Man under tree
Online Source: Zorger
The Fig, the Watermelon, and the Professor
“Let me tell you about the Professor,” Wen Chang began. “He was a very learned man, well versed in books and all manner of teachings.”
“A bookworm,” Guan Yu said.
“A man of wisdom!” Wen Chang shouted at Guan Yu.
“Calm down!” ordered Yu Huang.
“Men,” said Guan Yin to herself.
“So one day,” continued Wen Chang, “he was sitting below a fig tree in his garden, enjoying the shade and meditating on things of importance.”
“Like what witless book to read next,” Guan Yu said under his breath. No one said anything because they didn’t want another fight interrupting the story.
Wen Chang continued again. “He was looking at the watermelon patch in his garden, and one of the watermelons that was overgrown by its own leaves. He then looked up at the fig tree that he was under. At first, he thought that the Creator must have made a mistake when he created the fig tree and the watermelon.
“The fig tree is so strong and sound,” he thought to himself, “that if I was the Creator I would have made the watermelons grow on this fig tree. Surely this magnificent tree would be able to support the weight of the watermelon! And the vine that the watermelon springs forth from is so weak and puny. If I were the Creator, I would have made the fig grow out of the watermelon vine. In that, there would be greater harmony to the world.”
“No sooner had he thought this than a fig fell from the tree and hit him on the nose. He picked it up and looked at it, rubbing the spot on his nose that the fig hit, which was now bruised.”
“If I were the Creator and had put the watermelon on the fig tree, surely I would have been crushed by a falling watermelon, rather than just slightly bruised by this fig. The Creator was truly wise in his decision.”
Wen Chang leaned back, showing that his story was done.
“And?” said Guan Yu.
“And that is why my posterity is what those people need! They need a man of wisdom and learning. A man who knows that balance is created not by what we think, but by what is found in nature. He would not give the hard task to the weak man and the weak task to the strong man. He would give each man the task that was best suited to each, much like the fig to the tree and the watermelon to the vine.”
“Very well stated,” said Yu Huang, clearly impressed by Wen Chang’s story.
“Yes, very well indeed,” agreed Guan Yin.
“Nonsense!” cried Guan Yu. “Books do not build the body. Papers do not strengthen the man. If all those men down there did nothing but sit around trying to put watermelons on fig trees, then none would have the strength required to lift a stone to rebuild an empire. Books would have no place to rest were it not for the strong and able men who build the shelves to put them on, and the rooms to put them in, and the roof to put them under. Wisdom is nothing compared to strength, and that is why my posterity is what those people need.”
“I,” Guan Yu said, standing up and taking his weapon in hand, “will tell you the story of a hero…”
Adapted from: The Melon and the Professor
Author’s Note: In making dynamic characters to tell the stories - each with their own distinct and separate personalities – I needed to find stories that centralized on each of the different attributes (wisdom, strength, order and compassion) of the stories being told, and of the gods telling them. This story, I felt, was perfect for the story of wisdom. It is short and very direct in its teaching of the wisdom of the professor. Though no part of my story is word for word to the original story, I took the basic theme of the story, and developed it into a story to have been told by Wen Chang. I added the banter between the gods to try and continue to develop the characters and their personalities of the gods throughout my stories. I also needed to find a way to adapt each of the stories into an example as to why characters in the story are the kind of person that the now destroyed village needs to help rebuild. The stories from here will follow this theme, each god telling a story of their posterity (although none of the stories are actual posterity to the gods who are telling them), and each story will be that god’s defense as to why their posterity would be the best answer to the plight of the destroyed village.