So... the following is a hypothetical situation. A man (let's call him Wade) lived in a town called Fulcrum. Although he lived there all his life, he was never able to instinctively follow all the customs of the land. He ate when the people ate. He drank when the people drank. He bathed when the people bathed. However, there was one custom that he tried his best to follow, but always came up short.
It was the Ceremony of Tossing. Every citizen of Fulcrum was given a specific number of stones, according to their personality. These stones were perfectly spherical and smoother than a baby's bottom. At the beginning of everyone month, the town of Fulcrum would gather together, pair up, and perform the Ceremony of Tossing. Wade knew that he would probably mess this part up again, but he was determined that this time was going to be different. This time he would figure out the key to successfully perform the ceremony. He watches as each pair approaches Balance, the crater where they toss their stones. Wade watches as they toss and at the end of their tossing, Balance would light up and tremor.
When Wade's turn came, he and his partner approached Balance. He began tossing the stones just as he saw those before him do. His demeanor was almost identical to those around him. He tried his best to successfully perform during the ceremony. However, when he and his partner had tossed all their stones, there were no lights and there was no tremor; just utter silence.
In a heap of frustration, Wade marched over to the Master of Ceremonies and asked "Why do I fail every time? I want to succeed." The MC simply replied "Check your pockets, son. Check your pockets." When Wade checked his pockets, he realized that all the stones that he thought he had thrown into Balance were still on him. Although he tried his best to create balance and give, at the end he realized that he was in fact holding everything back.
60 years later, Wade is in a nursing home, ready to die. He believes he has suffered enough pain and exile for his lack of success in the Ceremony of Tossing. Then, a little girl (about the age of 9) walks into his room and hands him a stone. He looks at the stone, then back at the little girl and asks "Why are you giving me your stone? The ceremony has not yet come." Then the little girl replied "I know, but I want you to have it." Then it hit him. The reason he never succeed was because he never truly gave.
The lesson Wade learned was this: just as real as the stone in his hand was is how real the stones he gives should feel in the hands of others. However, when you never really give a stone, it always comes back to you.
