An Old Tale - author unknown

There were 2 brothers who decided to leave home and journey to another land. In those days before going on a journey you performed a ceremony of cleaning your self thoroughly by washing every part of your body and your heart. Therefore, on the day of the journey, the brothers went to the river and began washing themselves. They took out their hearts, cleaned them, and laid them on a rock to dry a bit as they scrubbed the rest of their bodies. It was believed that by washing one’s heart, particularly before a journey, you allowed yourself to experience that journey purely. The brothers were playful and always joked around with each other so they started playing diving games. Laughter took hold of them and when they had finished washing they left, forgetting their hearts by the river. They realized this only after they arrived at the new land and couldn’t find pleasure, understanding or feeling in the new things that their eyes saw. The older brother touched his chest and recognized that his heart wasn’t there. His little brother did the same. They picked up their sacks and started walking back home as fast as they could. When they reached the river, days later, their hearts were still there but the arrival of night and day had altered them and ants had eaten certain parts. The brothers washed their hearts and put them back in their places but they could no longer experience things the way they had.    
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So, as they continue their journeys, they must find a way to repair their broken hearts by relighting the fire that is dull within them. They should live for that. This is what happens when old wisdom and new wisdom merge and find room in the young.

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