Building a Road
Not Only for Others but for Yourself
by David He
No one knew
how long the desert had been there but most
people knew that the shortest way to get between
the two villages was to walk across the desert,
for it would take only two days to reach the
destination by crossing the desert while it would
take more than twenty days to walk around.
However, it was said that many people had
attempted to cross the desert but had failed
along the way.
One day, a
learner passed by. He asked the local people to
find some young white poplars to plant every half
a mile between the two villages. Besides, he told
the villagers that, when the poplars were able to
grow, they could reach their destinations with
the help of the poplars, and that, if they failed
to grow, when passing by, they should pull them
up in fear that they might get swallowed by the
sand. To their great disappointment, the poplars
died of heat. As a result, they became the road
signals. Safely, the villagers walked for many
years.
One summer day
a monk came to one village. He decided to go to
the other. The villagers told him what to do as
the learner had told them. However, the monk
would not listen to them. He got a huge bag of
water and plenty of dry food and then went on his
journey. He thought it was foolish to take
others’ advice, so he planned to walk his
own way. While walking, he noticed some dry dead
young poplars, but he didn’t pull this one
up or put that one deeper. Why? When he thought
it was last time that he would walk across the
desert, he decided not to do as told. He walked
the whole day. At last he ran out of food and
water. He felt tired, thirsty and hungry. He was
about to sit down for a rest when a sand storm
came to him. He tried to find the dead young
poplars but in vain. Every possible way was tried
but, wherever he went, there was the sand storm.
He knew he could not walk across the desert, so
he waited until his last hour came. The more he
waited, the more regretful he felt. Obviously,
his death was due to his stubbornness. If only he
could have done as he was told! It was no use
crying over the spilt milk! Suddenly, he heard a
voice saying, “You have no way out. Remember,
only those who have made a road for others can
have their own road layed out.”
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