Story No. 11

When I was a child, I asked a wise man about coming of age. He said the books mention three signs: turning fifteen, the first wet dream, and the growth of hair below. But in truth there is only one sign: that you care more about pleasing God, exalted and sublime, than about satisfying your own desires. Anyone who lacks this quality, the true scholars do not count as grown up. A drop of water takes on human form only after forty days settled in the womb. But if a man of forty has no reason or manners, in truth he does not deserve to be called human. Humanity means generosity and kindness; don't think this brute physical shape is all there is. Skill is what matters, since anyone can paint a form on palace walls with red and green pigment. When a person has no virtue and does no good, what difference is there between a human and a picture on a wall? Winning the world is no great skill; if you can, win over a single heart instead.