Today I was reading a parable.
In it, a paragraph struck me.
“Most people are like water in a kettle. They try to reach boiling point but, when this happened, they don’t think about removing the kettle from the fire. That is why the water boils over and extinguishes that which exactly brought it to the boil”. [The Master, Chao-Hsiu Chen]
How true is this?
Often there is some desire and ambition inside us, pushing us to give our very best in our daily activities. The fire within us, which pushes us to limits which we only dream of. Some people may never come to a boil, for a variety of reasons. This is not the issue. A life with fire and purpose is always a meaningful life, regardless of whether it boils eventually.
The danger is when we boil over and yet is not aware. We may have reached the pinnacles in our pursuit for success, but the success of it did not register. We continue on the process of boiling. The same way water evaporates when it reaches a certain temperature; our passion for life dulls as we persist in our mad-capped pursuit.
In the same manner when boiling water spills over the brim and extinguishes the fire beneath; our meaning in life snaps when we lose the passion. We lose the personal definition of what life is, and what living entails.
Asians do not boil their water for the fun of it. We boil water for a reason.
People do not go about their daily business for nothing. We have our purposes and dreams to fulfill in everything that we do.
Just as watching the fire under the kettle reduces the potential of leaking gases in modern homes; remembering the focus and purpose of our pursuits ensures that we are always near the boiling peak of our lives but never over-boiling.
In it, a paragraph struck me.
“Most people are like water in a kettle. They try to reach boiling point but, when this happened, they don’t think about removing the kettle from the fire. That is why the water boils over and extinguishes that which exactly brought it to the boil”. [The Master, Chao-Hsiu Chen]
How true is this?
Often there is some desire and ambition inside us, pushing us to give our very best in our daily activities. The fire within us, which pushes us to limits which we only dream of. Some people may never come to a boil, for a variety of reasons. This is not the issue. A life with fire and purpose is always a meaningful life, regardless of whether it boils eventually.
The danger is when we boil over and yet is not aware. We may have reached the pinnacles in our pursuit for success, but the success of it did not register. We continue on the process of boiling. The same way water evaporates when it reaches a certain temperature; our passion for life dulls as we persist in our mad-capped pursuit.
In the same manner when boiling water spills over the brim and extinguishes the fire beneath; our meaning in life snaps when we lose the passion. We lose the personal definition of what life is, and what living entails.
Asians do not boil their water for the fun of it. We boil water for a reason.
People do not go about their daily business for nothing. We have our purposes and dreams to fulfill in everything that we do.
Just as watching the fire under the kettle reduces the potential of leaking gases in modern homes; remembering the focus and purpose of our pursuits ensures that we are always near the boiling peak of our lives but never over-boiling.
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