There once was a little worm living happily in an apple and eating
it away slowly, day by day. He didn’t lack anything. In fact all he needed was
food, and food was all around him. But one day he started to do philosophy, or
more formally – to investigate the principles of being. He wondered whether
the apple core was all there was and whether the meaning of life consisted
of nothing else but eating it away. He asked his fellow worms about this,
but they didn’t know either and had never asked such questions. They sent
him to the oldest worm, but neither did he know. “Why do you ask such
questions?” he replied. “There is nothing more to life than chewing up this
tasty apple. I could teach you several ways of chewing it, of shaping beautiful
galleries through it or of digging faster than other worms, but stop asking
such nonsense”. So the little worm gave up his philosophical inquiry and
dedicated himself to the routine of a normal worm’s life. But one day he took
a big bite and was suddenly blinded by the light of the sun. He fell out of the
apple and landed on the ground. The only reality he knew had ended. But it
was too late for him to learn from his experience, as the ants rapidly took him
to their nest and ate him. Ignorance is not bliss.
This parable illustrates well our world. Some of us are like the little
worm, wondering if eating, drinking, sex and all other pleasures of life 10 the buddha and the christ – reciprocal views Others don’t bother themselves with such
philosophical questions and just dig further in the apple. The Buddha and
the Christ warn us against such a perspective, and both tell us there is more
to life than eating up our apple. The Christ left us the Parable of the Rich Man
in Luke 12,16–21, saying:
The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought
to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then
he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build
bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And
I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many
years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” But God said to him,
“You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then
who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it
will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich
toward God.
it away slowly, day by day. He didn’t lack anything. In fact all he needed was
food, and food was all around him. But one day he started to do philosophy, or
more formally – to investigate the principles of being. He wondered whether
the apple core was all there was and whether the meaning of life consisted
of nothing else but eating it away. He asked his fellow worms about this,
but they didn’t know either and had never asked such questions. They sent
him to the oldest worm, but neither did he know. “Why do you ask such
questions?” he replied. “There is nothing more to life than chewing up this
tasty apple. I could teach you several ways of chewing it, of shaping beautiful
galleries through it or of digging faster than other worms, but stop asking
such nonsense”. So the little worm gave up his philosophical inquiry and
dedicated himself to the routine of a normal worm’s life. But one day he took
a big bite and was suddenly blinded by the light of the sun. He fell out of the
apple and landed on the ground. The only reality he knew had ended. But it
was too late for him to learn from his experience, as the ants rapidly took him
to their nest and ate him. Ignorance is not bliss.
This parable illustrates well our world. Some of us are like the little
worm, wondering if eating, drinking, sex and all other pleasures of life 10 the buddha and the christ – reciprocal views Others don’t bother themselves with such
philosophical questions and just dig further in the apple. The Buddha and
the Christ warn us against such a perspective, and both tell us there is more
to life than eating up our apple. The Christ left us the Parable of the Rich Man
in Luke 12,16–21, saying:
The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought
to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then
he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build
bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And
I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many
years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” But God said to him,
“You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then
who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it
will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich
toward God.
