How the Fable of the Foolish Man Inspires us to Move Mountains

Faith and community support are the key ingredients

Any Chinese kid can recite the famous fable of “Yugong Yishan”.

An old farmer in his 90s lived in the ancient Yu province. His name was Yugong, literally translated into the “foolish old man.” The idiom means “the foolish man who removed the mountains.”

In front of his house were 2 huge mountains, which blocked the way of the villagers when outing, wasting a lot of time and effort.

One day, this old man said: we should remove the mountains. We shall put the rocks and debris in baskets every day and transport them to the shore of the Bohai Sea.

This journey back and forth took over half a year each time, but the villagers and people from nearby provinces, old and young, supported and joined.

A clever old man ridiculed Yugong and told him how foolish he was to think he could remove the big mountains!

Yugong said, “Even the widow and child know better than you; how are you wise?”

He went on, “what I cannot finish, my sons and daughters, their children, and children of their children can continue. We just have to keep at it and will remove the mountains.”

His determination moved Heaven, and two Immortal Gods were sent to remove the two huge mountains.

This fable tells the story of perseverance and willpower, the willingness and effort to do the impossible, and it does not matter whether you are clever or foolish.

Perspectives on Mountains

In our lives, we do and finish many things — some are easy and fun to do while others are as difficult as mountains.

While mountains signify obstacles or challenges to many, I would like to think of mountains as a store of wonder, experiences, and knowledge accumulated over many years.

Let’s think about how mountains are formed.

The world’s tallest mountain ranges form when pieces of Earth’s crust — called plates — smash against each other in a process called plate tectonics, and buckle up like the hood of a car in a head-on collision.~National Geographic

Mountains are formed after millions of years.

Knowledge like mountains is formed by the accumulation and often experimentation of events.

I also regard mountains as nature’s most amazing wonders. When I climb up a mountain, I breathe in the fresh air, I feel elated and less stressed, and I become energized to conquer the world.

Mountains inspire.

One more perspective: when you encounter challenges, find your community to lend you support and resources. Don’t think you need to do it alone. Be a lightning rod and move the community with your passion and mission.

You can move mountains.

My 3 Favourite Mountains

These are three great mountains that signify different parts of my life.

Victoria Peak

I grew up in Hong Kong which is a hilly and mountainous city.

In fact, my parents’ apartment sits in the middle of a mountain — a place aptly called “Mid-Level”.

We like to go to “Victoria Peak” and do the “Victoria Peak Hike”, deemed the most scenic hike in Hong Kong.

Almost any time of the day, you will see individuals, families, and groups hiking this loop. This trail contains many sweet memories and the footsteps of me and my family, classmates, and friends.

The Swiss Mountains

Have you seen more majestic mountains than the Swiss mountains?

After I finished my undergraduate studies at Cambridge University, my whole family flew to the U.K. to attend my graduation. Then the 5 of us went on a European trip together — from England, France to Switzerland: driving, hiking, eating.

This was the most enjoyable hiking trip with my family.

It signified the end of my university study — a young adult who was nervous yet ready to face the working world.

The Grand Canyon

Fast forward many years later, I arrived in San Francisco and through my work experiences, I ultimately became a U.S. citizen.

A friend recently challenged me to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with her, and after the stay-at-home experience from COVID, I gladly accepted.

I documented my story here:

This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience as I challenged myself to hike close to 5,000 feet up and down under a temperature of 90°F to 110°F.

Not only did I learn to respect nature but also my limits and learned how a determined mind could overcome body adversity and physical challenges — one step at a time, like Yugong.

Takeaways

I would like to close this essay with a few thoughts:

(1) Never give up easily. Faith can move mountains or Heaven, which will pave the way for you to succeed.

(2) Find your community and move them with your passion and mission.

(3) Acquire a mountain of knowledge and be a lifetime learner.

(4) Respect and learn the lessons of nature. A determined mind can overcome any challenges on your way.

This post is inspired by Dr. Preeti Singh’s beautiful post on mountains. She marveled how mountain hikes brought “…good health, freshness, and well-being to our lives.”

I would like to share these inspiring posts by fellow Reciprocal writers: Grace Leverich who described how her first viral post on Medium came about and William J Spirdione who enlightened us with the wonders of Niagara Falls and shared his majestic photos. You will feel your worries being washed away.

Thank you for reading my story!

May your days be filled with wonders and good spirits!

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