One-Minute Pocket Story Survival Wisdom - Yilin (Includes a Gift of Cool Pictures and Colorful Pages, Exquisite Yilin Small Sayings Supplement)

Author: Han Bing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
119. Wisdom Like Salt There is a story about an elder leading his villagers day and night to transport salt to a certain place in exchange for barley for the winter. One night, they camped in the wilderness under a brilliant starry sky. The elder still used the method passed down from his ancestors, taking out three pieces of salt and throwing them into the campfire to predict the weather changes in the mountains. Everyone was waiting for the elder's "weather forecast": if they heard the salt pieces crackling in the fire, it was a sign of good weather; if there was no sound, it meant the weather was about to worsen, and storms could come at any moment. The elder was serious because the salt pieces made no sound in the fire. He thought it was inauspicious and advocated setting off immediately after dawn. However, another young man in the tribe believed that "divining the weather with salt" was superstition and opposed leaving in a hurry. The next afternoon, the weather indeed turned severe, with wind and snow raging. Only then did the young man who insisted on waiting later realize the elder's wisdom. In fact, explained by today's science, the elder was also right. Whether the salt pieces made a sound in the fire was related to the humidity in the air. In other words, when storms were approaching, the humidity was high, the salt pieces became damp, and when thrown into the fire, they naturally remained silent.
Lin's Wisdom: The elder's philosophy is like salt in a dish.
120. Pet Red Humans have been using natural ochre since ancient times, especially for funerals. The deceased were often coated with a reddish-brown hue, symbolically blending this color with life. This custom spread worldwide during the Neolithic Age, but it was not a time of red glory. Red only showed its charming allure when the nobles in southern Italy of the Roman Empire used it to decorate large areas of their palace walls. At that time, it was known as Pet Red. This color came from yellow ochre that turned red after firing, and it was used sporadically during the Middle Ages before quickly disappearing. In 1929, an architect built a circular house in Merges, France, with walls decorated in Pet Red. The red contrasted beautifully with the white snow of winter and the green grass of summer. This Pet Red-loving building was later listed as a historical relic.
Lin's Wisdom: Understanding anything requires a process.
P59