Two young friends, both good swimmers, once
went swimming off the coast of Madras. The day
was pleasant, the sea calm, and sometimes
skimming along the surface, sometimes plunging
below, they had soon left the shore far behind.
Then, quite without warning, they found
themselves struggling against enormous waves
which bore down on them with tremendous force.
One of the young men struck out strongly against
the waves, battling his way to the shore. But try as
he might, he could not make the distance to the
beach and he was drowned. The waves had proved
stronger than he. His friend also struck out in the
same way, but soon realized his efforts would be
futile. Luckily, he remembered that the force of the
waves was felt more on the surface and much less
underneath, so he immediately plunged, kicking
and struggling, to a depth where he was no longer
buffeted about. Now he began literally to swim for
his life, his lungs bursting and his muscles aching.
By straining every fibre of his being, he managed to
reach the shallows, where he was picked up
unconscious by some sailors. They brought him
safely to dry land, where he was taken to hospital.
He was given emergency treatment and soon
recovered. It had certainly been lucky for him that
there had been a boat in the vicinity to haul him
out, and that he could have immediate medical
attention. But what had really saved his life was his
change of tactics when he realized that the waves
were going to be too powerful for him.
Both the young men had struggled valiantly to
survive, but it was the one who had not depended
only on physical strength but also on his
intelligence who lived to tell the tale. He had
understood almost immediately that a
confrontation of his own human strength with the
enormous powers of nature would be inane and
futile.
This is a principle which might well be applied to
the whole spectrum of human activity, for
confrontation seldom brings us anything positive.
When a typhoon approaches, even the fishes dive
deep.
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
