More than 2500 years ago in China , there was a supreme ruler in the state of Jin called Jin Ping Gong. One day he said to Shi Kuang, a highly respected but blind grand master in music, “I am already 70 years old but I like to learn. Don’t you think it is already too late for me to do so?”
Grand master Kuang replied, “Why don’t Your Highness hurry up and light a candle?” Jin Ping Gong felt insulted and angrily retorted, “How can an official make fun of his supreme ruler?”
Grand master Kuang then said seriously, “How dare I, a blind official, tease Your Highness? I heard that
‘To be eager to learn at the time of early youth is like a rising sun;
To be eager to learn at the prime of life is like an afternoon sun;
To be eager to learn at an old age is like the light of a candle.’
Which is better: to walk with the help of a candle light or to walk in darkness?”
Having heard it, Jin Ping Gong said, “You are right.”
Learning is a continuous process. It is never too late to learn.
24 November 2009
I fully agree with you Dr Ho. My mom used to tell us that as long as we live, we always have some thing to learn. Keep writing and we keep learning about life from you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouragement, Jin Neoh.
ReplyDeleteTo quote Henry Ford:
ReplyDelete"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."