A man meditated each morning beside a quiet pond where a white swan lived.
One day, as he breathed with eyes closed, he heard rough barking sounds rolling across the water: “tonk,” “donk,” “aaark,” “doonk.”
“𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒, 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑,” he thought.
Each day, he heard the same barking sound and saw the graceful swan gliding by. His certainty grew firm.
Pleased with his discovery, he told his friends, “Swans can bark. I hear it every day at the park.” They believed him, for he spoke with confidence.
Weeks later, when the swan was moved to another pond, the barking sound stayed.
Curious at last, he followed the sound and found a family of frogs croaking in the reeds.
He blushed and said softly, “Even a calm mind can confuse noise for truth.”
𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
Be curious, not certain. When something sounds unreasonable or against all logic, verify before you share it.
(Based on a true moment by the pond of Botanic Gardens in Singapore.)
