One day, an old man thought of teaching the lesson of life to his four sons. So, he sent them each on a quest, one by one, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in autumn. The first son said that the tree was ugly and twisted. The second son said it was covered with green buds and was full of promise. The third son said it was laden with blossoms that smelt very sweet. The last son disagreed with all of them. He said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment. The old man then explained to his sons that they all were right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that one cannot judge a tree, or a person, by looking at only one aspect.
The Lesson of Life
