Breath

A man
of powerful intellect
and great renown
sat together with a Sage.

This man
was so sure
of himself and
of his vast knowledge

that he
was so sure
he knew all
there was to know.

But he
asked the Sage
all the same,
“What is the Truth?”

The Sage
asked him, “About
how long can
you hold your breath?”

The man
replied, confused, “Less
than a minute.”
He was so lost.

The Sage said,

You can only hold on to your breath for so long before you suffocate to death. To live you must breath in and out, you must ebb and flow, experience and let go. If you don’t let your Mind breathe your soul will likewise suffocate. What good, then, is stale knowledge that hasn’t breathed?