A businessman with a worried face approached a wise old man. "Sir, I desperately need your help. Although I am wealthy, everyone treats me with hostility. Life feels like a battlefield full of deception and strife." "Then just stop fighting," the old man replied. Confused by such advice, the businessman left in disappointment. Over the following months, his mood deteriorated, and he began quarreling with everyone around him, creating many enemies. A year later, he felt utterly exhausted, no longer able to contend with anyone. "Sir, I no longer wish to fight. But life is still so heavy—it feels like a massive burden." "Then just set the burden down," the old man replied. Infuriated by the response, the businessman stormed off. In the year that followed, his business suffered setbacks, and he eventually lost everything. His wife and children left him, leaving him penniless and alone. He once again sought guidance from the old man. "Sir, I am now empty-handed and have nothing left. Life is filled with nothing but sorrow." "Then just don't be sorrowful," the old man said. Anticipating this response, the businessman felt neither disappointed nor angry this time; instead, he chose to stay in a quiet corner of the mountain where the old man lived. One day, a sudden wave of grief overcame him, and he wept uncontrollably for days, weeks, and even months. Finally, when his tears ran dry, he looked up to see the warm morning sun shining upon the earth. He returned to the old man once more. "Sir, what exactly is life?" The old man looked up at the sky and smiled, "A new day begins when you wake up; can't you see the sun rising every single day?" Is life heavy or light? It all depends on how we perceive it. We encounter various troubles in life, and if we cannot let them go, they will follow us like shadows, making life feel like a heavy burden. If we let go of our worries and sorrows, life can be beautifully simple.
