Once upon a time, there were two friends. They were standing outside and looking at a flag.

The flag was moving because the wind was blowing.

The first friend said, “Look, it’s the wind that’s making the flag move.”

The second friend disagreed, “No, it’s the flag that’s moving because of the wind.”

Just then, a wise Monk was passing by. He heard their argument and stopped to talk to them.

“Hey, friends,” said the Monk, “neither the flag nor the wind is really moving.”

The friends were surprised. “Then what is moving?” they asked.

“It’s the mind that moves,” explained the Monk. “Your thoughts and perceptions make you see things in different ways.”

The two friends realized that the Monk was right. They stopped arguing and started to think differently about the world around them.

Moral of the story

Sometimes things are not as they seem, and our perceptions can be influenced by our thoughts.