Latest / STOPTIME: Live in the Moment. / Tolstoy’s The Three Questions: A Timeless Parable About Slowing Down
Transcript
- 0:24SPEAKER_00: Hey there.
- 0:26SPEAKER_00: Today I want to share one of my favorite classic stories.
- 0:31SPEAKER_00: It's a parable written by Leo Tolstoy, and it's a reminder to slow down, to return to presence, and reconnect with what actually matters beneath the noise when you let go of the pressure and stop rushing.
- 0:55SPEAKER_00: So wherever you are, whether you're walking or folding laundry, riding the subway, or taking a quiet moment, let this be a small invitation to soften your pace.
- 1:12SPEAKER_00: Here's the story.
- 1:16SPEAKER_00: There once was a king who believed that if he could find the answers to three questions, he would never make a mistake again.
- 1:30SPEAKER_00: The questions were simple yet impossible.
- 1:37SPEAKER_00: First question What is the right time to begin any task?
- 1:47SPEAKER_00: The second question was Who are the right people to listen to?
- 1:54SPEAKER_00: The third question he asks what is the most important thing to do?
- 2:04SPEAKER_00: So again, what is the right time to begin any task?
- 2:08SPEAKER_00: Who are the right people to listen to?
- 2:11SPEAKER_00: And what is the most important thing to do?
- 2:16SPEAKER_00: He asked scholars and priests and wise men, and their answers were thoughtful, but they all disagreed.
- 2:30SPEAKER_00: One told him the right time is always tomorrow, plan ahead.
- 2:37SPEAKER_00: While another insisted, the right time is right now.
- 2:42SPEAKER_00: Act immediately.
- 2:45SPEAKER_00: And another said The most important thing is science or prayer or courage or strategy.
- 2:54SPEAKER_00: The king grew tired of the noise, so he decided to visit a hermit who lived deep in the forest, a man known less for his brilliance and more for his presence.
- 3:10SPEAKER_00: When the king arrived, the hermit was digging in the earth with a simple spade.
- 3:17SPEAKER_00: He was frail and old, and the work looked exhausting.
- 3:23SPEAKER_00: The king approached him.
- 3:25SPEAKER_00: I've come to ask you three questions, he said.
- 3:29SPEAKER_00: The hermit did not answer, instead he kept digging slow, deliberate strokes.
- 3:35SPEAKER_00: So the king took the spade from him and began to dig himself, helping the man complete the work.
- 3:42SPEAKER_00: Hours passed.
- 3:45SPEAKER_00: Suddenly a man staggered out of the woods, clutching his stomach, bleeding badly.
- 3:52SPEAKER_00: The king and the hermit rushed to him.
- 3:55SPEAKER_00: They cleaned the wound, stopped the bleeding, and carried the man inside.
- 4:00SPEAKER_00: The king cared for him through the night.
- 4:04SPEAKER_00: By morning the wounded man opened his eyes and whispered Forgive me.
- 4:11SPEAKER_00: The king was confused.
- 4:14SPEAKER_00: The man explained that he had once been his enemy and had planned to ambush him on his journey.
- 4:23SPEAKER_00: But when the king didn't return, the man went searching, was wounded by the king's guards, and stumbled toward the hermit's hut, where the king himself saved his life.
- 4:37SPEAKER_00: The man wept.
- 4:40SPEAKER_00: The king forgave him and promised to send him home healed and cared for.
- 4:47SPEAKER_00: When the visitor left, the king finally turned back to the hermit.
- 4:53SPEAKER_00: I must know the answers to my questions, he said.
- 4:57SPEAKER_00: The hermit looked up from his work and smiled.
- 5:03SPEAKER_00: You have already been shown the answers, he said.
- 5:08SPEAKER_00: The right time is the only time that exists, the moment that you are in.
- 5:17SPEAKER_00: Had you not stayed and helped me dig, you wouldn't have met the wounded man.
- 5:23SPEAKER_00: Yesterday, today, tomorrow, none of it matters more than now.
- 5:31SPEAKER_00: The right people are the ones who are with you in the present moment.
- 5:38SPEAKER_00: Had you not attended to the wounded man, you might still be enemies.
- 5:46SPEAKER_00: And the most important thing is to do good for the person in front of you, for this alone is what life requires in the moment.
- 6:00SPEAKER_00: The king stood still.
- 6:05SPEAKER_00: The forest was quiet.
- 6:09SPEAKER_00: The sun slipped through the trees in thin golden lines, and for the first time in a long while he felt peaceful.
- 6:26SPEAKER_00: Tolstoy wrote this in the 1800s, but its wisdom feels almost tailor-made for the world that we live in right now, doesn't it?
- 6:36SPEAKER_00: We're always strategizing and planning and projecting into what's next, but this story reminds us that life only ever unfolds one moment at a time.
- 6:51SPEAKER_00: The right time isn't in your calendar, and the right people aren't the ones that you're chasing.
- 6:59SPEAKER_00: And that most important thing, well, it isn't the thing you're trying to get to.
- 7:05SPEAKER_00: It's the thing and the person right in front of you.
- 7:13SPEAKER_00: We rush because we're afraid of falling behind.
- 7:17SPEAKER_00: And we speed up because we think our worth is measured by output.
- 7:21SPEAKER_00: But when we slow down, we can actually see what wants tending.
- 7:32SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's the real secret.
- 7:33SPEAKER_00: Slowing down isn't about doing less.
- 7:39SPEAKER_00: It's about doing what matters.
- 7:45SPEAKER_00: I hope that this story brought you some breath, or maybe you had pause or a flicker of clarity.
- 7:51SPEAKER_00: And I'd love to hear what resonated if you feel like leaving a a response on wherever you listen.
- 7:58SPEAKER_00: And if you feel if you feel called, share this episode with someone who might need a reminder to slow down and return to themselves.
- 8:10SPEAKER_00: Until next time, may your moments be spacious and grounded and full of possibility.
- 8:17SPEAKER_00: I'm Lisa Hopkins.
- 8:19SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening.
- 8:20SPEAKER_00: Stay safe and healthy.
- 8:23SPEAKER_00: And remember to live in the moment.