Give and Take

"I require proof of everything!" snorted the haughty man. The Mystic replied, "If you require proof of everything,you will never reach Enlightenment." There was a long silence, while the two men sipped hot green tea. The man, staring at the crude, dirt floor, sighed. with impatient irritation. "How do you expect modern-day society to accept that which you cannot explain, touch or feel? You are asking us to place reason aside in favor of something that is merely a nebulous proposition. That is just not reality." There was another long and uncomfortable silence, after which the Mystic replied, "You come to me seeking the key to happiness. Yet when it is offered to you, your back is already turned. That, indeed, is a most sad reality."