A habit

A habit

"What is a habit?"
The disciples asked a teacher.
The teacher brought them a hill and showed grasses and tress of two kinds.
First, was a young grass.
Second, a young grass,too. But it had branched out already.
Third, was a small tree,and,
Forth, a giant tree.

"Pull up the first and second grasses."
They pulled them up.
"It was easy."

"Pull up the third tree."
They pulled up that easily, too.

"Pull of the forth tree."
They tried and tried but could not.
"it was impossible"

The teacher replied,
"That is the feature of habit.
We can control the habit with a mind at first.
However, when it grows, we can't control it later.
Remove the bad habit at first and grow the good habit."

(From The Chosun world Vol.77 No.7 Gwangju, Korea)