I wandered through the city troubled, thinking deeply. As I strolled the sidewalks in the misty morning, I encountered an old man prophesying loudly. He spoke cryptically, almost as if speaking in old English.
He questioned me as I passed, “Why do you look for answers outside of yourself?”
I tried to answer, but I could not control my speech. Once I caught my tongue, I rebuked him with a question, “Why are you here?”
The recluse mysteriously answered. “Wise men are scarce, and their lips are sealed to the arrogant masses. But I must weep in the streets to show them their wrong doings and glutinous living; for if they do not change, hell will be upon us all.”
He asked me to ponder once more, “Can you not see the mass ignorance and lack of virtue in all their actions?”
“I see as they do.” I craved an answer, “What must I do to awaken?”
He shook his head and said, “If being wise was tangible, I would not be here. That is why I have answered but one of your questions. All answers are found within one’s self.”