The Past

The Tao was on a safari with the student. They were traveling in silence for over an hour when the student asked, “I always wonder what would have happened if I took a different path?”

“Look back,” the Tao said, “What do you see?”

The student looked back. The late afternoon’s golden sunlight was filtering through the dust raised by the Jeep they were traveling on. It was a wonderful sight.

“I see only dust,” said the student.

“That is your past,” said the Tao, “Looking back, it appears mysterious, beautiful, filled with possibilities. But, in reality, there is nothing to find there anymore, only the dust of your memories floating around. Let us move on, shall we?”

They travelled in silence for the next hour.