The Master and his Student

Once, a Master was walking on the banks of a river. Suddenly, he heard a cry. He ran to the

riverside and saw his Student in the water. The Student was waving his arms and crying out loud. When he saw the Master, he shouted, “Master! Please help me. I will drown in the river.”

The Master asked his Student to stay calm. He said, “Son! Do not panic! I shall find a way to bring you out. But how did you fall into the river?”

The Student replied, “I was learning how to swim with the help of a log of wood. After a while, I felt I could swim without it. So, I left the log and started swimming without it. The force of the stream was very rough and I lost my balance.”

The Master looked around for another log of wood, and found one lying upon the bank. He threw it towards his Student and said, “Let this be a warning to you. In future, never throw away the log until you are quite sure you have learnt to swim without it.”

Do not make rash and hasty decisions.