The master at the school for archery was known to be a master of life just as much as of archery.
One day his brightest pupil scored three bull's-eyes in a row at a local contest. Everyone went wild with applause. Congratulations poured in for pupil -- and master.
The master, however, seemed unimpressed -- almost critical even.
When the pupil later asked him why, he said, "You have yet to learn that the target is not the target."
"Then what is the target?" the pupil demanded to know.
But the master would not say. This was something the boy would have to learn on his own someday, for it could not be communicated in words.
One day his brightest pupil scored three bull's-eyes in a row at a local contest. Everyone went wild with applause. Congratulations poured in for pupil -- and master.
The master, however, seemed unimpressed -- almost critical even.
When the pupil later asked him why, he said, "You have yet to learn that the target is not the target."
"Then what is the target?" the pupil demanded to know.
But the master would not say. This was something the boy would have to learn on his own someday, for it could not be communicated in words.
I can appreciate this sort of thing as I do archery myself. I've gotten 6 bullseyes in a row, out of a quiver of 7. The 7th one almost was in, too.