You could say that the story of fern and bamboo is the fable of hope. Why? For that is the essence of resilience and perseverance; that is, this story reflects the importance of not giving up on an obstacle, challenge or setback.
We may not see changes and it can be difficult to manage permanence to the point where we don’t see progress, but stagnation or even regression, this is certainly part of life and there are many factors at stake to determine whether to stay on a certain path. will lead us to our wishes or not.
- But what if we stop investigating when our target wasn’t that far away?Here is a widely documented phenomenon in psychology and economics: the aversion to losses.
We prefer not to lose rather than win and, therefore, we usually retire immediately to preserve ourselves and not take any risks, so when assessing a possible gain, we prefer to walk away and avoid losses rather than make a profit.
This loss can be emotional, economic or of any other kind, which is clear is that if we look at this phenomenon we can increase our chances of success in a certain circumstance.
As Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman have argued, our attitude to problems depends on how we see the alternatives, so if we think of a person who has had a monotonous and boring relationship for 15 years, we can see that there is some connection that causes the person’s immobility and their displeasure at ending the relationship.
W or not that person makes the decision to terminate the relationship depends primarily on how he perceives his or her continued existence. You have two options that we will discuss below, first in abstract terms, and then more specifically in relation to the case we are presenting.
The same is true when we have to deal with a bad day or a bad time, if we think everything is wrong, we will probably keep the belief that everything we do can make the situation worse, this will lead to a high degree of immobility and, as we know, immobility is incompatible with life.
It is important to reinforce this when we take into account what is holding us back and what is worth risking to achieve our own goals. Similarly, we need to use those details to make decisions. That is why it is so important to list the pros and cons of the different options that we consider plausible when deciding something.
One day I decided to give up: I gave up my job, my relationship and my life, went into the woods to talk to an old man who was said to be very wise.
Can you give me a good reason not to give up? I asked
? Look around you, see the fern and the bamboo?
? Yes? Answered.
? When I planted the fern and bamboo seeds, I took good care of both, the fern was growing fast. Its bright green covered the ground, but nothing came out of the bamboo seed. However, I haven’t given up on bamboo.
In the second year, the fern became brighter and more abundant and, again, nothing grew from the bamboo seed. But I didn’t give up bamboo.
In the third year, nothing has sprouted from the bamboo seed yet, but I did not give up the bamboo.
In the fourth year, again, nothing sprouted from the bamboo seed, but I did not give up bamboo.
During the fifth year a small bamboo shoot appeared on the ground which, compared to the fern, was apparently very small and insignificant.
In the sixth year, bamboo grew more than 20 meters tall. It had been five years since he had taken root to support him. These roots made him strong and gave him what he needed to survive.
Did you know that during all this time bamboo took root?
Bamboo has a different purpose than ferns, however, both are necessary and make the forest a beautiful place.
Never regret a day in your life. Good days bring happiness, bad days bring experience. Both are essential to life, happiness makes you sweet. Attempts make you strong, feathers make you human. The falls make you humble, does success make you brilliant?
If you don’t get what you want, don’t despair, maybe you’re just taking root?
When it comes to being immersed (or not) in a life project of any kind, we must consider what it is worth investing time and effort in such as bamboo, the most valued and successful long-term goals are the ones that demand the most.
This fable is not the mythical “I want its power”. This message is as unreal as it is empty of hope and deprives us of a genuine and healthy inner dialogue What is worth saying is that if you really believe that something is possible and you have the strength to fight for it, it is worth working to achieve it.
Whether it’s accomplished or not, the trip is worth it. Hence the importance of reconsidering our possibilities and being willing to do anything to water our bamboo seeds a little more every day, all this adds up and, therefore, the emotional investment in what we want deserves so much consideration and attention on our part.
Remember the message of today’s fable and be sure to apply it in your daily life.