A valuable life lesson from a boatman. The parable of “Think and Act”

One warm day, while walking by the river, a traveler noticed a beautiful boat from afar. He came closer and asked the boatman to take him to the other side. The man agreed, and when they set sail from the shore, the traveler suddenly saw strange inscriptions on the oars. The golden paint on one of the oars sparkled in the sun: “Think” and “Act” on the other.

– “Man, you have a very nice boat. But the inscriptions on the oars also caught my attention. What do they mean?” the traveler asked.

– “I’ll show you now, and you’ll understand,” the boatman replied, smiling.

On the same wave, he began to row only with the right oar, which had the inscription “Think” on it. The surprised traveler watched the boat circle in one place. Then the boatman asked:

– “Have you ever thought about something for a long time, made plans in detail, but what good is it? You just circle in one place, just like this boat is now.

The traveler nodded in the affirmative. Then the boatman began to row only with the left oar, which had the inscription “Act” on it. And again the boat spun, but in the opposite direction.

– Have you ever thoughtlessly rushed to do something? We spend a lot of energy and time without thinking things through carefully. However, in the end, we realize that we are just spinning in circles, like the squirrel in the wheel.

The traveler also nodded in the affirmative, understanding what the boatman was getting at, and he continued:

– “These inscriptions are necessary to always remember that every stroke of the right oar must be followed by a steady movement of the left oar.

The traveler was looking thoughtfully at the shore they were approaching. The boatman drew his attention to a beautiful house that could be seen behind the trees next to the river:

– “Do you see this house? I built it for my family with my own hands, guided by these golden rules every day on the oars of my boat.