Much more beneath1 the surface

Much more beneath¹ the surface

　There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to be patient² and wise. So he asked them to take turns looking at a pear tree that was far from their home.

　The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in fall.

　After they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

　The first son said that the tree was ugly and weak.

The second son disagreed—he said it was covered with green buds³ and full of hope.

　The third son didn’t agree with either of them. He said it was covered in flowers that smelled sweet and looked beautiful.

　The last son also had his own opinion. He said the tree was ripe⁴ and full of fruit, ready to be picked.

　The man then explained to his sons that they were all correct because each of them saw just one season in the tree’s life.

　He told them that you cannot judge a tree—or a person—by only one season. You can see how someone changes and grows as time goes by—some periods are happy, while others are sad. If you give up on someone when they are living through the “winter” of their lives, you will miss the promise of their spring, the beauty of their summer, and the greatness of their fall.

Notes:

1. beneath prep. 在……下方 2. patient adj. 耐心的

3. bud n. 花蕾  4. ripe adj. 成熟的