A Classic Tale of the Wise Old Master

There is a legend that is still told in our villages today of the remarkable inner peace and wisdom of the Wise Old Master.

It seems that one day, the Rash Young Student approached the Wise Old Master and said, "I have heard it said that there is no better player of video games than you in all the land."

The Wise Old Master said, "That is so."

So the Rash Young Student said, "Then you must train me. I wish to become as skilled as you in the art of playing video games."

So the Wise Old Master said, "Why should I waste my teaching on a young imbecile such as yourself? You young people have no patience for video games. You will attend to a video game for five minutes and then grow bored. The next moment, you will be outside, playing like a moron in the sunshine, neglecting your video game console."

"No, not I," cried the Rash Young Student. "I promise to take video games very seriously if you will only teach me!"

So the Wise Old Master was moved to teach the Rash Young Student, though he was uncertain that the student had the mettle to endure his rigorous training.

Now one day, it came to be that while the Wise Old Master was teaching the Rash Young Student, their village came under attack by the mighty armies of Rodan.

Outside the walls, the Rash Young Student could hear the clash of arms and the cries of the wounded. He grew pale, but the Wise Old Master knelt at his place, with utter calm and focus on the video game he was playing, as though nothing was wrong at all.

The fighting grew louder, and the Rash Young Student quailed. He could hear the whiz of arrows now, and he nearly dropped his video game controller when stray arrows shot through the paper walls and thatched roof of the Wise Old Master's video game classroom.

"Perhaps we should stop playing video games for the day, Master," the Rash Young Student pleaded.

"Just as I thought," said the Wise Old Master. "You have grown tired of video games and now wish to go outside and play like a moron in the sunshine, while the video game console sits here gathering dust." As he said this, an arrow shot through the paper wall and flew so near the Wise Old Master's head that it sheared off a few of his snow white hairs, but the Wise Old Master was still completely calm as though there was no danger at all, and he continued to play the video game.

"Please, Master!" The Rash Young Student was frantic now. "I wish to learn to play video games as much as ever, but the village is under attack! We must flee if we are to escape the deadly swords and arrows of Rodan's mighty army!"

The Wise Old Master paused the video game and turned to the Rash Young Student. "Rodan's army may be powerful. Rodan's swords may cut down our soldiers, and Rodan's arrows may slay our citizens. Rodan may have the might to burn our cities to the ground and shatter our nation. But there is one thing that Rodan can never defeat or erase and that is our high scores in video games. If death is come to us today, let him find us engaged in worthwhile activity. Today, you shall learn the true spirit of our culture."

Then the Wise Old Master unpaused the video game and continued to play.