The following is a story that occurred to me one day as I was contemplating some of the issues in The Philosophy of Freedom.  It has been published in The Correspondence (a small circulation Anthroposophical newspaper)--


Two men were walking down a path whereupon they saw two large stones, of approximately equal size.  One said to the other – “Wouldn’t it be fine if we were strong enough to lift stones as big as those?”  The other nodded, responding, “Let’s see!”  they both tugged  and pulled  on their stones for hours to no avail.  Out of breath, with sweat beaded upon their foreheads, they gave up and looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed at their weakness.  The rocks had not moved an inch.

“I would like to lift that stone,” said the one.  The other agreed.  And so a pact was made.  Five years from that day they would meet again – and at that time they would see who could move their stone the farthest.

Both being very resourceful, they mad plans on how best to accomplish their goal.

The one made quite a specific point to lift a small rock every day, and each week he would lift a slightly larger rock.

The other took a hammer, and made quite a specific point to walk by his rock (the one he couldn’t move before) every day and strike a small piece of it off.

Five years to the day they met again, although now both men looked quite different, and their rocks looked quite different, too.

The one had grown both in size and in health – his cheeks had a robust and rosy hue.  He was feeling quite up to his task that day.

The other man holding his hammer in his callused hand had become quite thin and wiry, and a sallow look had come into his face.  His own cleverness would not allow him to recognize the shiftless sensation that hovered just beyond the edge of his feeling.

As the sun beat down on them that hot summer day the one felt in the pink of health as he drank in the sunshine.

The other, a bead of sweat forming on his brow, felt a slight chill as the sun beat down.

And so they set about their tasks.

The one walked up to his rock, bent, and with a great strain and a loud shout, hurled it nearly 10 feet from where he stood.

“Aha – five years ago I could not even budge that rock – and now look!”  he said, “See now how far I have thrown it!”

A thin smile formed on the other’s lips at his friend’s simple mind.  For it was then that he reached down and - picking up the fragments of his rock - hurled them one by one a great distance toward the horizon.

Now somewhat winded from the exertion, he leaned against a tree.  He continued with his mocking smile and looked at his friend smugly through his narrowed eyes.  He felt no words were needed to describe the brilliance of his victory.

The one nodded in acknowledgment of his friend’s cleverness.  Nevertheless, he responded somewhat reluctantly, “Yes, it is true that you have thrown a portion of your rock much farther than I have…And yet I am wise to your tricks!  Little did you know that this area flooded several times while you slept, carrying the smaller pieces of your broken rock to the creek, and then to the river, and then to the ocean.  So for you to say that you have truly moved your entire rock, you must now dive to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve the rest of it!”

And so the two parted ways, never to meet again – the one happier and healthier for his efforts, the other still contemplating the situation as to whether he had won or not.