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In the time of my father's father, there were two brothers named Chun and Pak. Their farms were side by side, Chun's farm to the north and Pak's farm to the south. Chun and Pak were much alike in learning and in wealth, but in one way they were very different: They never agreed on the best way to do things. Each farm had two storage barns. One was low, just a single floor, and the other was taller, two floors in height. One day Pak and Chun were discussing their farms, and they talked about the barns. "I do not like having two barns of different sizes," said Pak. "Neither do I," said his brother Chun. "Let us remedy this matter straightaway." So the two brothers returned to their farms and got out their tools. Pak fetched a hammer and saw, and Chun fetched a wrecking bar. Then each set to work on one of the barns on his farm. Pak worked hard for several days. With his tools, he built a second story on his short barn. Now both of his barns were the same height, and he stood in his farmyard gazing proudly at his two fine barns. Now he could store more food for his animals for the winter, and he began to plan how he would increase his herds. Chun, on his farm, set to work as well. With his wrecking bar, he demolished the upper floor of his tall barn. Now his barns, too, were equal. He stood in his farmyard surrounded by wreckage. Now he had less space to store the food that his animals and his family needed for the winter, and he began to worry about having enough. Yes, Pak and Chun made their barns equal, one with a builder's hammer and the other with a wrecking bar. |