and happened to encounter the most beautiful rainbow he had ever seen. Its colors were so rich and vibrant, its shape was so full and sharp, and its size was so vast and broad. But what made this rainbow special was that when he saw it, he felt warm and joyful inside. So he came back every day since and each time he gazed up the rainbow he felt the same warmth and joy. The fellow pointed at the rainbow, and as the man examined it he saw that it was indeed more colorful, defined, and expansive than any rainbow hes ever seen, and noticed that he actually did feel a slight cheerfulness when he looked at it. The fellow explained that it never appeared on sunny days or cloudy days, but on rainy days after the rain had just fallen and the setting suns light shined from just above the horizon, the same wonderful rainbow appears somewhere around the field in the distant sky. The fellow continued his story by saying he figured that since it appeared so rarely, if he caught the rainbow instead and kept it with him he would never have to wait again. He had wondered for a long time if it was even possible. Eventually he deduced that because he was able to reach and touch anything he saw, the only explanation for why he saw rainbows must be that they can be touched and therefore caught. Convinced by his logic, he decided to come to the field every day and wait for the rainbow to appear and chase after it until he finally catches it. The fellow said hes been doing this for the past three years. After hearing all this the man was dumbstruck by how ridiculous it all sounded, but he wanted to hear more so he could understand the fellow better. So the man asked the fellow why he hasnt tried other ways to catch the rainbow. The fellow thought about it, and then frowned. He said that he has tried a few other things but they didnt work, and he always went back to chasing the rainbow even though it wasnt working. The fellow fell silent for a while. Then he somberly confessed that hed rather take comfort in knowing that he will always fail than try something else hoping to succeed and risk facing the disappointment of failing instead. He said he also felt deep within him a stubbornly undying hope that maybe one day the rainbow will somehow fall down on its own right into his hands. The fellow fell silent again, then suddenly became angry and forced himself to admit that he didnt understand how the rainbow couldnt be caught if he is able to reach and touch anything he sees. The fellow fell to his knees and cried in front of the man. Because he understood the magnitude of the fellows despair, the man was horrified and saddened by the knowledge that some people could feel so powerless. Fearing that the fellow would suffer eternally, the man knew he had to help. So the man knelt beside the fellow and told him that a rainbow was merely the result of refracted light, that it was a phenomenon of physics. The man explained to the fellow in great detail the specific circumstances that cause a rainbow to appear, why the rainbow seemed to move when he moved, and concluded by telling the fellow the truth: many things that exist can be both seen and touched, but some things do exist that can be seen but cannot be touched. The fellow listened carefully and thought about what he had been told and realized how foolish he had been. He told the man that he had wanted that rainbow so badly for so long, and now he knew how much time he had wasted for such a vain and futile effort. But before he was consumed by frustration, the man stood up and offered his hand to the fellow. The man told the fellow that what he sought so direly was not the rainbow itself, but actually the feeling that he felt each time he saw it. The man explained that many things can offer the same feelings, including things within the fellow himself. The man asked the fellow what he was going to do now that he knows what hes done. The fellow looked up at the hand held out to him and found himself confronted with a choice. After careful consideration of everything that had happened, he made his choice.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 06:50:56 +0000
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