One day, Aristotle was walking on beach, a glorious sunset was happening but he didn’t have time to appreciate that as he was busy thinking seriously about some great problem of life, problem like existence of life itself.
While thinking, he walked up and down the beach. There on beach he saw another man who was doing something very intensely – So intensely that Aristotle couldn’t ignore him.
Aristotle went close and observed what that man was doing and saw that man was going to ocean, coming back then again going to ocean and coming back.
Aristotle stopped man and asked, “Hey, what are you up to?”
Man said, “Don’t disturb me, i am doing something very important.” and then went on and on with his work.
Aristotle became even more curious and asked, “What are you doing?”
Man said, “Don’t disturb me, it’s something very important.”
Aristotle said, “What is this important thing?”
Man showed him a little hole, he had dug in sand and he said, “I am emptying the ocean into this hole.”
while saying this, man was holding a table spoon in his hand.
Aristotle looked at this and laughed and said, “This is ridiculous. You must be insane. Do you know how vast this ocean is? How can you ever empty this ocean into this little hole and that too with a tablespoon? At least if you have a bucket, there is some chance. Please give this up. This is madness, i am telling you.”
Man looked at Aristotle, then threw spoon down and said, “My job is already done.”
Aristotle said, “What do you mean? Forget about ocean being empty, even hole is not full. How can you say your job is done?”
That man was Heraclitus. He stood up and said, “I am trying to empty ocean into this hole with a tablespoon. You are telling me it’s ridiculous, it’s madness, so i should give up.
Tell me. What are you trying to do? Do you know how vast this existence is? It can contain a billion oceans like this and more and you are trying to empty it into small hole of your head, with what? With tablespoon called thoughts. Please give it up, it’s utterly ridiculous.”
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