Good Habits

A wealthy businessman was worried about his son's bad habits. He sought counsel from a wise, old man. The old man met the man's son and took him out for a stroll. They walked into the woods, and the old man showed the boy a small sapling and asked him to pull it out. The boy did so with ease, and they walked on.

The old man then asked the boy to pull out a small plant. The boy did that too, with a little effort. As they walked, the old man asked the boy to pull out the bush, which he did. The next was a small tree, which the child had to struggle a lot to pull out. Finally, the old man showed him a bigger tree and asked the child to pull it out.

The child failed to pull it out even after trying several times, in different ways. The old man looks at the boy, smiles, and says, "So is the case with habits, good or bad".

Bad habits are hard to get rid of once they have settled in our system. It is best to get rid of them early on.

好習慣

一個有錢的商人擔心兒子會養成壞習慣，他向一位年長的智者求助。智者接見商人的兒子後，帶他出去散步，他們走進樹林，智者指給男孩看一棵小樹苗，請他把它拔出來，這個男孩輕輕鬆鬆就辦到了，他們繼續往前走。

然後，智者要求男孩拔起一株小植物，這男孩費了點勁也辦到了。他們走著走著，智者讓男孩拉灌木叢，他照做；下一個目標是一棵小樹，孩子很努力地才把它拔出來。最後，智者指著一棵大樹，並要求孩子拔大樹。

即使嘗試了許多次，孩子也沒能撼動巨木。智者看著男孩、微笑著說：「無論好與壞，習慣都像是這樣。」「不良習慣一旦融入我們的周遭，就很難消除。最好儘早擺脫它們。」

Good Company

Two parrots built a nest in a banyan tree. They lived with their two young ones, which they took good care of. The mother and the father parrot went out to gather food in the morning and came back home by evening. One day, when their parents were away, the young parrots were taken by a cruel hunter.

One of the birds managed to escape and flew away from the hunter. He ended up at a hermitage and grew up listening to kind words and compassion. The hunter put the other parrot in a cage, and soon it learned a few words and phrases. The hunter and his family were crude and didn't care much about kind words.

One day, a passerby was resting outside the hunter's hut. Sensing someone outside, the parrot said, "Fool, why are you here? Fool! Leave! I'll cut your throat". Scared, the frightened guy hurried away, and on his journey, he reached the hermitage where the other parrot was. The parrot at the hermitage said, "Welcome traveler. You are free to stay here as long as you want".

Surprised, the traveler told the parrot that he encountered a similar parrot elsewhere and it was very cruel. How is that you are so kind?” The parrot replied, "That must be my brother. I live with the sages, and my brother lives with hunters. I learned the sage's language, and my brother was influenced by the hunter." A person is known by the company he keeps.

好同伴

兩隻鸚鵡在榕樹上築了巢，與牠們的兩隻幼鳥住在一起，並得以悉心照顧小傢伙。鸚鵡爸爸和鸚鵡媽媽通常在早上出去收集食物，晚上才會回到家。有一天，當牠們離開時，小鸚鵡們被一個兇殘的獵人逮住了。

其中一隻幼鳥設法逃離獵人，飛走了；他最終在修道院長大，耳濡目染善意話語和富同情心的環境成長；另一隻鸚鵡被獵人關在籠子裡，很快就學會了一些令人不悅的言辭，獵人和他的家人都很粗魯，沒說過什麼好話。

有一天，一個路人在獵人小屋外休息。察覺到外面有人的鸚鵡說：「呆瓜，你為什麼在這裡？呆瓜，走開，不然我要割你喉嚨了。」嚇壞了的傢伙趕緊走了，在途中，他到了另一隻鸚鵡隱居的修道院。修道院鸚鵡說：「歡迎旅客，你可以隨意地留在這裡，多久都行。」

旅者驚訝地告訴鸚鵡，他在其他地方遇到過長相類似的鸚鵡，但談吐卻非常粗鄙，「你怎麼這麼友善呢？」鸚鵡回答：「那想必是我的兄弟。我與賢人住在一起，我兄弟與獵人住在一起；我學習賢人的言談話語，而我的兄弟則受了獵人的影響。」近朱者赤，近墨者黑。