Blue Bird

"Why?" The two were startled, clearly not expecting Richard to say that. In their view, if they were not supposed to accept it all, why was Richard telling them about it?

Richard looked at the two and said, "Harry, Kathy, you need to understand one thing. Ideas are meant to broaden your horizons, not restrict them. The same goes for what I teach you. Whether it is the 'monism' or 'dualism' I speak of, they are both things others have summarized.

"They may be right, or they may be wrong. That is not important. What matters is what you gain from them. Then use what you have gained to reason backward, to verify it, and finally arrive at conclusions that belong to you, little by little.

"Remember this: connect it to reality and apply it to reality. If an idea cannot do that, then it will forever be nothing more than an idea, empty talk with no use at all. It may even bring trouble."

Seeing that the two were still confused, Richard pursed his lips and said, "Then let me tell you a fable. Once, there was an astronomer—well, an astrologer. He often went out into the wilderness at night to observe the stars. One night, while heading out to observe them, he accidentally fell into a deep pit. He was injured and began shouting loudly.

"By chance, a hunter passing by heard him and pulled him out. Then the hunter asked curiously why he had fallen into the pit. The pit was extremely obvious; even a fool would have gone around it. The astrologer curled his lip and said as if it were only natural, 'All my energy is devoted to the great matter of observing the stars. How could I bother with such a trivial thing as