W5 D5

Familiarity Breeds Complacency
A legend that had persisted from the age of Three Dynasties in China related to the existence of a curious Sun- disk. A few who were in the know would aver that it was dropped from the sky. It lay in a forest on the eastern slopes of the H- mountain ranges. It was a day’s journey so Confucius set out to see it, accompanied by his grand son Tsesze.
It was a large monolithic stone, as smooth as no earthly sculptor could have hoped to achieve. There was a large void at the center. As a celestial gift it was beyond words, said the sage. In order to examine it in detail they had to negotiate their way over a series of stones laid across a stretch of shallow stream. At every turn they found that they could see through that opening a changing scenery which was like inspecting a large scroll painting. They stood there awed by the scenic beauty for long.
As darkness fell they realized that instead of looking at the celestial object they spent time admiring the view that reminded them of their own backyard. Before they turned to leave Tsesze asked his grand father,” Is it not curious that had we known that we would spend time the way we did today, we had done better stayed at home?” Later Confucius observed that the nature of life was such that a man was more at ease with what his senses impressed upon him. ‘ It is the obvious that ought to make him think of what made it obvious to him in the first place’.
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