 The Parable of the Sacred Turtle There once was an ancient Taoist master who was a great philosopher and strategist. He had a wide array of different skills, which made him very sought after by a few rulers. They wanted to use him for his abilities to advance their personal goals. One of the rulers, King Wei, sent his courtiers to find the Taoist master at his home and invite him to be the leader's chief counselor. Many people would find this job to be a blessing or an honor. When they went to his home, they found him fishing by the riverbank. The courtiers saw his living situation and thought he would surely jump at the opportunity for a high status and many riches. As they approached him and showed him the invitation, he responded with a story. Once upon a time, there was a sacred turtle which lived its life happily in the mud. It would roll around all day enjoying its freedom in nature. But because it was considered a sacred turtle, it was captured by the king's men and taken to the palace. There, they killed the poor turtle and used its shell to predict the future. The Taoist master then asked the guards if they thought the turtle would have been happy to give up its life to live at the palace or would it rather have lived its life in the mud. The guard answered that, of course, it would obviously be happier in the mud. And the Taoist master replied, well, then you have my answer. Go home and let me be a happy turtle here in the mud. And so he lived out his days at home the way that he wanted to. This parable shows us that we must do that which makes us truly happy, following our hearts on the inside. It is not up to other people and their expectations to bring us inner peace, but our own actions. Further, asking the question of what really makes you happy in life and honoring the simple, natural beauty of the world is imperative to a good life. This is kind of a sad parable at first because some dynasties in China really did engage in ox and turtle bone readings, so there's actually an element of truth to the sage's story. Allegorically, however, this parable goes both ways. We must do that which makes us happy no matter how simple it may seem, but we should also not assume to know that we know what's best for people just because we see things from a different perspective. Everyone ultimately lives according to their own level of awareness and consciousness. What makes one person happy will sometimes be opposite for another. Today there are people who aspire to have a fancy car, a big apartment in a major city and a big paying job, and you also have people who want the opposite of that, a quiet life in nature, away from those kinds of people. And both of those are entirely okay. By giving into the pressure and expectations of others, we will hinder our own happiness. Trust yourself and do what you need to do to fulfill your desires in this life.