Originally published at Southern Cross
One day, a young disciple wanted to put his teacher’s wisdom to the test. He took a tiny chick and hid it in his hands. His plan was to present it to his teacher and ask him:
“Teacher, is the chick in my hands dead or alive?”
If the teacher said the chick was alive, the disciple would squeeze his hands and kill it. If the teacher said that it was dead, he would release it so it could fly. In this way, regardless of what the teacher’s answer was, he could demonstrate that he was wrong.
When the young man asked his question, the teacher serenely looked at him and said, “The answer is in your hands.”
This parable is common in various cultures and highlights the freedom and responsibility we have in the decisions we make. A few Bible verses come to mind:
“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live” (Deut 30:19).
“Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your
