The Master looked into the face of his young disciple, and behind the eyes he could read that the boy’s life would not stretch a month more. Illness would take him as the signs surely predicted.
With compassion and sadness, he sent the little boy home so he could at least die surrounded by his family in the gentle hills of his homeland.
When two months later the young disciple returned in great spirits and radiant good health, the Master’s amazement was matched by his delight. And this time what the Master read behind the boy’s eyes was that having overcome obstacles he would now survive into ripe old age.
The Master, curious to find out how his young disciple had cheated Fate, quizzed the boy with many questions about his journey home. The boy mentioned that, among other things, he had saved a colony of ants from a flood. He had carefully placed a stick across a swollen stream so they had an escape route.
“Aha!” said the Master. “That’s what makes all the difference! If you are good to life, life is good to you.”