The Oak Tree and the Reed Grass
INSPIRATIONAL, 25 May 2015
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service
Prof. Dietrich Fischer
A mighty oak tree ridiculed the soft thin reed grass bending back and forth in the lake.
“Look how strong and thick my trunk is, I don’t bend in the wind, I stand my ground, while you give in to the slightest pressure.”
The reed grass did not respond, but knew better inside. Then came a mighty storm, and the rigid oak tree fell crashing down. But the reed grass bent down, and when the storm was over, it stood up again.
There is a Chinese proverb, “In strength, there is weakness, and in weakness strength.” And “Being strong does not mean that you never fall down, but that each time you fall down, you stand up again.”
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Dietrich Fischer, born in 1941 in Münsingen, Switzerland, got a Licentiate in Mathematics from the University of Bern 1968 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from New York University 1976. 1986-88 he was a MacArthur Fellow in International Peace and Security at Princeton University. He has taught mathematics, computer science, economics and peace studies at various universities and been a consultant to the United Nations.
Excerpted from Dietrich Fischer’s Stories to Inspire You – TRANSCEND University Press-TUP.
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 25 May 2015.
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