Leo Tolstoy and The Three Questions

Saturday Stories

January 19, 2019

I

Leo Tolstoy once said: "The surest sign of the truth is simplicity and clarity. Lie is always complicated, pretentious and wordy." I'm in awe of the spiritual depth of Leo Tolstoy, the great 19th century Russian author whose masterpieces, "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina," are two of the greatest novels ever written. My favorite among of his short stories, first published in 1885, is "The Three Questions."

II

Once upon a time in Russia, the emperor wanted to know the answers to three questions. The first is – "What is the most important time to do each thing?" The second is – "Who are the most important people to work with?" And the third question is – "What is the most important thing to do at all times?" The emperor declared a reward for anyone who can give the answers. Almost every man in the kingdom went to the palace to give their opinions. But none satisfied the emperor. So he went out to visit an old man who lived alone in the mountain, a hermit known as a holy man, to seek his counsel. He found the old man digging in his garden, and asked him the three questions.

III

The hermit listened, but merely patted him on the shoulder and went back to work. Then the emperor saw how the old man was getting tired, so he helped him. He dug until night fell, but the hermit never gave the answers. But as he turned to go, he saw someone running toward them – a stranger with a bloody wound on his chest. The emperor dressed the wound, but since it was already too dark to get home, he stayed in the old man's hut, taking care of the mysterious man. Then morning came, and he was shocked when the stranger revealed that he had meant to kill him. The man had been waiting in ambush, but it night came, and he got lost and ran into the emperor's soldiers at the path to the mountain. The emperor was even more surprised when he asked the old man for the last time, and was told that he already knew the answers.

IV

If he hadn't helped dig the garden, he would have been killed on his way back, said the hermit. So, at the moment, the most important time was spent digging, that most important person was the hermit, and the most important thing was to help him. And if he hadn't cared for the stranger, they wouldn't have been reconciled. So, at that moment, the most important time was spent dressing his wound, the most important person was the man, and the most important thing was to take care of him. "Remember, that there is only one important time and that is now," said the wise man. "The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future? The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."

Photo courtesy of HarperCollins.com